Neal Rikal

I need somebody's help really bad here. Please try and help me out, here is the low down.

I drive my car for five minuets approx 15 miles and my headlights are on which illuminates all interior gauges and my cd player is on at a low volume. When i apply the brake the music gets cut off by an electrical interference type squeal from the speakers and the cd does not come back on when i release the brake. Also at the same time the speakers freak out my headlights dim to a point where they are almost off, this also happens to all the lighted gauges but return back to full light even if the brake is still applied.

So i put in a new battery, alternator,alternator belt, battery terminals, and i still have the same problem. Here are the current electrical readings:

-At the alternator we are reading an output of 13.2V and 12A at idle. At 2000rpm with a load it puts out 185A.

-At the battery at idle there is only 12.5V and is putting out 65A even with no load. This seems way too high of an amperage as if there is a resistence problem or loose wire? Or starter feed problem? or?

-When it is run direct from the alternator to the battery we get a reading of 13.2V and 12A at idle at the battery

If anybody has any input from experience or just a guess it is greatly appreciated. I really don't know where to go next. Please help me out!

O. L. T.

iTrader: (17)

it's a ground. i dont know where or how, but it is. we can speculate "till the cows come home" on where it is, but inevitably you will have to be the person to find it. check every major ground you can find outside the car and in the engine bay, then work your way through the interior under the dash. it seems to be related to a body ground or strap in the engine bay though.

Vegassc400

Never heard that one before. I would check the wires leading to the brake lights since when you hit your brakes everything goes crazy. Check for loose connections or exposed wires. Beyond that, I've got no clue.

Neal Rikal

sorry for not being totally clear but it dosn't only occur with the brakes but also the turnsignal, rear defroster, high beams, and the a/c being turned on. The windows also trigger the problem. I have one idea of a ground the may be messed up, do you think it could be the ground that is under the driverside carpeting right along the inside of the door sill area?

O. L. T.

iTrader: (17)

yep, it's a ground. all the accesories are grounded to the body. you need to check for a common ground point inside, but i am still leaning towards the body strap. it should be in the engine compartment. though, it could be any major grounding point.

Vegassc400

I'm in agreement with ONelastry then. If it's all the electrical components in the car it should be a ground.

Neal Rikal

thanks guys, i'll give it a try

vj604

have you checked the negative battery cable?

its cheap to replace and has been known to cause problems in these cars..i had that problem, id hit the brakes to slow down and everything would shut off and come back on as i let up..

Neal Rikal

i ran some tests on the battery cable and it seemed to be fine.

So far i have checked grounds in the engine bay and stripped the entire interior to see if anything was looking fishy. I found a ground wire running down by the driver side floor right along the door sill. I bought my car used and this seems like a really odd spot for a ground and dosn't look very factory in my opinion but i may be wrong. The bolt had rusted and very likely has caused the bad ground. I cleaned it all up and moved the ground to a more sensible place under the dash and so far everything seems to be good. I drove around for approx 35 min with no problems so hopefully all is well.

Thanks to everyone for all of your suggestions and help.

O. L. T.

iTrader: (17)

That's great!!! Glad to hear it is ok now. Good job!!

SDSC300

dang I was sure it was all your neon lights!