Mrmerlin

OK with the new info I would suggest that you look at everything you have touched as this comes under the heading ,
what was the last thing I fixed,

Asking this will usually provide clues to the issue that is present .

medipedicman

Thanks Stan. I'm on the road now and don't have access to any of the manuals but I do remember having three red wires bunched together at the main post on the starter. Perhaps one of those wires is supposed to be somewhere else.?.?.

medipedicman

I have looked at the wiring diagrams for the starter and it is hooked up correctly. I have pulled the fuse panel and inspected the back to look for burns or anywhere it might be arcing. Nothing.... I also looked for a relay for the starter but the 79 has a factory jumper in that slot.

Could there be anything internally wrong with the starter that would cause this condition of car running with key in the off position?? If the starter had been grounded out (possible??) during the removal or installation. I am grasping at straws now. There is a mountain run tomorrow and I am considering pulling the starter from the Euro in the morning and just taking my chances.

I would love to resolve the issue and am confident that I will just not sure if the next 14 hours allows enough time

outbackgeorgia

Shot in the dark: remove the connector to the emergency flasher switch, then try reconnecting the battery.
Back to basics, the yellow/black wire supplies power to the coil via a resistor during starting from a switch inside the starter. If this switch does not disconnect power will be supplied to the coil and back feed the 15 buss possibly turning lights on. If this wire is shorted anywhere along its route, including the 14 pin connector, you symptoms could occur. If I were standing at your car, I would have a voltmeter on this wire at the 14 pin connector, and at the resistor near the coil. Otherwise we are just guessing.
Any time strange electrical issues occur on a 928, check ALL the brown ground wires, esp above the CE Panel.
Good luck.
Dave

medipedicman

It is funny that you mention the flasher.(A HA, moment) In reconfiguring the center console I went from the three hole round trim plate to the round clock only trim plate. I had the expectation of moving the hazard to top right (above ignition) of the pod but never could get enough slack in the wire to do so. I left the connector uncovered behind the console for a future project. In swapping out the ignition switch this week I had the pod off and the drivers side carpet trim. Although I was not able to get enough slack to move the hazard switch to the upper right slot I did move it out from under the console and put the proper connectors back on it.

I will see you today, it may be waving from the side of the road as you pass by but I will see you, lol

Mrmerlin

this last bit of info could also be applied to the What was the last thing you fixed?

medipedicman

Yeh sorry Stan. I know it is frustrating helping from afar when the person you are trying to help keeps saying "oh yeh, I forgot I did"...... this that or the other thing. The interior was apart for so long it is really kind of hard to remember all of the seemingly insignificant steps along the way.

outbackgeorgia

So what was the outcome?

Dave

medipedicman

No outcome yet Dave. I have not touched the car all week. I hope to install a 165 amp alternator tomorrow and see where that leads me.

Thanks for keeping up with me.

medipedicman

NO POWER ---- HELP NEEDED

Well I installed the new alternator this morning and hooked up a fresh battery off of the charger. Turn the key....., nothing. No power at all.

Latest symptoms were driving down the road and complete loss of electric power.
Tow home, install new battery, drive down the road and complete loss of power.
Tow home, car sits for two weeks.
Dean had mentioned something to do with the alternator early on because I pulled the starter while the battery was hooked up and he thought it might have fried something.
During that time I realized that I bought a high output alternator a few years back and never did anything with it because it had a 5 rib pulley. I pulled it back out and swapped in the factory pulley. I had to uses washers as spacers and manipulate the bracket to provide proper tension.

When I hooked up the recharged battery no lights came on at all. Nothing. I pulled it back out and put it in my DD and everything with the battery functioned as it should including start up.

I am at a complete loss and started looking at the jump post and the 14 pin connecter. I removed the jump post and cleaned all of the connections. The 14 pin looks fresh, practically new.

I have no idea where to start.

medipedicman

Typical good news/bad news. I discovered the source of my problems.






Time to start pricing out options.

AirtekHVAC

Good catch Brian. I had a similar wire corrosion issue under 30...I cut back the positive from the battery, about 6 inches back, and used a split bolt to connect to a new piece of cable. Wrapped in rubber tape, then electrical tape. Made a nic little ball under the car, but it worked.

Glad you found it, at least.

outbackgeorgia

Well that explains a lot!
Easy fix, at HD or Lowes you can buy a connector for large gague wire. A metal block with two screws that clamp the wire. Less bulky than a split connector, use large dia heat shrink or tape a piece of thin wall hose around it to be absolutely sure it will not contact the car anywhere.
(I live next to Frys and HD so some things are easy to find)
Anyway, you should be able to fix this quickly, cheaply and permanently.
Good luck, call of you need support!
Dave

medipedicman

Yes, I was surprisingly upbeat about finding the "no power" issue.

The hot wire to the battery is fine. The issue is between the starter and the alternator.

The bad news is that after I cleaned everything up and fished it forward so I could actually work on it, I ran down to the Auto Zone and picked up a few 8 ga butt crimp connectors and dove right in. I could not find my shrink tubing so I used a rubberized electrical tape to cover the 4-5" of exposed wire per lead and hooked it back up. The moment I hooked up the ground at the battery a big poof of smoke came from under the car. I mean big enough that after removing the ground I scrambled one of the 5 fire suppressors I have surrounding the car. Very dense smoke but no flame. I had to open the garage doors and crank up the fans to evacuate all the smoke.

Of course shortly after the ordeal I found the shrink tubing. I have not taken anything back off yet. I am kind of scared of what I will find. I am considering replacing the front harness but the budget says 50% of a used one or try to fix what I have. We will see.

medipedicman

Thanks Dave. I will run by Lowes today and see if I can spot the connector that you are describing. I have plenty of slack wire in the harness in case I need to trim back from the probable damage I caused last night.