Tom Rathjen

Hello. Here's a status on where I'm at. (Sorry for no updates this week. Very busy at work.)

I did pull out the CE. I could not find anything obviously wrong with it. No melted wires or loose connections. I cleaned up the contacts. Just a couple seemed a bit corroded.

With the CE installed, I pulled out all fuses and tested every single fused circuit to see if there was current being drawn when there should be none (all systems off). The one significant thing I found was something in the driver seat. Something was stuck such that one of the seat motors was pulling current continuously. That could very well be what was causing the battery to drain. I corrected that by moving the seat around, and I'll look into the cause more later. For now it is OK. I found a couple of other things that were drawing a small amount of current (not enough to explain draining the battery over a few days, though): headlight switch, key/seat buzzer circuit (even with key out and doors closed), rear defroster circuit, and the central warning system. For now, I have simply disconnected those things. I'll investigate if they are bad or as-designed later. (Although one would think none of these things should draw any current when the car is off and closed up....except maybe the central warning system?)

I also triple checked the "green wire" from the distributor, from the distributor all the way to the control unit connector. It seems fine. Good point-to-point continuity, and testing across the pins in the control unit connector showed the expected oscillation when I rotated the distributor rotor by hand.

The computer just arrived back yesterday evening. (I tell you, the guy I send it to at ECU doctors is really fast.) It tested good, although he wanted to re-do a few solder connections that looked questionable (which he did for free, by the way).

So that's where I am at. As soon as I can stand going out into the near zero temperature, I need to put the DME and all the fuses back in (except those few described above) and button things up and see how it is running. Assuming that I have the battery draining problem fixed, next is to see if the stalling is still happening.

PS--for the electrical work I have been doing to date, I have indeed been soldering whenever I have to make a connection. I haven't been using shrink tubing, though, but instead wrapping with tape and then using tie wraps to secure the tape.

WallyP

The total current drain should be approximately 20 mAmps. None of the circuits that you mentioned should be drawing current.

Tom Rathjen

And is that 20mamps for the clock, by any chance? That is about the only thing I can think of that would need to be "on" constantly. (I didn't mention that in my list because I had already taken the clock out a while ago because it doesn't work. Also my radio has a clock in it and draws power, but I also disconnected it a while ago.)

Tom Rathjen

Update:

I think I found the cause of the stalling.

I put in the bare essential fuses and relays for test driving, and very quickly the stalling occured. I got it back in the garage, and was set to jumper the fuel pump relay as the first test. Before taking it out, though, I tapped on the relays while it was running, and discovered that tapping on the fuel injector relay caused it to stall. Upon investigating, I discovered that the "socket" in the CE for one of the relay's prongs was pushed up into the plastic such that it was making poor/intermittent contact with the relay. Took the CE panel out again, pushed that connector in and put on some hot glue to secure it. Then made sure the relay went in without pushing it through again. And now the stalling does not seem to be recurring. Yeeha, one problem hopefully solved.

Interestingly, while I was briefly test driving, the tach was initially working. Then it suddenly died, possibly when I hit a bump. (Can't remember.) So there is some intermittent connection for the tach, and I still have to get into the pod and clean contacts there.

But I am almost back to where I was before the stalling and battery dying setbacks, and can resume troubleshooting the high-RPM stumbling soon. I do want to finish bringing up the rest of the electrical systems first. And going out shopping to see if I can find a mitivac before ordering one.

Landseer

I got one at NAPA or Advance. Paid too much, but needed it. It was an Acton brand.

Landseer

Nice diagnosis, BTW. You do stuff right.

PorKen

Dave,

Where'd you get this pic? I dont remember seeing it. Must be from a prototype engine. Is that an oil temp sensor, or a different style of oil level sender?

SharkSkin

Way to go, Tom, glad to see you're moving forward. BTW, the tach issue is unrelted to the stumbling issue if it's an intermittent open circuit. If the tach signal is getting an intermittent ground, that could cause the stumble and tach issue. I'm thinking it's the former. If it were the latter you would see the tach misbehave at the same time it stumbles. My money is on, they are unrelated.

Ken, that's from P. 13-8 of the WSM where it describes checking crank end-play. I have never seen a sender/sensor in that location, and didn't notice the anomaly before. Your guesses sound as good as any I could come up with. Now that you've got me scrutinizing the pic I see another anomaly. The boss that is drilled and tapped in the WSM pic, just to the right of where the two rods of the dial indicator mount intersect, is not drilled on my block.

CAShark

Does #3 in the photo go to the Diverter Valve?

SharkSkin

I couldn't find an 82-specific answer. It appears to want either manifold vacuum from high on the back of the TB on early years, by '83 they had two ports on the front of the throttle body depending on US/ROW. Are you troubleshooting an 82 US or other? If other please be specific.

CAShark

Yes, mine is exactly as the picture shows. 1981 Euro 4.5 CIS, I also notice #2 has all-time vacuum when #3 is only when throttling up. I think I read somewhere that it shouldn't be on a all-time vacuum (Diverter Valve that is).

Tom Rathjen

Hello.

I agree completely that the tach problem is unrelated to the "stumbling" or low power at high RPM. The tach was working fine until recently, and the stumbling has been happening every since I got it running. And it has continued to be intermittent (tach works for awhile after the car has been sitting over night, then quits, but stumbling above 3K RPM is constant). So I am sure they are separate problems.

I gave up on finding a mityvac around here, and finally just ordered on off of ebay today. So when it gets here, I will finally check the vacuum advance/retard against the spec.

SharkSkin

The way I read the WSM, it should just be activated at idle and coasting. That implies manifold vacuum. I don't have the euro-specific WSMs but you should check the specifics -- on some cars it's activated until the throttle is open 5mm, or 4°, etc.
I was looking for something else and bumped into another advance chart in the service bulletins. Do you have the WSM and Tech Doc CDs?

CAShark

Hi Sharkskin, I am a little confused, so I am backwards, I should use #2 which has vacuum at all times and NOT #3 which is vacuum at throttle up. Please correct me if I am reading into this too deeply.

surfdog4

well i haven't figured out how to attach links to previous threads, but i created a thread back when i was reworking my intake manifold and vacuum lines..(For an '81 L-jet)..so it might be helpful..it's titled
"Once and for all: ID of vacuum ports on Throttle"

sorry i havn't figured out linking threads (any advice folks?)