weird electrical problem

[orly_andico]

i have this weird electrical problem which suddenly appeared after (1) my alternator belt was replaced; (2) i moved the CD changer cable around while putting some foam under the back seat.

basically, the HU dies under heavy electrical load. for example, high beam and A/C is on. if the RPM gets really low, or a signal light is engaged, or i roll down the window, the HU will *sometimes* turn off spontaneously. am not sure if the entire electrical system is affected, or just the HU.. but so far no other electrical parts are misbehaving.

i have already replaced my alternator with a 90A unit, and this problem didn't exist until the two events i've listed above. any ideas?

[ghosthunter]

maybe a short circuit in your electrical system?

[afrasay]

loose battery connection. ganito din nangyari sa akin after changing batteries. pag nag roll down/up sa ng window yun volt meter ko bumababa ng 8 volts pag nag wiper ganun din. pag galaw ko ng cable maluwag yun positive side.

[orly_andico]

checked my cables, they're tight. would it do any good to sand the battery posts? also, i don't have problems starting.

[afrasay]

orly:::check also the piggy wires (ground connected to the body)not only the clamps.

[orly_andico]

piggy wires.. wow that's the first time i've heard that

actually after tightening, the radio is far less likely to die on me. but it still dies. i've found a good way to trigger the behavior REPEATABLY:

1) car at idle
2) A/C blowing
3) high beams on
4) radio on

if i roll the window up/down, it's OK (radio don't die anymore). BUT: if the window is FULLY rolled up and i try to roll it up SOME MORE... radio dies every time, accompanied by a rougher engine note (my feeling is the added load on the alternator is fux0ring the engine idle).

[OTEP]

May guage dimmer ba ang 626? Dapat naka-set sa full parati. Kasi kapag naka-dim ang rheostat, mababa din ang voltage papuntang radio.

[afrasay]

puwersado ang power window motor pag sagad na ang taas kaya high current, although hindi normal ang mamatay ang radio or mag rough idle ang engine. if you have an ammeter you will see that mag discharge ang battery mo during this operation. try mo mag lagay ng separate ground recta mo sa body. see if this solves the problem.

[orly_andico]

hi alfred,

i just added an extra ground. :D dirty hands. what i've observed is the following: engine idle, high beam, A/C on high, hazard lights on -- the HU no longer turns off pag sinagad ko yung power window. lowering ALL FOUR windows at the same time, ok pa rin. but raising all four windows simultaneously.. ayun, patay ang HU.

don't know if medyo nagloloko yung surplus alternator na nakuha ko (to replace my old underpowered 65A unit), or if i need an even bigger alternator (the 626 stock alternator is 80A). or if it's a wiring problem somewhere. or.. kung di talaga kaya 4 windows at the same time..

[wildthing]

Can you try adding extra "wires" sa negative ng battery and attach it to the car's body...make sure metal contact (isand paper mo kung kinakaillangan)....it looks like a body ground problem.

Typical symptoms yung sinabi mo ng kulang sa body ground or a bit of a loose contacts sa ground...tumataas kasi ang resistance habang loose ang contacts. As you could see may improvement na when you tightened the bolts of the body ground.

or try mo mag lagay ng wire (lakihan mo ng kaunti) na direct from the battery terminal ground to the body ng radio mo....then test it again.

just my 2 cents.