I'm having some electrical issues. maybe someone have seen it before:
My gauge cluster goes out (all needles and warnign lights are off) because fuse for it keeps on blowing.
Now when that fuse is blown - the alterantor is not charging the battery.

If I replace the fuse, the alternator would start charging the battery, but as soon as the car starts moving (or sometimes when car is shifted into drive) it will blow again.

The battery is new, alternator is being taken out right now and I'll test it on the stand @ Autozone or whatever.

Any ideas ?

 

Alternator seems fine.... Anybody got any better ideas?

 

So it is definately not an alternator issue. took it to a parts place, they put it o nthe test stand and it makes correct voltage and amerage, even under load, and IC sends out correct stuff...

Apparently if your instrument cluster fuse(#30) is blown - the battery would not be charging.

Fuse #30 is a very busy one, especially for a 10A fuse, according to FSM it deals with:
Vehichle speed sensor
Check engine light
Datalink connector
Fuel Gauge
Park Position Switch
Transmission "non detectable items"
Shift Lock system
TCS (But not on my car)
Charging System ... grrrr
Headlamps
Daytime Runnign Lights if you're Canadian
SRS stuff (Mostly the indicator bulb)
Tail lights
Back up lights
fogs
Dahs illumination
All the interior ligths
Speedometer, tachomoeter, temp and fuel gauges
all the waring lamps
Transmission gear indicator
and Cruise Control


So yeah... it can be anywhere ... gonna look at the gauge cluster wiring and cluster itself next.


Yeah I'm screwed...

 

Possible broken/incorrectly installed wire between the battery and alternator? Or a short to ground somewhere?

What you need is a troubleshooting diagram for which you test various circuits using a multimeter to verify proper conductance/voltage/etc... if your alternator is good, chances are there's a wiring problem somewhere.

 

Actually, nm, you're looking at other things. Do you have a multimeter? Check the battery voltage with the engine off and on and compare. Engine off it should be 11-13.5V or so, engine on it should be around 13.7-14.4V, usually slightly above 14.0V, which indicates that the alternator is charging correctly. You should also be able to monitor this voltage through the cigarette lighter socket. I rigged up an apparatus from RadioShack parts which involve a 0-15VDC bench voltmeter, hooked to a generic cigarette lighter cable that leads to bare wires (screwed those bare wires into the bench meter's inputs).

 

Yeah, I've got a mutimeter... its beeng gettign a lot of use lately...
The voltage across the battery is:
around 12 with the car off
around 14 with engine on and fuse in
around 12 and dropping with engine on after the fuse blows.

 

Good god you ain't kidding, I'm checking the schematics now... fuse#30 services a LOT of crap...

I'd suspect any of those circuits causing a short circuit, thus blowing the fuse. What symptoms/mods/work/etc. have you had before this started happening?

 

Wait, as soon as the car starts moving or is shifted into drive. Does this include if the car drifts in neutral?

 

Sometimes it blows when it is shifted into drive, sometimes it will move for a while (5-6 minutes)and then die. sometimes it dies when shifted in reverse.

I think there's a wire loose somewhere that shorts anytime the car's balance is "upset"... or the draw is slightly higher than 10A and it fuse "slow blows"

 

I had remote starter system instaleld few weeks ago, and it was the first suspect so it was fully disconnected by the shop that installed it (harnesses are still there - the brain is not plugged in)

But from what I've seen so far - it is installed very well... at any rate I know where the wires for it are tapped and I'm goign to go over them again once I get alternator back on the car and moving.