a couple electrical problems

ok so after a couple of weeks workin on the motor i finally got it running like it should.... now i have noticed a few things i cant figure out... ok one is the battery goes dead after sitting overnight and if its more than that then no lights come on the dash or anything until you hook jumper cables or charger to it.... ok #2 is the wipers wont cut off unless you unplug the motor would this be a switch problem and could this be why the battery is running dead i do leave the wiper motor unplugged unless i need to use them.... and #3 is the door light on the top right corner of the dash stays on even when the door is closed i know the switch on the doors are working because it turnms the overhead interior light of when you close the doors.... anybody have any ideas its an 88 accord lxi 2 door fi 5spd

#1 could be a stuffed diode in the alt letting it suck 4 or 5 amps all the time which will kill a batt over night.
get an ammeter and check the current draw on the batt with every thing off and the doors shut. any more than say .5 amps is excessive.
#2 yeah i'd be thinking the switch might be stuffed.
or the park switch in the motor is buggered.
#3 i have no idea as ive never seen a coupe up close

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Originally Posted by petey882

ok so after a couple of weeks workin on the motor i finally got it running like it should.... now i have noticed a few things i cant figure out... ok one is the battery goes dead after sitting overnight and if its more than that then no lights come on the dash or anything until you hook jumper cables or charger to it.... ok #2 is the wipers wont cut off unless you unplug the motor would this be a switch problem and could this be why the battery is running dead i do leave the wiper motor unplugged unless i need to use them.... and #3 is the door light on the top right corner of the dash stays on even when the door is closed i know the switch on the doors are working because it turnms the overhead interior light of when you close the doors.... anybody have any ideas its an 88 accord lxi 2 door fi 5spd

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the wipers won't turn off? probably the switch, the combo switches go bad, they can be rebuilt,i think russian kid has a how to, you can find broken switches a lot of time in the yards with the wiper part of the switch still ok, just find his how to in taking it all apart,buy one with a broken light switch or something, and use it for parts,the ones for the 86 hatch aren't available anymore

is there another way to check that on the alternator i dont have an ammeter i have a greenlee multi meter for house stuff would that work what setting would it have to be on if it will

most dmm will have an ammeter built in.
duz it have a position with 10A beside it?
an duz it do ac as wel as dc?

you want to check it with everything off and the doors closed, you should be drawing milliamps, much more and something is drawing current that shouldn't be. you connect the ammeter between the positive battery post and the positive battery cable, any current being drawn out of the battery with the car off should register, tape or disconnect the door switch on the drivers side, pull one fuse at a time and put it back, when you pull the offending fuse for the circuit, the current draw will drop, if this has no effect with all the fuses under the dash, go under the hood and do the same thing. if this has no effect, you need to go to the large fusible links in the underhood fuse box, eventually you will find the circuit causing the current draw. it's a process of elimination. the ammeter should be on the ten amp dc current setting. for a note do you have an amp in the car? sometimes the remote relays stick causing the amp to remain on.

ok i will work on that tomorrow..... i dont have any amp or anything and i just put my cd player in it but it was doing it before there was even a radio in it so its not that... also any ideas why the door light stays on on the dash not the one beside the little picture of the car that one turns on and off with the door its the one thats actually says door in the top right corner it never goes off when the doors are closed and the key is on also the seatbelt light doesnt go off either..... i think the guy i bought it from hooked the battery cabels up backwards when he had it cause i found a blown battery fuse in the panel under the hood so there is no tellin what got screwed up my rpm guage works when it wants to also

ok i looked at my meter and it doesnt have 10a anywhere it has 200a and 600a so i put it on 200a just to see what happened and tested it and the number stayed at 0

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Originally Posted by petey882

ok i looked at my meter and it doesnt have 10a anywhere it has 200a and 600a so i put it on 200a just to see what happened and tested it and the number stayed at 0

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um this doesn't sound like the correct type of meter take a picture of what you have

if it stays at 0, it just means its out of range. try the 600 milliamp setting and if its drawing more than that you have something not right