No Crank, no brake lights.

[mephi]

I just finished installing a newer head unit in the dash, went to start the car, and got nothing...

Click, everything dies.

Turns out that there was a pretty complex alarm system hooked into the stereo wiring and tapped into a white/black stripe wire under the driver's side dash.

I pulled all of the old stuff out, but now when ever I try to start the thing, I get a click and everything dims. Also, the brake lights don't work, and whenever I hit the brake pedal, the dome light dims out. The emergency flashers don't work either.

I have checked all of the fuses, and everything looks and tests OK. Is there some sort of main relay that controls all of this crap in a carbed car?

[Rendon LX-i]

bad ground man. recheck your work. something touching

[cubert]

It sounds like the battery is dead (as far as the starting issue goes)...did you test that?

[mephi]

It sounds like the battery is dead (as far as the starting issue goes)...did you test that?

Battery is fine. Tested at 12.65 V. I'm going to go back out there in a sec to recheck the wiring I did, but I'm pretty sure it's all good.

[2oodoor]

you could tell some of what this sophisticated alarm system was hooked to?
you may have lost a ground for a relay. The FP leaves the impression you yanked wires everywhere. lol
what all exactly is not working
check those grounds over by the transmission and fender well around the fuse box, and theremostat housing area.
make sure you dont have power going TO THE headlight dimmer signal wire on the radio, or ground for that matter, just leave it hangin if it isnt going to the headlights for radio face dimming.

[cubert]

Battery is fine. Tested at 12.65 V. I'm going to go back out there in a sec to recheck the wiring I did, but I'm pretty sure it's all good.

How did you test it? Did you just put the volt meter on and check voltage? Or did you actually try turning the car over while checking the voltage?

[2oodoor]

How did you test it? Did you just put the volt meter on and check voltage? Or did you actually try turning the car over while checking the voltage?

it sounds exactly like mine when I discoverd that wire that grounds on the pass side under the hood like I described. One wire that comes out of the harness and attaches somewhere like on the battery tray under the battery if it was not in those other locations I mentioned. The batt shows good but the ground side going into the car harness was broken from the eyelet.
No crank, lights going crazy, relays clicking like nuts...
Also may want to clean the batt terminals too, sometimes a black goo gets in the connection, it does not really look like corrosion but it definately needs to be cleaned to work with those steel terminals.

[mephi]

Basically at this point I have no lights except the dome light, which goes out whenever I try to start it. I checked the voltage at the battery, but I should probably still check the terminals. I'm going to go check that out one more time really quick...Might be a bad ground, but I didn't have any problems until I had the radio hooked up. I tested the radio out, it worked great. I tried to start the car. Everything died.

[2oodoor]

died.. including the radio?
Im sure the alarm was on a hot all the time circuit at some junction, where were it's connections at and to what circuts? headlights? flashers?

[mephi]

I am retarded. Bad battery connections/ Possibly bad battery. Jumped it to another car and it cranked. Started and died too, got some fuel delivery problems though...Float bowl dries out over night. That is another topic though

[cubert]

I am retarded. Bad battery connections/ Possibly bad battery. Jumped it to another car and it cranked. Started and died too, got some fuel delivery problems though...Float bowl dries out over night. That is another topic though

nah man...not retarded...you live and learn...


I was pulling my hair out one afternoon on my friends camry...she said the thing would just click when you turned the key.

So I go over there, put the voltmeter on the batt and it said 12.6 or something like that....pulled the starter out and had it tested, checked grounds, blablabla...then it was recommended that i put the meter on the battery while trying to turn the car over. Sure enough, dropped down to 3 volts or something like that.

[2oodoor]

yes you are not "touched"
I am a professional and it still happens to me sometimes, as well as other techs I know. Before I start spending money on it I usually double triple check all that though even if I wasted a bunch on time on tracing a ghost.

on the fuel bowl, which way is the gas going.. in the engine or back to the supply line...

[mephi]

Now I just have to figure out why the battery died right after a 40 minute drive... I hate changing the alternator on these things. I wish I had an Amp meter clamp for my fluke. And a nice carbon pile to stress test the damn thing. I can't really see buying the pile though. I'd only use it every other year.

The problem with the float bowl emptying out has more to do with the way I have the charcoal canister hooked up right now. It's an issue I haven't gotten around to fixing yet since I'm putting the 38/38 I found in my brother's garage on it in a week. Driving out to Carbs Unlimited to pick up the adapter plate and stuff on Monday.

*UPDATE*
The battery tested bad.