1st gen electrical problems...
09-15-08, 09:37 AM
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1st gen electrical problems...
just bought an 84 gs and i thought the fuel pump was going out in it bc its not making a sound when i turn the key on. but i got to looking and i think i have some electrical problems that are causing my fuel pump to short out. the car runs good as hell some times and other times it doesnt want to run... it just dies as im going down the road. also the fuse box where the hazard light fuse plugs in is hot when the key isnt on. its sparking like crazy and pops every fuse ive put in...
09-16-08, 02:00 PM
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lol....you've got multiple problems here, friend, but the first order of business is to stop trying to put fuses on a clearly compromised circuit before you burn the rex down to the ground!
For the '84 and '85 cars, you're not going to hear the fuel pump come on when you simply put the key to the IGN position like the '79 to '83 cars. There's a relay that allows the circuit going back to the fuel pump to work only when the engine is actually turning. There's a way to jump that, but you'll have to check the FAQ page, I can't remember the specifics...sad, because I have an '84.
Next, driving down the road and the car just dying on a carb'd car is usually the fuel filter...pop your head under the front of the driver's side rear wheel and you'll see a metal plate with a fuel filter clipped to its outside. If you can't see anything because of dirt or because the plastic is colored, change it...for that matter, change it anyway. Once you do get the car running, the stuff you see in there will tell you if the gas tank itself is the problem with the internal metal scaling off and clogging the fuel pick up in that tank.
Biggest thing...get a Hayne's manual and then look for where the circuits that are causing the problem go...check routing, check for connection clips that may be so old they need to be unplugged, cleaned and then clipped back together on the chassis wire harness. Also look at wires under the hood. Are there any bare wires loose? What do your grounds look like? Is everything clipped together?
That's just a quick "diagnosis"...let's see what the others have to say.
Mario III
For the '84 and '85 cars, you're not going to hear the fuel pump come on when you simply put the key to the IGN position like the '79 to '83 cars. There's a relay that allows the circuit going back to the fuel pump to work only when the engine is actually turning. There's a way to jump that, but you'll have to check the FAQ page, I can't remember the specifics...sad, because I have an '84.
Next, driving down the road and the car just dying on a carb'd car is usually the fuel filter...pop your head under the front of the driver's side rear wheel and you'll see a metal plate with a fuel filter clipped to its outside. If you can't see anything because of dirt or because the plastic is colored, change it...for that matter, change it anyway. Once you do get the car running, the stuff you see in there will tell you if the gas tank itself is the problem with the internal metal scaling off and clogging the fuel pick up in that tank.
Biggest thing...get a Hayne's manual and then look for where the circuits that are causing the problem go...check routing, check for connection clips that may be so old they need to be unplugged, cleaned and then clipped back together on the chassis wire harness. Also look at wires under the hood. Are there any bare wires loose? What do your grounds look like? Is everything clipped together?
That's just a quick "diagnosis"...let's see what the others have to say.
Mario III
Last edited by mar3; 09-16-08 at 02:06 PM.
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