hey all,

Over the last few days my '82's red dash lights have all come on. In the past they would do this intermittantly. I have bought a new wiring harness but haven't installed it yet. So anyways the lights have remained on since last friday while I drive. Today somthing happens, I simultaneously run out of gas and experience radio failure, the car konks out just after I climb the Baton Rouge brige going over the mississippi. I pull over and stall out, get pushed to a parking lot by a state tropper, get picked up by a passing friend, I get gas, return to the car and it won't crank, we jump it and it starts right up I get in, try to leave and it sputters and dies. So here is my theory, the alternator is grounding out due to the poor wiring harness and is unable 1)to properly recharge the battery and 2) properly provide spark?

What is going on here?

I reached down to the alternator and pushed the wires away from anything they may be touching. We jumped the car again and let it idle for a few minutes and I was able to drive off, it responded OK and the dash lights were dimmer. The engine response would vary if the connection improved for some reason, meaning, as the gas was being applied at low speed it would slightly lurch out of the crappy idle. I pushed the clutch in finally at a safe parking lot and it died and I am unable to restart it.

I have plans to install that harness this weekend, how can I make it home?

This is what I would do to get home. Go buy or borrow a new or fully charged battery. Swap it into the stranded car. I would check for a short to ground with an ohm meter before I did this (Disconnect the battery to check), if you are SURE the harness is shot and grounding you can just cut off the alt wire where it attaches to ( I think) the starter solenoid. Or do as some one else recommnded, disconnect wire and run another over to Battery, this assumes your alt. is working.

This may not be your harness, check for proper charging voltage on the battery, your alt. brushes could be worn out (or worse).

You know how to remove and check 'em?

Josh -

Well, it's 10:15pm Wednesday night, I hope you found enough info to move on. What you describe is the result of the thi red wire on the alternator not performing correctly.

When the engine is not running and the key is in II, the dash warning lights all light up. They get voltage from the battery, and then the ground side flows through that red wire to the alternator, in one brush and out the other, and thence to the alternator frame.

The alternator itself must be grounded to the block as it is mounted on rubber bushings. There is a ground strap there, check it.

A. If that red wire doesn't touch anything, you get (1) NO warning lights and (2) NO charging.

B. If it touches a ground somewhere you get (1) warning lights that are on when the engine is running and (2) NO charging.

Your problem is B. Quick fix is to by-pass the harness wire. Get a #14 wire, preferably red, rig it with a female spade connector for the alternator connection. Route it along the RF fender, then across the firewall to the gray 8-place connector, about half-way across.

Said connector is the other end of the in-harness red wire. The connector can be un-clipped from the firewall, and the two sides un-connected. The female side can be opened up - be careful to get all the wires back in their proper holes. Each hole has a number.

The red wire should be in position #3, if your '82 is like my '84 240. Were I you I would find a matching female terminal for the by-pass wire and place it in the connector, leaving the old one just hanging out there.

(I found that the 2-wire connectors for the front parking/turn signals from a pre-1986 240 contain the correct type of female connector.)

Put all that back together, get a battery charge, and you're off! BTW, get a charge, do not rely on the alternator. The alternator puts out a relatively small amount of current that is designed to replace what's used in starting. If the battery is door-nail dead, a large charging load can demand enough load from the alternator to blow a diode - more bux and hours to fix.

Hope this helps. Too bad about the rainy weather.

Good Luck,---- anyway.

Bob

:>)

Not that this advice in any way but, HOW ABOUT THEM TIGERS.

See if it will run after you give the battery a full charge. If you aren't charging the battery and it drains down to nothing you can experience what is happening to you.

Randy

Have you checked the alt brushes. I would do that first, as it seems they are worn. Thats the reason the dim lights, and knocking when climbing a hill.

Inspect them first.

The small red wire on the back of the alternator may have a poor connection or be shorting. If you don't have a good connection the alternator won't charge and all your dash lights will be on.