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Location:
Ipswich
Registered:
May 2002
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Electrical problem - help?
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Tue, 27 April 2004 21:13
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I've got two problems at the moment:
First of all, I've got a circuit breaker (manual break, not thermal) on the firewall on the exhaust side of the car. Today I was driving the car around, and stopped for a bit. Went to start the car again, and no power. Checked the circuit breaker, it was still in the "ON" position, but reset it anyway, but no power still. Mucked around the car for about half an hour, dismantled half of it but couldn't find anything else that could be wrong...
Anyway, re-checked the circuit breaker (by this stage had walked home and back again so had some tools), still in the ON position but no power. Reset it and voila, power.
Is it the heat that's making it go OFF? If so, can I just put a heat shield over it? or is it just that it's too hot on that side fo the engine bay? Since the car wasn't moving there would be no airflow...
Second Problem:
When I'm driving around, voltmeter shows 14V (approx), charge light is off, but every once in awhile (in fairly even intervals) the charge light will flash and then stay on but dim, and voltage will drop to about 11V. At this point sound of the fuel pump changes (but the fuel pump is on all the time so can't see how this affects... maybe because it isn't getting as much power?). And then the voltage will stay at 11V for about a minute, and then rise up to 14V again. And then repeat. Over and over again...
Any ideas what's going on?
Also, does anyone know if the 4AGE water temperature probe is compatible with the KE35 water temp gauge? Or if they are calibrated differently?
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I supported Toymods
Banned User
Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Electrical problem - help?
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Tue, 27 April 2004 23:52
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You have high resistance somewhere. Probably that circuit breaker.
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Location:
Ipswich
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Electrical problem - help?
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Wed, 28 April 2004 00:21
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Would that cause the voltage to fluctuate?
Hmm, will check resistance across the circuit breaker tonight too (one more thing to add to the list)
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I supported Toymods
Banned User
Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Electrical problem - help?
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Wed, 28 April 2004 00:32
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Well if temperature is effecting the breaker the resistance will vary.
Attach some leads to the 2 terminals and bring them into he cabin and connect them to a volt meter then go for a drive. If the voltage across the breaker goes up and down you have problems.
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Location:
Ipswich
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Electrical problem - help?
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Wed, 28 April 2004 00:46
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Just spoke to an auto electrician, he said a manual switch breaker shouldn't be affected by temperature (but I suppose anything is possible)
The voltage appears to be changing across the entire circuit (not just at the breaker), even the circuit that doesn't go through the circuit breaker (eg fuel pumps) changes voltage.
Umm... Did you mean to check the voltage on both terminals (as in using 2 voltmeters)? Or maybe if I check the resistance between the terminals when cold and then go for a drive and see if it has increased?
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I supported Toymods
Banned User
Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Electrical problem - help?
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Wed, 28 April 2004 02:04
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Putting a volt meter between 2 points on the positive circuit will show you what the voltage drop is between those points.
So if you put the volt meter on the 2 terminals of the circuit breaker it will show if the circuit breaker has any resistance.
Some/most switches will show no resistance when doing an ohms check on them, but when a voltage drop is tested resistance can be seen.
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
January 2003
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Re: Electrical problem - help?
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Wed, 28 April 2004 03:09
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Have had a similar problems in the past, voltage was fluctuating from 8-15V. Turned out to be a faulty voltage regulator, might be worth a look at.
Other problem I had with starting the car when it was hot, the thermo fans thermostat was set to come on at temps that were too low, car didn't like trying to turn the starter motor and the thermo fan(load must have been too big), anyway solved that by adjusting the thermostat so the fan came on just abit later(but still abit before the operating temp line).
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Location:
Ipswich
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Electrical problem - help?
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Wed, 28 April 2004 03:13
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Ah, okay. Well I think I've decided to move the circuit breaker in-cabin anyway, apparently most circuit breakers don't have a very high operating temperature and I'd be guessing the back of the engine bay would probably be past that...
I'll see about moving it tonight and see how I go...
Thanks 
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Location:
brisbane
Registered:
April 2004
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Re: Electrical problem - help?
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Wed, 28 April 2004 03:18
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i don't know much  but!!
i had the same problem! a while ago and it turned out to be the alternator.. strange! it was slowely dying.. would work sometimes and wouldn't the next.. (i mean putting charge back to the battery) regulator is worth checking ..somethings not doing its job properly or not at all. sometimes robbing those volts
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Location:
Ipswich
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Electrical problem - help?
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Wed, 28 April 2004 03:27
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Alchemist: Yup that's the answer I've gotten from a few people too - regulator not cycling properly.
My thermofan never seems to come on. Very strange, need to check the thermal switch... Any idea what temperature it's meant to switch on?
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I supported Toymods
Banned User
Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Electrical problem - help?
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Wed, 28 April 2004 03:29
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I somehow dont think that the regulator is going to kill all power like you said in your first post.
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Location:
Ipswich
Registered:
May 2002
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Location:
Rocklea qld
Registered:
February 2003
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Re: Electrical problem - help?
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Wed, 28 April 2004 10:11
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the most likely problem with your thermos is the switch setup. If you have it running from the housing where u do it will turn on when that housing gets hot enough water in it. Since that housing is designed to be somewhere else the switch init is also designed to have different temperature in it. Best thing to do is to get the temp on the car to where u would like it to run and then test the temp in the housing where your switch is and then see if you can get a sensor around that temp. maybe a little less. Or try moving the sensor to somewhere closer to your top hose. Ill see what other info i can get for it at work
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Location:
Ipswich
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Electrical problem - help?
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Wed, 28 April 2004 13:27
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All good (sort of). Turns out I think the thermostat is stuck open, the car takes FOREVER to get to operating temperature (well I am guess it is operating temperature). Basically if I sit and let the car idle for awhile then the temp gauge slowly goes up, when it gets to the line about 1/3 the way up (where it's supposed to be operating temperature in a normal KE35) the thermofan kicks in for about 8 seconds, drops the temp a fair way down and then goes off. Even if it's hot all I have to do is drive down the street and even with the thermofan off the temperature drops amazingly quickly.
That radiator you made ROCKS, ben The top overflow hose leaked today though, and the water isn't really very pleasant. Will drop it when I change the thermostat, and I've put a hose clamp on that overflow hose too.
I bypassed the circuit breaker (I think it's faulty, it kept opening even when the engine was off), and there's no more fluctuations in the voltage either (well, not for the 30 minutes or so I was running the car).
So yes, will endevour to buy another circuit breaker and see if it will still do it with a new one in place. Else, all is good I think.
What is the normal operating oil temperature for a 4AGE?
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