h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Oh, yes, I know about hateful pieces of metal.
My car has recently taken to messing with the electrics. . .allow me to demonstrate.
With the windscreen wipers on. . .
Indicate and they speed up. Turn on the lights and they stop. Turn on the fan and the wipers stop but the lights come on full beam.
With the wipers off. . .
Turn on the fan and the lights come on and the wipers wipe once.
Indicate and nothing happens. . .
Anyone know why? Anyone have a similar or better problem

The first thing I would do is check the earth straps on the battery and the main earth conection of the wiring loom in the engine bay. This looks like poor connection. It could also be the battery positive terminal corroded or loose.

Give my regards to Mr Bridger

Is it a Fiat?

FIAT = Fix It Again, Tony

"One of my cars is a classic 1980 Fleetwood Caddy...white/red leather (color...it's a girl thing). There's ???? draining the battery.
Whenever it sits for three days without being started...the dang battery goes dead! First I replaced the battery. Happened again.
Checked ALL the relays....nothing. I gave up & took it to the local dealer. The son is a good friend...he started at the Fire Station a couple years before I became too busy to be a Volunteer. Yes I am a woman...but mother always encouraged me to do things that interest men...I have met few girls who can trouble shoot a car & change the oil, etc. like I can. Not a boast, just a fact
Anyway, Dan couldn't find the matter either! After three days his Sister told me he threw his tools across the garage & kicked everything in sight. Didn't ever find the problem...but at least I know I didn't miss something simple. any ideas?" ~Pan

It sounds very much as if you either have a switch stick (running some electrical widget all the time) or maybe a faulty regulator on the alternator.

The easiest way to spot if it's an electircal drain is to put an ammeter in the circuit (usually the easiest thing is to disconnect the battery positive terminal and place the meter between the terminal and the connection. See what the current drain is, then pull the fuses one by one until it stops. The leak is then on that circuit.

A leaking or defective alternator regulator is harder to diagnose. If you check the voltage after a run and it's below about 13v (assuming it's a 12v circuit; the cells are actually 2.2V each, so the battery should show 13.2V fully charged) then the alternator (or generator) is not charging. If it's a generator you can usually adjust the regulator. If it's an alternator you generally have to replace the regulator, which is not normally expensive.

Try these things and see how far you get.

HTH

"Thank you...between Dan & myself all of these things have been done! I thought for SURE that removing the fuses one at a time would certainly show the problem! I even disconnected ALL the dummy lights! The generator is new...I think it MUST have something to do with the fact that it use to have two batteries in it, as it was desiel. The fellow I bought it from changed it over to gasoline. Now there's only one battery in it. I wonder if the problem is somewhere here? I am starting to think it's ghosts!
I ought to sell the dang thing...let someone else play with it... but I just don't have the heart to put another person through this! And they sure don't make cars like that anymore! I bet it gets all of 5 miles to the gallon! I have thought about entering it in a demo derby...it's built like a tank & smashing it into other cars surely would br theraputic!!!!"

If pulling the fuses doesn't make any difference, then I would bet that there is current leakage through the charging circuit somewhere. Here's a solution: buy a battery isolator switch form your local accessory shop. You can make a permanent connection for the clock and turn everything else off when you part. Robertus avunculus!

"Thank you VERY much! By Jove...I think you've got it! Hope we meet someday so I can buy you a beverage of your choice!"
*Happily Pan skips off to NAPA to buy a battery isolater switch*

Glad to be of service. It worked for me when I had an elderly Mini, years ago

"Oh boy-oh-boy-oh-boy!!!"

"Where are my manners? Please join me at the Crossed Purposes Pub in the Villa de la Vavoom. They just grossed me out with a joke...so I'll return on Tuesday! Hope to see you there!" http://www.h2g2.com/F52920?thread=74293 "Invite your friends...it's a great place!"