battery cables?
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mawint
- SSEi Member
- Posts: 162
- Joined: Thu May 22, 2008 11:08 am
- Year and Trim: 2004 Chevy Avalanche
- Location: East Bethel, MN
battery cables?
well i think i have it figured out but i figured i would run it by you guys. My car will randomly die loosing everything electronic and the car dies. I can immediately restart the car so i dont think its the battery or alternator. My next plan of attack is going to replace the negative and clean the positive with cleaner. Does this sound like a good plan of attack?
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grey3800
- Posts like an LG3
- Posts: 302
- Joined: Mon May 26, 2008 9:36 pm
- Year and Trim: 1993 SE L27
- Location: Southern California
Re: battery cables?
Battery cables are a good place to start.
1. Be sure to disconnect them completely clean with wire brush,
2. check & clean the threads of the battery bolts for the cables (was the culprit for me once)
3. ground cable from engine to chassis and chassis to batt
4. inspect wiring going to the maxifuse relay area
Can you also describe the "random die loosing everything electronic and car dies" and little more. If the car just cuts out completely while cruising down the road, i would first suspect the crankshaft position sensor. Describe with detail exactly how it dies and how it is when you try to bring her back to life. That way we can narrow this down better.
1. Be sure to disconnect them completely clean with wire brush,
2. check & clean the threads of the battery bolts for the cables (was the culprit for me once)
3. ground cable from engine to chassis and chassis to batt
4. inspect wiring going to the maxifuse relay area
Can you also describe the "random die loosing everything electronic and car dies" and little more. If the car just cuts out completely while cruising down the road, i would first suspect the crankshaft position sensor. Describe with detail exactly how it dies and how it is when you try to bring her back to life. That way we can narrow this down better.
-Patrick
Current (work): 1993 SE L27 --- 275,000 miles and counting.
Current (Fun) : 2009 G8 GT; 6-speed manual; 3.45;
Retired(sold): 1988 LE LN3 --- 273,000 miles of fun, Farewell....
Current (work): 1993 SE L27 --- 275,000 miles and counting.
Current (Fun) : 2009 G8 GT; 6-speed manual; 3.45;
Retired(sold): 1988 LE LN3 --- 273,000 miles of fun, Farewell....
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ktownSSEiguy
- SE Member
- Posts: 15
- Joined: Fri Oct 17, 2008 9:43 am
- Year and Trim: 1995 Black and Gold SSEI with 87,000 actual miles
- Location: Kannapolis, N.C.
Re: battery cables?
Yes guys, I'm a Bonneville Newbie.
The multiple tap positive battery connnections on my 95 SSEi tend to come just loose enough that electrics and electronics work but car won't start. Very embarassing in public.
Lead post with 2 lead positive connectors held down wih a steel bolt is not good chemistry.
Pulled battery connectors off, battery out, wire-brushed everything and washed them down with 91% alcohol. Put battery back in and used CRC Battery Terminal Protectot in between layers, starting at the post.Replaced bolt with stainless steel and I keep an insulated 5/16" reversible box ratchet in the car at all times. Temp changes cause the need to check them every 6 mos. or so.
Sorry to be so detailed. Just trying to help. And y'all don't wail on me for my suggestion, it Worked for Me.
GM=2 Years
Ford= 32 years
Learning curve is steep at this age.
The multiple tap positive battery connnections on my 95 SSEi tend to come just loose enough that electrics and electronics work but car won't start. Very embarassing in public.
Lead post with 2 lead positive connectors held down wih a steel bolt is not good chemistry.
Pulled battery connectors off, battery out, wire-brushed everything and washed them down with 91% alcohol. Put battery back in and used CRC Battery Terminal Protectot in between layers, starting at the post.Replaced bolt with stainless steel and I keep an insulated 5/16" reversible box ratchet in the car at all times. Temp changes cause the need to check them every 6 mos. or so.
Sorry to be so detailed. Just trying to help. And y'all don't wail on me for my suggestion, it Worked for Me.
GM=2 Years
Ford= 32 years
Learning curve is steep at this age.
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bonnevillain
- Retired Site Developer
- Posts: 3046
- Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 11:07 pm
- Year and Trim: 2002 SLE
- Location: Minnesota
Re: battery cables?
had the exact same problem with my 95. turned out to be he PCM... 94/95 PCMs are not known for their reliability.
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mawint
- SSEi Member
- Posts: 162
- Joined: Thu May 22, 2008 11:08 am
- Year and Trim: 2004 Chevy Avalanche
- Location: East Bethel, MN
Re: battery cables?
I only figured this out because I was driving at night by the way. But when I was driving down a straight path, the headlights, dash, radio, speakers everything electronic turned off and the engine died for maybe about 5 seconds and then everything came back on and the car restarted immediately. This is what lead me to believe that it was a grounding issue. Im a gauge watcher and I had noticed that voltage was a little low. I know these gauges arent very accurate but it was lower then it normally is. Usually it sits around the 14 mark and they other day it was probably around 12. I cleaned the battery cables and now its back up to the 14 mark.
This could be unrelated or it might be related but i was driving yesterday and the DIC was completely off and at random it would come back on and since yesterday its been on ever since.
This could be unrelated or it might be related but i was driving yesterday and the DIC was completely off and at random it would come back on and since yesterday its been on ever since.
Last edited by mawint on Thu Oct 23, 2008 11:28 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Bugsi
- Resident Gearhead
- Posts: 2405
- Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 7:36 pm
- Year and Trim: (RIP 10/31/15) 1997 SE
05 Mercedes S500 4Matic - Location: Sunnyvale, CA
Re: battery cables?
My own experience is that the positive cable corrodes internally along its lenght, requiring replacement, the negative can usually get by with wire-brushing the terminals.mawint wrote:My next plan of attack is going to replace the negative and clean the positive with cleaner. Does this sound like a good plan of attack?
Also, I've seen similar problems where the problem is the terminal on the battery itself. In one battery I had, a neat crack formed in a circle around the terminal and the whole thing just fell-out like an eyeball one day, with acid running out the opening. Nifty, huh? I've also had those lead terminals strip the threads, requiring a new battery. Loads of fun.
PontiacDad at WCBF `08: "By any chance, was his name. . .Radomir?"
R.I.P. 10/31/15: 1997 SE: "Silver Shadow"
`05 Mercedes S500
R.I.P. 10/31/15: 1997 SE: "Silver Shadow"
`05 Mercedes S500
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ktownSSEiguy
- SE Member
- Posts: 15
- Joined: Fri Oct 17, 2008 9:43 am
- Year and Trim: 1995 Black and Gold SSEI with 87,000 actual miles
- Location: Kannapolis, N.C.
Re: battery cables?
Resident Gearhead:
You are dead on. That is a result of "skin effect". Elecrticitry does not flow through the wire. It travels on the outside of the invidividual strands. No matter wire gauge, stranding or length. Eventually the conductive surface of the conductor strands will detereoriate and lead to low-voltage transfer.
Replace the battery cables ( both ). Clean and CRC the terminals and be sure to wipe new terminals with alcohol or other quick-drying solvent to get mold release off. CRC them too and use new hardware. And keep that 5/16" in the car until it settles in.
You are dead on. That is a result of "skin effect". Elecrticitry does not flow through the wire. It travels on the outside of the invidividual strands. No matter wire gauge, stranding or length. Eventually the conductive surface of the conductor strands will detereoriate and lead to low-voltage transfer.
Replace the battery cables ( both ). Clean and CRC the terminals and be sure to wipe new terminals with alcohol or other quick-drying solvent to get mold release off. CRC them too and use new hardware. And keep that 5/16" in the car until it settles in.