Re: [DMCForum] Floating Ground?

["Walter Coe" <Whalt@xxxxxxx>]

Samuel, all of Elvis' points are good.  I'll add my own:

> I think I have a floating ground, but am not sure nor sure
where. I
> figured I'd post and see where I get pointed to look.

(For those of you who haven't seen his car, the dash is all
apart.)  If the bracket for the radio were in place, then on
the passenger side there is a point where a bunch of black
ground wires attach.  Be sure you have all of these
connected together and that the connection is tight.  You
had the same situation on the lambda box behind the driver
seat.

> I noticed the other day my blinker does not work for left,
nor right. If
> I turn the hazard on, I at least get the right side light
on the dash
> and hear the relay clicking (I did not check the actual
blinker though).

If you have a loose or stray ground wire in the dash area,
this could be the culprit.  Bad connections on the hazard
switch will stop the blinkers & turn signals from working.
Sometimes a connector can slip out of the socket or get
loose or dirty.  If you take them out & tighten them up, be
careful that they aren't so tight that they push the pins
into the switch.  I have had that happen.  I had enough
problems with my headlight switch that I cut the socket off
& replaced with new individual connectors.  Yeah, it's an
ugly hack, but I trust it over the original.  After having a
headlight switch melt, I don't want to take chances.  That
relay modification that Jan Van de Wouw did is a good idea.
Oh, remember to check your blinker fluid....

> My horns have a click, and nothing more when pushing the
button also.

There is no horn relay like there is on most other makes of
cars.  The click is probably the best that the original
horns can do.  The horns ground to the frame, but cleaning
that probably won't help.  The original horns have a
reputation for not aging well.

> My
> high beams are not lighting up, but will turn my main
lights off. They
> were all working.

The first place to check is the relay compartment.  The fuse
for the high beams can get hot & melt the block just like
some of the others.  You could also have a bad connection in
the steering column.  That happened on Mike Cohee's car when
we drove to NJ.  It made the ignition flutter on/off.  We
took the connection apart, cleaned the connections, crimped
them slightly tighter, and it was fine after that.  You
could also have a bad relay or socket connection for the
highbeam.

> I also noticed that my fuel pump does not run when I turn
the key to on
> (not all the way to crank). But if I turn the headlights
on

I have noticed that RPM relays change as they age.  One that
was always quick to prime when the ignition is switched on
then decided to get lazy and only pay attention to the RPM
signal.  The one on my car decided to play it safe and run
the pump all the time.  I don't think they are designed to
run the pump when the ignition is first activated, but when
they do, it helps the car start quicker.  Most RPM relays
are sensitive to spikes caused by switching ignition,
headlights & radiator fans.

> My side marker
> lights work, my headlights and tail lights work when the
light switch is
> turned on. Any ideas of where to look?

Fun, fun.  I suggest cleaning/tightening up all the
connections from the steering column harness and the
connections to the headlight switch & hazard switch.  But
don't tighten them too much or it will push the pins into
the switch when you push the socket on.  It would be a good
idea to disassemble the switches and make sure they are
clean inside.  There are caveats to messing inside the
switches.  I suggest a high-temp dielectric grease.  If the
switch doesn't want to latch, put some contact cement on the
pivot point on that long staple-wire.  It has to be stiff to
work properly.

Walt

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