(Dim?) Wit's End

[Bob Richards]

I sure am sorry you are living this but I myself will benefit greatly from however this story finishes.

 

[jblueridge]

I have often thought that I know just enough to be dangerous.
That is the case here I think.
Here is the story as I think it happened.

I plugged an RC battery charger into the cruiser's modified 12V cig lighter.
The battery fed current backwards though my 12V stuff: the radio came on.

Later that day the cruiser would not start. I still don't know why. Drift-started it to get to the driveway.

I checked the batteries with all sorts of devices. They charged up fine off the car. Individual load tests were good.

The old battery cables looked very bad. I had new ones made up. The new center cable was not soldered right... almost no solder in there.
Cruiser would not start (no kidding!).
Voltmeter showed good voltage. charged batteries Almost 25 V.

I replaced all sorts of stuff like the starter relay and ignition switch. Good to do, but not necessary.

I had it towed to a shop. They looked at the battery cables and found the defective clamp connection.

Truck would start but not run because the engine fuse blew... Maybe when they were testing things they shorted it?

Replaced that fuse and all was well.

I am glad this turned out to be an inexpensive fix.
If I had used my eyes and not a multimeter I would have been better off.
Kind of a lame ending for the story.

Thanks for all the support!

 

[cruiserdan]

A voltage drop like that indicates a poor connection, not limited to a ground. That was easily said. Finding it is the challenge.

Sounds like I knew more than I knew.......

 

[coldtaco]

I have often thought that I know just enough to be dangerous.
That is the case here I think.
Here is the story as I think it happened.

I plugged an RC battery charger into the cruiser's modified 12V cig lighter.
The battery fed current backwards though my 12V stuff: the radio came on.

Later that day the cruiser would not start. I still don't know why. Drift-started it to get to the driveway.

I checked the batteries with all sorts of devices. They charged up fine off the car. Individual load tests were good.

The old battery cables looked very bad. I had new ones made up. The new center cable was not soldered right... almost no solder in there.
Cruiser would not start (no kidding!).
Voltmeter showed good voltage. charged batteries Almost 25 V.

I replaced all sorts of stuff like the starter relay and ignition switch. Good to do, but not necessary.

I had it towed to a shop. They looked at the battery cables and found the defective clamp connection.

Truck would start but not run because the engine fuse blew... Maybe when they were testing things they shorted it?

Replaced that fuse and all was well.

I am glad this turned out to be an inexpensive fix.
If I had used my eyes and not a multimeter I would have been better off.
Kind of a lame ending for the story.

Thanks for all the support!

Sucks when the problem is something simple and you can't find it. But great that it is sorted now

 

[jblueridge]

Sounds like I knew more than I knew..

Yes sir, right on the money!

The mechanics said they too were confused by the presence of voltage as measured by multimeter.
When the second mech used an old-school test light, it would not light up. That little bit of load was too much.

I feel good that I got off with a $200 payment.

 

[Bob Richards]

You were too close to it. You needed someone who had to start like they knew nothing about to really see what was wrong with it..

 

[jblueridge]

This was one situation where one of my high school students could have helped: they know very little.