Electrical woes

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The Voltmeter

Connect the probes to your voltmeter as shown.

Store it connected like that and off, AMHIK

See the DCV field? Where it says 20, set your Vm to DCV 20 for checking 12v circuits

DCV field again, see the 2000, right under it, that wierd arrow like thingy that looks like an arrow, that is continuity.

Oh and lettting the smoke out AMHIK fer sher

More, later
voltmeter.webp
 
Continuity

With Vm set to DCV 2000 and probes not touching Vm should show a 1. Connect the probe ends together, display goes to 0.
Now you are ready Freddy.


Notes on those other guys there trying to help. Thems dudes are either pros or very good ams. Did you get the wire diagram thingy? Shoulda said, YOU have a wiring diagram! Oh please yes show me! Me not so pro, closer to your skill level.
 
Wiring diagrams

Your friend they is. Have a maintanence manual? Dig out your wiring diagrams. At first, they seem like a road map to hell. Embrace the chaos dude. Start looking at them and real soon they start making sense. Keep in mind though, there can be errors in diagrams or wires AMHIK. Understand the wire designations, the reason why all of your wires have colors and stripes. Thse funny symbles on the diagram, ground, e motor, switch, figger em. See, daunting at first, easy once you figgered it.
 
ready to proceed?

remember your ground rules! Inspect all exposed wires, pay close attention to where the wires pass through or come into contact with sharp edges. Look for any missing insulation. From what you sid above it is obvious you have a ground fault somewhere.

back in a bit Chit
 
Continuing continuity

With the described continuity function you can do two things. One, you can check that a connection is not broken. Two, you can check for wires that are shorted to each other or are grounded to fault. Hope this helps.
 
BigSur said:
i went and tried to plug everything back together and i still get nothing. no power to anything. i'm stuck like chuck.
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I hate to sound like a broken record, but where is the large white wire with blue stripe that is supposed to go between the fuse block and the battery + post?

If this wire is missing, you will have no power. If you can't find it dangling in the engine compartment or hooked up to some other wire that is connected to the battery + post, then stick your head under the dash and find the other end of it where it hooks up to the ignition switch or fuse block and then follow it to find the other end.

It goes:

Battery + post, fusible link, large white/blue wire to chassis and from alternator. The amp meter has small wires that hook up to either end of the fusible link.
 
What next?

Ground rules! With +bat disconnected, connect your -bat. Now check for voltage to the starter by touching one spike to your +bat the other spike to the starter big wire connection. Do this with the big wire to the starter disconnected so that you won't get continuity through that smaller wire I showed you with a pic earlier. If you have voltage here, bad. Starter selenoid could be fried.
 
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What Pinhead and I was talkin bout.

Alright then. Not the starter? Be brave. Ground rules! Check your fuses and replace as needed. Now, remember the fat wire connected to the alt.. Notice how it goes into the DS wire harness? Into the cabin. Okay then, Now with -bat and + bat disconnected. Stilll not connected to the starter right? Good. continuity check between the +bat and that disconnected fat wire to the alt. This wire basically goes into the cab and is sorta the same wire as the one We have been talking about to the +bat. If you have continuity here then a good indication that that part is okalydokily.
 
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ok, after church this morning i am going to go and get a volt meter. i did go out this morning and look at some things and i noticed that i have a nother groud wire going from the frame to the starter. i assume this is a no no right? some one mentioned earlier in a post that i should have more then one ground. one from the neg post to the block and another from the neg post to the frame. I didn't see anything about a ground wire from the starter. I am going to remove this.

the white wire with a blue stripe is connect to the back of the alternator and then down to the fusible link and then to the back for the fuse box.
 
IF that frame ground to the starter is connected to one of the bolts that mounts the starter to the block, then leave it. If it's connected to one of the bolts on the solenoid (small round can thing on TOP of the starter then remove it.
 
BigSur said:
the white wire with a blue stripe is connect to the back of the alternator and then down to the fusible link and then to the back for the fuse box.
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A bad connection at either end of the fusible link is often the culprit for this kind of problem. The way to check it is to measure the voltage at the fuse block with everything turned off and you should have 12V (+/-). Then turn on the head light switch. If the voltage at the fuse block drops to near zero, there is a bad connection between the fuse block and the battery.

Here is some basic electric info for cruiser owners:

http://members.cox.net/golddebra/Photos/Electricity for Cruiser Heads.pdf
 
Big Sur, I changed some confusing, ok no, some misleading, ok, ok, just downright wrong instructions in entry #30. Hey guys, if my efforts, ok, pathetic attempts to help concern you in any way please feel free to PM me with your views,comments, criticism, derogetory slander, whatever, those other guys, BigSur, not you.
:beer::beer::beer:
 
BigSur said:
RB did i miss something?
Click to expand...

You bet you missed something, one hell of a party! Next time I'll get your invite out sooner! Sorry, can't help myself sometimes. One thing to mention here, I am not that familiar with the layout of the fj40. But, the actions I describe are universal. One thing i missed in entry #20 is that all of your accesories need to be turned off before testing or the meter could show a voltage, giving a false ground fault reading. Hum, miss something, hard to say, right now I am not sure where you are at. Did you clean the fusible link connection as suggested by Pinhead (little piece of sandpaper, shine the contact to the fuse)? Check the fuses? Look for breaks in the wire insulation. Let it be known what you are doing. Any questions concerning the entry #20 especially or any description OF all the things I've tried to describe? that test (# 20) is the most important because it will protect you and your equipment. I know you can do this, I can taste the beer already! Relax, think about it awhile and then come back with specific questions. One place to start is to do the entry #20 test. What do you get?
 
ok, an update. Got my volt meter and i now have power. The first thing i noticed when i turned the key is that the harzard light part lit up. I was very happy. I then put my foot on the brake and the brake lights came on...now i am super happy and then i went to start and nothing. when i turn the key i hear just a single click and that is it. i am not too familiar with the way a 40 starts but i don't get any resistance from the ignition when i turn the key from the on posistion to the start posistion. now i don't have all the guages plugged in and i don't know if that will make a difference but i am going to try that next. Should i replace all the fuses in my fuse box? nothing is blown but there are some cobwebs on it. What else should i be looking at?
 
BigSur said:
Got my volt meter and i now have power.

when i turn the key i hear just a single click and that is it.

What else should i be looking at?
Click to expand...

So what did you do to get power when you used to have none? This is not necessarily a good sign if it just comes and goes.

The click is your starter solenoid, which means the key switch works. Either your battery is too weak to turn the motor, the battery cables are bad, the starter motor is bad or the solenoid is bad.

Try jumping the battery with one you know is good. Pull the little black wire with white stripe off of the solenoid spade lug and then jump between the battery cable lug and the spade lug. If it doesn't turn, either the cables or starter is bad.
 
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