It quit on me today need help

[muddevil01]

I had the main alt wire rub through on a bracket and it did something similar

[crusher773]

I'll have to do more diagnosing and chasing wires I guess. I am going to be out of town all weekend it'll have to wait until Monday evening.

[Movin]

Those fuses will start adding up. Get a 25 amp circuit breaker and plug it in, you will need
to convert the male spade to female. It should click if you start the car, car will die.
Unplug and disconnect the alternator and try it. Wiggle and feel the wires all the
way to the ignition switch. This process can go on until the short is found. If you are hard of hearing you can plug in a headlight bulb for the same reasons.

[JPT]

Is the battery good?

When I first got my car, it would eat main fuses every day. When the fuse blew, you could drive it for a bit and it would die just like you describe (you could tell when the fuse went, because it would reset the radio). All the wiring was good as well as the alt. I tested the battery, found it was junk, replaced it and the problem was solved.

[anomoly40]

Your battery secure? Mine flopped around and shorted out on the shock tower once.

[georgeb]

According to my '92 wiring manual the MAIN fuselink supplies the ign sw, alt, fuse panel, parking lamp relay, and condenser fan (atx).

[crusher773]

Well my battery isn't really secure per say. Maybe I'll switch batteries with my wifes car and secure it good and see what happens.

[crusher773]

I hate to keep just blowing these fuses though. So should I just trace all the wiring listed above and see if I find a bear wire or something? I did a quick glance at some stuff the other day and didn't see anything that jumped out at me.

[Movin]

? use a circuit breaker for testing !

[crusher773]

OK so things are just getting worse. I stopped and got a couple fuses got home did some more looking around thought maybe I'd found the problem by the alternator. The wires had slipped out of the clip and was laying across the alt bracket kind of like muddevil had suggested. Well I figure I'll unplug the alternator just to be safe and see what that gets me. So I unplug and also go to take the ground off the alt and what do you know the stud breaks off so now looks like I am in for a new alternator. That nut is frozen on that stud it finally took just clipping the wire. I can't get it out of the little plastic cover either. So I go to put a fuse in and what does it to as soon as I plug it in fries it. Ignition is off and the other day the car started then died. So I decide to try a 50 that I had same thing just not as fast. WHAT IS GOING ON!! Things are getting worse. Electrical really is my achilles heel I'm good with everything else but everytime I have dealt with electrical I've only ever made it worse.

[FestYboy]

you have a dead short on a small gauge wire (that's why the fuse isn't blowing immediately). wish i was closer to figure it out for you.

[crusher773]

I'm just to a point of giving up now and taking it to a shop. Ouch that word really hurts me to say.

[Movin]

OKAY!!! here is a pic of the 2 cheap simple tools you need. Make two wires to hook the
breaker to your link connector box. It will spark and start clicking sending pulses into
your wiring system. The amp meter can be slid along the wires or spot checked at
components. It will also show the direction of current flow. Your problem is easy
and cheap to find and you are making a production out it!!! Its like finding a leak
in your tire, keep going toward the leak until you find it!

[Bert]

Geez Movin. I wish you lived closer by. I like your practical approaches to problem-solving.

[georgeb]

OKAY!!! here is a pic of the 2 cheap simple tools you need. Make two wires to hook the
breaker to your link connector box. It will spark and start clicking sending pulses into
your wiring system. The amp meter can be slid along the wires or spot checked at
components. It will also show the direction of current flow. Your problem is easy
and cheap to find and you are making a production out it!!! Its like finding a leak
in your tire, keep going toward the leak until you find it!

Where would one get those items?