First Generation Firebird-L Mailing List ......................................................................... Hello, Larry, Should battery cables be replaced periodically to ensure good connections? I don't know how old mine are. Thanks!
David ----- Original Message ---- From: Larry *.* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: First Generation Firebird-L <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, July 28, 2008 11:59:08 PM Subject: Re: [FGF] lights flickering First Generation Firebird-L Mailing List ......................................................................... You could have worn out brushes in your alternator, a bad diode assembly in the alternator, a bad voltage regulator or bad grounds. Bad grounds can cause the diode assembly to short in the alternator. That would be my number one suspect from your description. Your missing ground to the fender is important, so replace it. You can buy a correct cable from Ames Performance or others to restore it. There are also several grounding straps from the subframe to the body of the car. These are important to and people often leave them out or leave them dangling when they remove an engine or subframe for any reason. These grounds prevent starter currents and charging currents from traveling through the bearings in the transmission output shaft etc. Bearings can be damaged when high currents are unintentionally passed through them. These ground also prevent the back EMF of the starter from popping the alternator diodes. The connections from the battery to the starter have to be corrosion-free and solid so the battery suppresses the transients. The car frame, alternator wiring and wiring harness should not be part of the starter current path and vice versa. Hugo suggested you take the alternator to one of the auto parts places and let them test it. I think that is an excellent idea that will save you time. If they find the alternator is bad, you can repair it youself. The brushes and the diode array are both available as repair parts. So is the bearing set. These are easily swapped out. It is very seldom that one finds a problem with the alternator windings, so you can just about count on swapping these parts to restore your alternator is it tests bad. Or you can do the exchange for rebuilt. I like to keep my orignial parts. You can troublshoot the brushes by inspection. If they are worn down, they need to be replaced. The diode can be tested with an ohm meter or for $15 you can just put in a new one. You can remove the lid from the regulator and inspect it. If the contacts are burned, you can touch them up with an ignition file. If they are not damaged, don't file on good contacts. There are also two wire wound resistors on the back. You can measure them with an ohm meter. You can check the coils for continuity. If they coils and the resistors read through with a low resistance, they are okay. You are really only looking for open circuited parts in this check. I would recommend repairing all your missing grounds as your next step. You mention the fender ground is missing, so fix that one. If this is a 67/68 check the ground wire from the screw on the side of the regulator to the ring terminal grounding it to the core support. There is another wiring harness ground connection to the core support in front of the battery a few inches from the 12 volt junction block. There is another wiring harness to core support ground two inches from the regulator. I can email you photos if you can't find these connections. If you do have a blown diode array in the alternator, you could well pop the next one if you don't correct the missing ground(s). So even if you have a bad alternator, be sure to correct the grounding situation. Larry --- On Mon, 7/28/08, Michael Hershey <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: From: Michael Hershey <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [FGF] lights flickering To: "First Generation Firebird-L" <[email protected]> Date: Monday, July 28, 2008, 11:22 PM First Generation Firebird-L Mailing List ......................................................................... My bird has now taken to having the headlights and interior lights (when on) flicker while the car is running - both in drive as well as while in park and idling. It stoppped this behavior briefly the other night then resumed again after about five minutes. Additionally when I press on the brake, the instrument lamps dim Is this the result of a bad ground, bad voltage regulator (i had the charging system tested and it checked out ok), or other? My battery is not grounded to the fender - just hte neg cable to the block - would this help? Also if its a bad ground - how the heck to I chase this down - any tips on where to start? thanks michael ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Submissions to Firebird-L: <[email protected]> Unsubscribe from Firebird-L: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Help: <http://FirstGenFirebird.org/firebird/Firebird-L.html> Classifieds: <http://FirstGenFirebird.org/ubb/> Owner Pictures: <http://FirstGenFirebird.org/show/> Donations: <http://FirstGenFirebird.org/store/cart.mv?999999> FGF Merchandise: <http://FirstGenFirebird.org/store> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Submissions to Firebird-L: <[email protected]> Unsubscribe from Firebird-L: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Help: <http://FirstGenFirebird.org/firebird/Firebird-L.html> Classifieds: <http://FirstGenFirebird.org/ubb/> Owner Pictures: <http://FirstGenFirebird.org/show/> Donations: <http://FirstGenFirebird.org/store/cart.mv?999999> FGF Merchandise: <http://FirstGenFirebird.org/store>
