Grrr... electrical problems

[MaineShark]

I removed and re-installed my steering column. Went nice and smooth.

I re-connected my battery.

Nothing. No courtesy lights, no turn signals. No nothing.

I'm going to grab my wiring diagram and start poking around with a volt meter to see what I can find, but I figured I'd post this in case anyone has had a similar problem, so I can find out what caused theirs, to give me some places to start with...

Joe

 

[Stingray6974]

Hi Joe,
Start with checking the fusible links down at the starter.

Mike

 

[MaineShark]

LOL, I was just clicking on this forum to reply when I got the notification email. Second time that sort of thing has happened tonight...

Of course, it's no weirder than the cause of my electrical problem.

I checked the voltage at the battery terminal (first thing I did), and found that the battery was charged. I then figured it must be something I did while working on the column, so I spent an hour probing around under the dash before getting frustrated.

I slid under the car to work on the suspension a bit to clear my head, and said "what the heck," and threw the volt meter on the starter terminal. Nothing. So, I figured I must need a new positive cable, all the time wondering why it failed during time that it was disconnected, while I worked under the dash.

I decided to give the connector a once-over, in case it had somehow come loose from the cable (a new connector would obviously be easier than replacing the whole cable), so I started to unbolt it from the shutoff switch. Things lit right up.

Turns out that the bolt which holds the positive battery cable to the shutoff switch was loose. The freaky thing is that bolt was tight when I unhooked the shutoff switch, and the cable just sat there in the battery box the whole time.

I have no idea at all how that bolt managed to loosen on its own, but I removed it, hit it with some threadlocker, and re-installed it, so that should be the end of that

Joe

 

[vette-dude]

Sounds like a left wing conspiracy to me!!!

Glad that's all it was. Now go drive it!!

Randy

 

[MaineShark]

Sounds like a left wing conspiracy to me!!!

Maybe a "red squirrel" got in there

Glad that's all it was. Now go drive it!!

Wish I could. Still need to finish the cooling system, brakes, and rebuild the left-front suspension.

The column and seat are back in, now, so I can at least pretend to drive it

Joe