Dannoo93 Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 so me and nick finally found out why my car is running and it is because the distributor shorted out...so we went to the scrap yard and pulled a good one and put it on...the thing is starting to short out...has anyone ever had this problem before with their distributor shorting out...if so can you help me and tell me where it could be TIA Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brumby420 Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 so me and nick finally found out why my car is running and it is because the distributor shorted out...so we went to the scrap yard and pulled a good one and put it on...the thing is starting to short out...has anyone ever had this problem before with their distributor shorting out...if so can you help me and tell me where it could beTIA Dan Well this is a jeep so way different vehicle but on that it had fuses that would sometimes go bad and kill the spark. Did you get a new rotor on this disty you got at pull and save? that can also cause a short. These dont typically go bad on subarus but its important to check your coil as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 (edited) Have you checked to see if the ignitor is bad and causing the problem? Why do you say it is causing a short? Are you blowing out a fuse or measuring a low resistance reading somewhere? If you are measuring voltage and it is going low when you connect up the disty then there may be a faulty connection upstream, which isn't a short problem. It is a bad connection. Edited June 23, 2011 by Cougar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannoo93 Posted June 23, 2011 Author Share Posted June 23, 2011 my disty gets really hot and makes the car start to lug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 I suggest you make sure that the wiring to the disty hasn't been changed from original design and use an ohmmeter to find out what lead the excessive load is on. Then follow to where the lead is tied to. Like I stated earlier, it may be the ignitor that is causing the trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannoo93 Posted June 23, 2011 Author Share Posted June 23, 2011 ok but what are the normal readings for a good disty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted June 23, 2011 Share Posted June 23, 2011 Right off hand I'm not sure what the readings should be. The factory service manual may have that information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 dont know if it would help - but i have a pdf version FSM (engine) for 1989 model year - most of the engine related stuff should be pretty much the same, shouldnt it? Dannoo - sent you a pm regarding this... hmmm, maybe i should see about getting it posted in the USRM for others to use as well.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickolai Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Let me restate and fill in a few details: Dans 92 Loyale began having trouble shortly after driving it through a couple feet of water. It started backfiring and losing power, and eventually got to the point where the engine would start, but not rev past 1000 rpm. We tried swapping out several things from my car including the MAF, fuel pump, and coil, and finally the disty. When we put the disty in, the car started right up, and revved just fine, but it was still backfiring occasionally, and the disty got hot within about a minute of running. We then went to the junkyard and got him a new disty, started it up, and it seemed to be running great. We drove maybe a block down the street before the car was coughing and losing power again. Turned around and went home. Disty was quite hot, but so was the rest of the engine. This leads me to believe that when driving though the water, some circuit connected to the disty began shorting out, and probably melted, causing a permanent short, that in turn fries distys. Does anyone know the most likely place for this short? Does anyone know how to correctly test each of the wires that plug into the disty and disappear into a wire harness? Where do these wires go? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 just sent him the FSM pdf's that i had mentioned earlier - there are some good trouble shooting steps in the second part - hope it helps sort things out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 Have you tried a new cap and rotor? (stupid question but it hasn't been asked yet) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferox Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 Have you taken a reading on the alternator charging the battery? Are you running a red top battery or similar? Cougar can certainly correct me if I am wrong, but I think if the alt. regulator and/or rectifier goes, then it can over-charge or supply alternating current and possibly fry the control module in the disty. Also, I used to run red tops in my vehicles until one time when I ran the battery down in my hatch. My alt tried real hard to to charge it back up, but fried the ignition control module in the disty in the process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannoo93 Posted June 28, 2011 Author Share Posted June 28, 2011 new bit of info...my battery is dying when im not even using my car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannoo93 Posted June 28, 2011 Author Share Posted June 28, 2011 what should the altenator read when charging Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 It sounds like there is a problem if the battery is being drained while the car is parked and some testing will be needed. The charging voltage of the alternator should be between 13.5 and 14.8 volts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brumby420 Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 Time for a nissan maxima alternator! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 new bit of info...my battery is dying when im not even using my car was going to ask if any progress had been made - hmm, sounds like things are getting worse? battery draining while sitting - could be any number of problems - but combined with the possible disty issues....very carefully inspect the wiring around the coil, disty, battery and alt for any damage that could cause a short. triple check all the ground wires - make sure they are clean, in good repair and tight. and just because - i added a ground wire from the coil bracket to one of the front strut mount bolts on my old GL due to rust issues - the bracket grounds on the fender well thru the mounting bolts - if it isnt getting good contact there, it can cause issues - adding the extra ground wire helped mine tremendously. would also recommend disconnecting the battery when you are done poking around for the day to prevent the drain and possible damage to the battery. please keep us posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
man on the moon Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 When there are multiple possibilities for fixing a car/motor, I always vote to try the cheapest and simplest possibility first, or at least the free ones, assuming they can't hurt/cause worse damage. If it works, you're good, if not--you have lost nothing but time and possibly gained some good info/crossed something off the list, so here is my two cents: Separate the wiring plug thing that comes from the crank angle sensor in the distributor (the only wire not related to the plugs/coil). Blow it out with air, maybe even let it sit overnight. check that none of the wires are melted together either inside or just outside/between the plug and the harness. Check inside the connector again that there are no bits of crud built up, or di-electric grease, or, or, or. From this plug I think the wires run to the ECU, but I am not sure (just eyeballing a wiring diagram, but haven't crawled under the dash). Most wires under your hood are unique color patterns (though you may already be aware of that). Use this, and a Chilton's or Haines and a multi-meter to chase the wires and hunt for your short if it is not actually at the plug. If it is or was wet inside, you may have had a short circuit at some point. Not sure how water would have gotten IN their in the first place, but that's one of those questions that is so stupid you can't ignore it--the universe is a funny place. In reality it's probably something else (especially if you're losing battery) but this will at least let you cross a simple check list item off the list of possibilities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 due to water infiltration, battery drain, and disty possibly running hot - i would trace the battery drain *first*. maybe it's related. tracing a battery drain isn't hard and it's free if you know how to do it. i would ask folks here where to start. i have a drain thread on subaruxt.com with folks chiming in there on how to trace drains, but i'm sure someone here will pipe up too. basically measuring amps as you pull fusible links and fuses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannoo93 Posted July 1, 2011 Author Share Posted July 1, 2011 im really dont want to poke around the electrical guys...but i just got an interview for a job so if i get it i might take it to some one to look at the electrical...i dont know really were to start with the searching Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferox Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 ...i dont know really were to start with the searching Alternator Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 It's possible that the alternator could be causing the the current drain problem. Here is a link that has some good info on how to do the testing. http://www.aa1car.com/library/battery_runs_down.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 here's another article on checking for battery drain... http://automotivemileposts.com/garage/v3n2.html dont let electrical scare you - it really isnt that hard - frustrating? yes, it can be - but to be honest - who wants (or can afford) to spend 75-85 bucks an hour (that could run into the $100's very quickly) for someone else to trace down a simple wiring problem that you could find yourself armed with a little knowledge and a multimeter (and a few hours) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannoo93 Posted July 4, 2011 Author Share Posted July 4, 2011 heartless y cant you be here in washington you seem like the coolest person and ur so full with knowledge...i want you to come be my mechanic teacher lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted July 5, 2011 Share Posted July 5, 2011 heartless y cant you be here in washington you seem like the coolest person and ur so full with knowledge...i want you to come be my mechanic teacher lol LOL - thanks. I kind of wish I was back out there in Washington - but would be on the west side of the state if i was. Lived out there for a couple of years a lifetime ago (Marysville area) but my ex is still out there, and that would not be a good thing... so has there been any progress in figuring this thing out?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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