Gloyale Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 Not messin with it any this weekend..going down to NJ to help Neo fix his Lego...I will most likely be stripping it after Carlisle and sending it to the crusher if no results. Been too much of a headache. $3500 into the dang thing and still have nothing to show..once again...another coupe I never got to enjoy. Not dumping any more money into it. I will never even see 1/16 of what I have in it back out. Tired of throwing $$$ away. Just 2 weekends ago I dumped another $100 into it for a new muffler and exhaust gaskets. My list of new parts in it is ridiculous .... gasket reseal kit ( for old motor including head gaskets) oil pump, water pump,weber carb and intake, roller bearings and low air filter set up, 2 sets of intake minifold gaskets, 3 sets of exhaust maniford gaskets, front and rear struts front and rear fuel filters, tune up parts, brand spanking new radiator and hoses, mid pipe, brand new muffler, new drivers side mirror,new clutch kit,new flywheel, new digi dash, dash surround, XT6 alt, new motor, oem t stat, oem oil filter, oem rad cap,have a brand spanking new set of side badges for it, parts for the analog swap,new ign switch, 2 new batteries and new key set...and thats all I can remember right now. Not to mention the $800 to have this worthless POS shipped here. And I got to drive it to work twice..once to Carlisle...and around town maybe twice..been sitting for 10 months now useless. Is a battery disconnect switch not an option? I mean, it isn't a real *fix*, but you could keep the car around and enjoy it and just diconnect the battery when it isn't running. It wouldn't be the first weekend, classic enjoyment, just for fun driver to have a few *bugs* in it. Seems like crushing it would just be a terrible waste. I mean, it is probably one of the cleanest Old Subies on the east coast. You could enjoy it as is for a long time if you can accept it needing the battery disconnected when not in use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loyale 2.7 Turbo Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 Dear Connie: Let me Suggest you one last and simple Thing that Might Help you: Reinstall the Digi Dash Back in the Car, and Try Again. Yes I Know that could sound weird, but Sometimes the Cause of a Problem is not located on the Usual Spots, which have been covered already; so Try to connect the Digi Dash, maybe its wirings have Something to do with the Power Lost. I Really Like your Li`l Subie, I Wish I could live near of you to go Fix it... or Buy it from you! Good Luck! Kind Regards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aba4430 Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 After reading this thread, I have to agree with the recommendation to reinstall the dash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baccaruda Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 Does anyone have an already-blown EA81 digidash to send Connie to plug in? Galen? Rob? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbone Posted May 2, 2009 Share Posted May 2, 2009 Does anyone have an already-blown EA81 digidash to send Connie to plug in? Galen? Rob? She has one, I sent her 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Sorry guys, I have to disagree with re-installing a digi-dash and starting all over. What we have is a sneak path to ground; adding the digi-dash will not change that and will only confuse the troubleshooting efforts. A temporary solution might be to add a switch to disable the T connector wires and eliminate the drain on the battery. The T connector has much smaller wires and can be more easily disconnected than the main battery cable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky92 Posted May 3, 2009 Author Share Posted May 3, 2009 I a, with Ed..putting in the digi is not going to do anything...I ran that car for 6 -7 months without a dash in it..completely disconnected ..without and issue. This whole problem has been since the motor swap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbone Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 How about replacing both those alternator wires. Dont think it should be that hard to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 How about replacing both those alternator wires.Dont think it should be that hard to do. It might be more difficult than you think. I followed both wires on my Brat and they merge with a big heavy cable harness where they get lost. I don't think the issue is with the heavier wire since it is connected to the battery directly and all the measurements indicate that it is wired correctly. I think it's the lower one (or a funky alternator--in my mind, I still haven't eliminated that as the cause). However Rob, that might work. Find an old harness, cut the T connector off with about 6" of wire and butt splice the upper terminal to heavy guage wire and run it back to the positive terminal of the battery. The lower wire goes to ???; somewhere in the digi-dash (charge light) and for the time being just don't connect it since the digi-dash is not installed. If this works we know the issue is in where that wire goes; if it doesn't work we can begine to suspect the alternator again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 (edited) well i have never really ever heard of a bad alternator alone causing a current draw......WIRING TO IT, yeah it can cause a current draw, but not the alternator itself, when the car is off, its not even activated. doubt that is the issue, this is most likely a WIRING issue, and probably related to the digi dash, or a guage that was added of some sort. Basically, its a electrical wiring issue. Some HOT wire, is pinched somewhere and grounding, causing the draw...soon it could cause a fire, hence my earlier post to see if you have full coverage. There was a guy in Iowa with a 76k mile BRAT went up in flames, due to wiring issue, that ws due to rodents though.. thats my 2 cents on this at this time. Edited May 3, 2009 by bheinen74 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 A bad alternator can cause a current drain problem. Both the main lead and the 'S' lead of the alternator are hot to the battery at all times. A shorted blocking diode in the alternator will cause this kind of trouble. We have already established the fact that the current drain is tied to the alternator but three different ones have caused the same trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky92 Posted May 3, 2009 Author Share Posted May 3, 2009 (edited) UGH.. OK ..Lets see.... as for the new wiring..I added a brand new pig tail right after bringing the car to the east coast.( As I stated at least 3 times in this thread). But If I cant get somewhere by Carlisle with it ( 2 weeks) I have been thinking on going a different direction..instead of wasting all this money and getting nowhere...I might just bite the bullet and do the EJ driveline swap and be done with it...since the wiring harness seems to be already screwed. This is all just a thought.. I know someone semi local who knows how to do the wire harness and then we can do the analog swap and be done with it... This is just an idea I am toying with since EJ22 parts are a dime a dozen here and I can get a motor for under $100 and a tranny for the same. Neo and me were talking and said I can get almost everything for the swap for under $400 . And it wouldnt be such a chore to find parts. Edited May 3, 2009 by Bucky92 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcbrat Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 is the fan still wired to the coil directly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky92 Posted May 3, 2009 Author Share Posted May 3, 2009 I disconnected it and retested...didnt make a difference with the fan being connected or not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. RX Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 UGH.. OK ..Lets see.... as for the new wiring..I added a brand new pig tail right after bringing the car to the east coast.( As I stated at least 3 times in this thread). But If I cant get somewhere by Carlisle with it ( 2 weeks) I have been thinking on going a different direction..instead of wasting all this money and getting nowhere...I might just bite the bullet and do the EJ driveline swap and be done with it...since the wiring harness seems to be already screwed. This is all just a thought.. I know someone semi local who knows how to do the wire harness and then we can do the analog swap and be done with it... This is just an idea I am toying with since EJ22 parts are a dime a dozen here and I can get a motor for under $100 and a tranny for the same. Neo and me were talking and said I can get almost everything for the swap for under $400 . And it wouldnt be such a chore to find parts. Would you keep it FWD??? I will have a complete rear suspension available in a month or two. Corky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky92 Posted May 3, 2009 Author Share Posted May 3, 2009 Would you keep it FWD??? I will have a complete rear suspension available in a month or two. Corky As stated on the previous page.. I already have a new suspension..and yes I will probably keep it FWD ..the car is a garage queen and will never see bad weather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baccaruda Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 If all of the alternators were bought from the same shop, they might all have the same thing wrong with them. Have you taken the alternator(s) to an automotive electrical shop to bench test them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 But If I cant get somewhere by Carlisle with it ( 2 weeks) I have been thinking on going a different direction..instead of wasting all this money and getting nowhere...I might just bite the bullet and do the EJ driveline swap and be done with it...since the wiring harness seems to be already screwed. Connie, From the testing we have done so far I am not real convinced that something in the wiring harness is causing this trouble and that replacing it would end the problem. I would have to do more testing before I would suggest replacing it. Even if the trouble was due to a problem in the harness all that would need to be done is to run a new wire to replace the bad lead in the harness. If you are still willing to test things out on this further I think the best thing I can suggest doing is working with you over the phone. Hopefully you have a cordless or cellphone phone (and a headset would really help)that will allow you to be at the car while I can talk you through the testing. Trying to solve the trouble this way isn't working out too well. If want to do that and have some time to test let me know and I will give you my phone number. I don't think it will take more than 15 minutes to pin down the trouble using the phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Connie, From the testing we have done so far I am not real convinced that something in the wiring harness is causing this trouble and that replacing it would end the problem. I would have to do more testing before I would suggest replacing it. Even if the trouble was due to a problem in the harness all that would need to be done is to run a new wire to replace the bad lead in the harness. If you are still willing to test things out on this further I think the best thing I can suggest doing is working with you over the phone. Hopefully you have a cordless or cellphone phone (and a headset would really help)that will allow you to be at the car while I can talk you through the testing. Trying to solve the trouble this way isn't working out too well. If want to do that and have some time to test let me know and I will give you my phone number. I don't think it will take more than 15 minutes to pin down the trouble using the phone. Works for me....telephone is certainly more efficient. Let me know how it works out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 If we do some testing over the phone I will follow up here with the results so everyone can see what happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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