Irritating Electrical Problem

**iceman504** · 09-01-2009, 05:29 PM

I need some help figuring out what this is as Last time I had it looked at they said it could be a bad wire somewhere but now I'm not so sure.
* My battery meter flucates from time to time when idle and sometimes when starting up. lights dim b/c of this also
* Sometimes My speakers have no bass or sound like the wires are reversed and sometimes messing with something electrical in the car such as a window will cause the Bass to come back and fix my speakers, wierd.
* One of My HID ballasts make this constant buzzing sound until either I touch it or til I turn the car off

New Info Added:
* checked my battery voltage while battery meter was fluctuating and it read a steady 13 volts up until the battery meter went into the red which it then read 10-11 volts.
* checked fuses and none are blown or missing.
* noticed that speakers are from the monsoon system but the original stock head unit wasnt and don't think the monsoon amp is anywhere to be found either
*sometimes when messing with something electrical long enough to bring the bass back whatever I was messing with will stop working for a few minutes.

May just go out and buy a big spool of wire and rewire the whole entire car since it will be cheaper as this is little problem is starting to shorten the life of my battery and my HID lights

Last mechanic that looked at it wants to charge $800+ just to find the problem. And looking around here anyone think it may be a bad wire or a BCM problem??

Any help figuring this out will be greatly appreciated!

**0rion** · 09-01-2009, 05:51 PM

just to get a little more info into the thread...are you running an aftermarket audio set up or the stocker? How are your HID's wired in?

**pajeff02** · 09-01-2009, 06:40 PM

Almost sounds like a ground issue as more than one vehicle system is affected. Have you checked for any commonality between the affected circuits -- do they utilize the same fuse, relay or grounding point?

**iceman504** · 09-01-2009, 07:49 PM

Audio system is the stock setup besides the head unit and HID's are a plug n play kit...I had this problem before replacing the head unit though

**iceman504** · 09-02-2009, 03:10 PM

Forgot to add some info: sometimes when messing with something electrical long enough to bring the bass back whatever I was messing with will stop working for a few minutes.

**pajeff02** · 09-02-2009, 06:08 PM

Intermittant electrical gremlins are the worse. You will need to start looking things over -- again, check to see if there is a common feed or ground point for the affected systems.

**RealLiveMD** · 09-02-2009, 06:18 PM

Check the grounds on the back of your heads, The whole system is losing power as you stated. This points me in the direction of a loose ground or corroded cable. Also, maybe your alternator is bad or going. If your battery has a warranty, trade it.

**iceman504** · 09-03-2009, 09:21 AM

Alright will check my grounds sometime today and the alternator and battery were replaced about 1 month ago so they shouldnt be bad.

**pajeff02** · 09-03-2009, 10:06 AM

Originally Posted by iceman504

Alright will check my grounds sometime today and the alternator and battery were replaced about 1 month ago so they shouldnt be bad.

New parts do not always equate to good parts. I have had to return "new" batteries and alternators in the past. Don't rule anything out until you start diagnosing and checking things -- the grounds are a great place to begin though.

**RealLiveMD** · 09-04-2009, 10:03 AM

iceman, just noticed you're from memphis. go to the blue plate cafe on thursdays and talk to the wtfba guys. you'll see them huddled around the camaros.

**iceman504** · 09-11-2009, 12:42 AM

RealLiveMD had to go out of town thursday morning so didnt get a chance to do that but I did find 2 cut wires under my car that seem to go to my A/C compressor. One wire is light green and the other is a black wire, May not be what's causing all of this but it's a start.

Also could one of the battery wires/cables be going bad? Ground perhaps?

**pajeff02** · 09-11-2009, 05:06 AM

Originally Posted by iceman504

RealLiveMD had to go out of town thursday morning so didnt get a chance to do that but I did find 2 cut wires under my car that seem to go to my A/C compressor. One wire is light green and the other is a black wire, May not be what's causing all of this but it's a start.

Also could one of the battery wires/cables be going bad? Ground perhaps?

Usually a battery cable will have a loose or corroded connection if it is a cable issue. A light coat of Vaseline helps to protect the connection from corroding after cleaning. If you do have corrosion, and a build up of green gunk, slowly pouring a cola drink over it will help dissipate the mess. Then clean it with a small wire brush to finish the job and rinse things down with water and dry well before applying Vaseline and re-attaching the cable to the terminal.

**Smittro** · 09-11-2009, 05:22 AM

Also if the terminal is corroded heavily disconnect the terminal and pull out the bolt. Then you can slide the terminal cover off and clean it completely. I use the old baking soda and water trick, then wire brush the terminal. Also clean out the cover or it will corrode again within a few days. Vasoline works but tends to melt away over a few hot summer days. May sound crazy but I spray mine (after reconnect) with high tac gasket spray. Cleans up with gunk or brake cleaner on a rag. I noticed over the years the use of gasket tack spray completely stops corrosion from acurring (dont be afraid to lay it on). Sorry for the spelling.
Good luck man.

**pajeff02** · 09-11-2009, 05:24 AM

Had not heard of using gasket tack spray for this -- certainly would hold up better than Vaseline.

**Smittro** · 09-11-2009, 05:27 AM

Originally Posted by pajeff02

Had not heard of using gasket tack spray for this -- certainly would hold up better than Vaseline.

Little trick I learned from an alt and starter shop I used to rebuild for. Works great. Just put it on after you reconnect everything. It wont harden either, I use the red stuff..