Ok I just started noting this-
Put key in ignition, turn key to on ( not start )
-If i press brake pedal, i notice my interior lights dim a little bit.
-If i turn radio all the way up, the front speakers sometimes go out, until i turn it down a little bit.
Car started-
If I switch from park to drive, car almost dies,(rpm goes down,) headlights dim, but I assume this is because I have a cam and the idle RPM was programmed to be either 900 or 1000, i forgot which.
I also hear a whine from my radio. If i turn it on, but volume really low, i hear a whine. I turn it up, I still hear the whine but the music covers most of it up.


Its weird because I have problems with the car off and started, so I cant just say alternator or battery.
anyone have any idea?
Maybe clean off battery wires?

 

Ttt

 

Have you checked your ground connections? There's a seperate ground for the pcm on the passenger side of block too. If you have a bad connection there can be enough electrical resistance to actually make the connection point hot to the touch.

 

Sounds like a dead cell in battery or ground as mentioned.

 

If your radio is whining its definetly a ground problem.

 

*dumb question*
the grounds that are on the wheel well hump? i only see 1, i think maybe 2. anyone have pics?

 

There is the one ground point on the fender near the positive cluster. There are also 2 more over on the driver side. One on the frame and the other on the engine itself. They all need to be cleaned off and reattached. There are actually several grounds located all over the car but these are the ones used primarily by the charging system.

If you have a meter, set it to DC and check across the battery when someone else cranks the engine to start. It should not go below 11 volts while cranking. If it does, chances are your battery is shot. Have it charged and checked for load professionally. After the engine starts, the voltage across the battery should be close to 14 volts. If you know the battery and the grounds are good, and the voltage running is somewhat lower than 14, chances are the alternator is bad.

One other alternator test to do. Put the meter to AC and check from the negative post of the battery to the output post of the alternator. The reading should be 0.03VAC or less. If it is higher, the diodes in the alternator are shot and allowing too much AC onto the DC supply line. This is what I suspect the whining you are hearing is.

Dave

 

Goto Shoebox's site and look through the schematics and diagrams to see where the grounds are. Like the others I suspect a bad ground in the culprit.

http://shbox.com/1/4th_gen_tech1.html