time to retire my '90?
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time to retire my '90?
i have a 90 ls, bought it 5 years ago with 159k. now it's got 235k. I have let some problems accumulate and now i may be at the last straw with an electrical problem i can't isolate. is it worth keeping the car and fixing it all, or sell it?
here's what it needs: this electrical problem recently formed where stepping on the brake, now turning on the lights, causes the power to dip like pulling the negative terminal from the battery for a half-second. i pulled the stop lite fuse, radio fuse, pulled the connectors off the center console items, all brake lites, i can't isolate the condition or duplicate it consistently. could be my alternator? i've bought two replacements already. sometimes the short will kill the car. i've tapped the brakes and the car go dead. dead no juice at all dead. then it comes back. sometimes i have to slam the door for the powr to come back. and then it starts right up. step on the brake pedal again, car shorts out dead again. then try to do it again, problem vanishes. does it on the way home, but not when i finally get there.
meanwhile, the rack is leaking, i have a few oil leaks at the motor, so the car smells like burning oil at stop lites. the a/c isn't working the display is black, the radio is fm only, it needs rear springs or shocks (no airsusp) and it needs front end work, balljoints or whatever, and tires are due. everything else works. paint, glass, interior are original; wear on bumper tops, and couple seat cracks.
everytime i decide i should keep it and try to fix things, something else occurs to make me think i should cut my losses. what's your opinion?
here's what it needs: this electrical problem recently formed where stepping on the brake, now turning on the lights, causes the power to dip like pulling the negative terminal from the battery for a half-second. i pulled the stop lite fuse, radio fuse, pulled the connectors off the center console items, all brake lites, i can't isolate the condition or duplicate it consistently. could be my alternator? i've bought two replacements already. sometimes the short will kill the car. i've tapped the brakes and the car go dead. dead no juice at all dead. then it comes back. sometimes i have to slam the door for the powr to come back. and then it starts right up. step on the brake pedal again, car shorts out dead again. then try to do it again, problem vanishes. does it on the way home, but not when i finally get there.
meanwhile, the rack is leaking, i have a few oil leaks at the motor, so the car smells like burning oil at stop lites. the a/c isn't working the display is black, the radio is fm only, it needs rear springs or shocks (no airsusp) and it needs front end work, balljoints or whatever, and tires are due. everything else works. paint, glass, interior are original; wear on bumper tops, and couple seat cracks.
everytime i decide i should keep it and try to fix things, something else occurs to make me think i should cut my losses. what's your opinion?
#4
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found my electrical problem
just wanted to mention i found my electrical problem. turned out my neg battery terminal cable was loose. apparently my replacement battery from sprawl-mart has terminals that are just a wee bit tiny. so even though my cable bolt was tight as it goes, i was able to turn the terminal a little. i wrapped it with some tin foil and retightened it. problem hasn't been back since.
thanx for the input. sometimes us newbs come here asking for help (rather than searching) just cuz we need a little live support while we're neck deep in our own frustrations. sorry if that bothers some of you
thanx for the input. sometimes us newbs come here asking for help (rather than searching) just cuz we need a little live support while we're neck deep in our own frustrations. sorry if that bothers some of you
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