ted17

YEs i did a search and i ended up replacing the negitive battery terminal and i cleaned the negative contact points on the cable. Everytime i hit the brakes the the interior light dimm and the car seems to turn off and back on. I can tell it turns off because steering whell will become heavy and the clock resets. Sometimes the the car will just turn completely off and not back on. Does anyone know what else could cause this problem?

Koma

iTrader: (3)

Bad grounding?

ted17

Yea thats what i figures from my search on the forum soo i changed the neg terminal...and i jsut changed the whole neg wire harness soo i hope that does it..

BLK13X

Bad ground.

SUPRMSC

iTrader: (7)

Bad ground or your alternator is dying.

ted17

ok the car was runing fine for the 1st day and today i woke up and tried to start the car and all i heard was a click, the radio and gauges light up no prob. The car starts but i have to try to start it like 6 or 7 times before it will try and start, when i get it to start, the car idles hard and i think i smell gas......

Anyone know what could be the problem?

Supra Dr

iTrader: (14)

to finish the above statement.... like 6 or 7 times before it will try and start.... when it finally trys to
start, it turns really slow.
have your alternator tested, sounds like the regulator is going bad. now your battery is getting run down. (slow/ no crank problem)
ALSO finish up w/ the cleaning & tightening of all the ground connections. the high resistance
of 'dirty' grounds can actually lead to the alternator taking a poo-poo.

ted17

Sorry about the the grammar i was a little steamed soo i didnt read over what i typed. Is there any easy way i could test the alternator myself, or does it need to be taken to a shop to be tested?

Supra Dr

iTrader: (14)

huh...i wasnt being a ****... miscommunication.
i was looking for the key words 'no crank or cranked slow'
if that was the case then the alternator isnt fully recharging the battery.
its better to have the charging system checked out by a shop. most
DVOM's cant handle the high current output of the alternator unless
you have a inductive pick up.

explain to the shop what your looking for, no charge condition @ idle
w/ brake & other loads on. its probably charging off idle which is why
you havent gotten stuck on the road yet.

also check the obvious. check the condition of the belt &
the tensioner. its possible the belt is slipping @ idle w/ high loads on.

last double check your new grounds, theres another on the rear of the head
to the firewall & 1 where the upper/lower intake manifolds meet.
(main engine harness) also theres 1 from the body to the trans, but that
would be a PIA to get w/o a lift.

post up the end result when its fixed to help others that are searching in the future.

john

ted17

i used use a volt meter on bat the and the reading stays at 14.8 with ac and without ac. It has is taking less crank trys to start and sometimes even starts without me hearing the click. But theres ALOT of white smoke coming out from the exhuast now man.....belts are tight...i guess ill see if i can drive it to a shop. White smoke = bad right? its not just a lil its alot my whole garage gets within 1st 2 mins......



I guess i'll try to take to a shop if the car will make it.


Thanks for the help

Oddtodd76

does the smoke smell sweet?

if so, white smoke = antifreeze

ted17

Not to sure if it smells sweet or not but its pretty thick white smoke.....

Supra Dr

iTrader: (14)

oh crap 2 problems....guess you fixed the dimming lights w/ the ground cables.
you had said it was good for a day. i wasnt concerned w/ the 'fuel smell' in the beginning.
after repeated starting attempts the engine can flood slightly & smell like fuel for a
few minutes after it gets running.

i hope i'm wrong on this 1 but as Oddtodd76 said ... antifreeze.
see if your coolant is low. if it is - not good. its possible when the car wouldn't crank
the cylinder(s) were full of antifreeze. after trying to start it, the engine was able to purge
the coolant & fire up. would run terrible as described & thick white smoke out the exhaust.

if it is a bad headgasket DO NOT drive this car. you will only damage more things by
limping it to get repaired. i've seen it before... cracked heads, wiped crank bearings.
customer : " i only drove it a few miles, it didnt get that hot, i didnt want to pay for a tow"

like i said i hope i'm wrong on this.

Supra Dr

iTrader: (14)

hey, saw you were going to sell your NA-T kit. why? the headgasket should be changed
anyway. look @ this as a opertunity to speed up the process & spur you on to doing it!

ted17

I just figured i should just build the motor up... a friend of mine has a 240 with sr20 and he has white smoke and said it could be bad piston rings etc.. sooo i was think sell kit and then rebuild motor and save back up for a t-bo kit again.. When i fix one problem another arises so i was just getting pissed off and annoyed. But if it is just the hg then i guess i wont need to seel the kit, but if my internals are messed up to then imma need to think about it.

But man i was all excited cause the kits almost here and now my cars messed up so i was just bummed..But im trying to get it towed to a shop sometime soon i let you know what happens thanks for the help I am very greatful for the it.