Help! Electrics gone haywire on '94!

[Steve O.]

OK guys, this is a new one on me:

Last night, out of the blue, the windshield wipers on my '94 came on for one pass of the windhshield. Never touched the stalk. It did this a couple more times over the course of the next hour. Like it was haunted or something...

This morning, it was raining so they were on from the beginning of my drive. Half an hour in after hitting a frost heave on the highway, my radio went dark and came right back on, almost like a CD skips when you hit a bump. Except it was the whole unit turning on and off. This got worse

Then, everything on my dash started dying and them coming back on. My accessory Autometer guages also went haywire, with the pyrometer needle jumping all of the place and the tranny temp needle also skewed.

THEN, my horn started sounding and would not stop. It died after a minute or so.

Finally, everything on the dash just died. I pulled over, killed the motor, but it started up just fine, but still with no working electrics, excpet for the wipers, which would only turn off if I pulled the fuse. Otherwise, no A/C, radio, etc... Some dash lights were on faintly, but the glow plug light was on full bore. I pulled that fuse just in case they were really on.

Got out of the truck to find my headlights were on, but the switch was not thrown. Opened the hood to disconnect the batteries and founf the passenger side battery negative terminal was disconnected, apparently never hooked back up by the tranny shop last week. Disconnected the drivers side battery to stop the light drain.

While it was in the tranny shop they had to replace the ignition lock cylinder as they said a spring had broken loose in the left side (ww wiper/turn signal) stalk and messed up the ignition lock.

Later, hooked everything back up hoping the system would reset but it did not. Since the truck was driveable I tried to make it home, but 10 minutes into the drive noticed the very slight burning smell. Immediately parked it and had it towed back to the shop that did my tranny.

Thyey only gave it a quick once over before closing time, but they say the it looked like the e-brake cable had some burning around it. Not even sure if they meant inside the cab under the dask or not, although I assume so having thought about it.

All of this sure sounds like a bad ground somewhere.

Any thoughts on what it could be, how it could happen, what to look for?

I swear this truck is cursed. Never enjoyed a truck more, when it runs...Owned it a year. Two new motors, (don't even ask what happened the the first re-man that went in!) new tranny, t-case, etc..

As always,

Thanks,

Steve

[charliepeterson]

Take a good look at the ignition switch at the bottom of the steering column. Any discolored wires will show the heat/burning smell location. The wiper harness is right next to the ignition harness down there also.

This general area is close to the parking brake cable but should have no relation to one another.

[eracers999]

I have always found it to be when you get crazy things going on like this you have a ground problem. I would do some searches on this site and seek some tips and fixes to completly shore up the grounds on this truck.
Kent

[DOG]

Since the tranny was just done I would say that the wires that run from the starter that supply the rest of the vehicle power got pinched between the trans and engine block.

[Steve O.]

First, thanks for the replies guys. Great stuff as always.

The garage said it was a bad body ground near the passenger side battery (the one they never reconnected). They also found that the e brake cable was grounding itself out under the dash and had evidence of scorching. They also say they found another bad body ground elsewhere but the guy who I spoke to hadn't worked on it so he couldn't show me. (I was there just at closing time)

They claimed it had nothing to do with the work they did last week, but, they didn't charge me for any this. The boss said it was because I was the rare customer who didn't call yelling and screaming and pointing fingers (not that I didn't want to yesterday, with a possessed then dead truck in a downpour!) The skeptic in me says they didn't charge me because they knew they were responsible, but either way, I have the truck back and its working fine.

Now its time to pour some *fun* money into it and make it go and sound like Charlie's bad ride.

Steve

[kowsoc]

Great story!.....I love happy endings! :D

[eracers999]

Still need to run some grounds of your own, braided bolted to clean tight and dielectric greased connections.

Kent

[HowieE]

I would look a little further. Things that stop working like dash lights could be ground related but thing that come on when not turned on like head lights and wipers are not ground problems. Head lights and wipers are gounded at the divice and problems with the ground could not cause them to operate.
If you smelled burning or see evidance of discoloration on any of the wires you have a short on the supply side.

[Steve O.]

Kent: Are you suggesting I replace the factory grounds with larger guage wire and better connections or should I be adding additional grounds?

>>>you smelled burning or see evidance of discoloration on any of the wires you have a short on the supply side.<<<

Howie: things are back to normal now, but where would you suggest I look on the supply side just to be safe?

Thanks

Steve

[eracers999]

If evertyhing is back to normal and the problem was a ground then everything is back to normal. When relays that operate a controlled circut by being grounded start working it is because somthing else is seeking a ground path. Some things that really cant be easily explained are from bad grounds.
Kent