Saying "goodbye", but first ....

[bemmott]

My new Dodge Hemi will be arriving next week and my beloved (and hated) 85 burb 6.2 will be given to a friend, but before it goes I have a problem that needs fixin'.

Last weekend, after sitting in the drive for about a week unstarted/driven, I got not so much as a glimmer of juice. Not a light on the dash, not a click on start, nothing. Both batteries are 2 year old Interstate 1000CCA's and have been perfect before this.

Now I thought I had a short somewhere that drained the batts because I had an odor of burn plastic in the cab for about a month but could not find anything. No blown fuses, everything worked. El stumpo grande.

Anyway - threw my charger on overnight and neither battery took a charge. Got 2 new (free) batts from my shop and the thing fired right off but showed a steady discharge of apx 8 amps on the ammeter. Ooops - not good. I assumed it was the short, or a bad alternator. Had it towed to my shop and lo - bad alternator it was.

But that still doesn't explain the odor of burnt plastic. Then I followed the wife while she drove and noticed that the driver side tail-light was noticeably dimmer than the pax side.

Anyone have any idea where the damned wire running to the tail lights runs to the back so I can check for a short? Getting a little cold here to check this crap, but I can't give it to my pilot buddy and have it die on him waiting for his return from the line.

[catmandoo]

should run on the inside of the drivers side framerail,usually most lighting problems can be traced to trailer wiring splices etc back by the hitch if it has or had one.

[britannic]

Check the frame, body and engine grounds while you're checking out the rear wiring as well.

[da4wheeler]

This sounds a little simplistic, but pull off the lens cover and check the bulb. I've had the bulbs melt the plastic reflector where they twist in. The light falls out the back of the reflector (becoming dimmer) and the plastic melts (smelling burnt).

Good Luck.