electrical problems?

[straycat1962]

i have a 1962 ford falcon 144 inline six everything under the hood restored body needs some work but lately the battery has been drained immediately after i turn it off i think i might have a short but i dont know HELP!!!

[yank with ute]

Not enough info given to even start to guess. Note the topic on the same subject currently just under yours.

Two questions:

#1 When you turn the key to "ON" (not "START") do both the red indicator lights come on ("Oil" and "Gen")?

If the GEN light doesn't come on physically check the bulb to see if it has burnt out. While this is not the problem it would explain why you haven't noticed a problem developing.

#2 The usual routine, is the battery in good condition? If it has caps that can be removed is the fluid level correct? Are the plates inside the cells covered with crud? Are the battery terminals and battery cable clamps clean?

Look at the firewall near the heater motor, is the braided copper ground strap in place and in good condition (not green or broken)?

How about the fan belt? Is the "V" side cracked or shiney (loose belt, belt should only move a 1/2" or less when you pull on it).

If all the above is okay it is time to either let someone check out the charging system or do it yourself if you have the tools.


Have you disconnected the battery cables after parking the car? That could tell you if there is a short in the system or bad battery.

[theuglycamel]

An easy trick to detect dead shorts in your car. Unhook your ground (negative) from the battery, hook one end of a test light to the negative post and the other end to a good grounding position under the hood. If your positive side of the system is shorting out anywhere in the car, the light will draw current from this short and light up. If the light does come on you can begin troubleshooting the location of the short by pulling fuses (good luck with that if you're using the origional fuse box).

[yank with ute]

It takes about one minute to remove the fuse box from its mounting position in the dash. The wiring allows the box to hang beneath the edge of the dash amking it very easy to pull fuses, check wiring with a multi meter.

I posted this in a topic on this board about a month back.

[CrazyChicken]

Want to pass on Yanks wisdom that he helped me with.

This pertains to removing the light switch/fuse box.

- Disconnect battery.
- Pull light switch knob out until it stops.
- Reach under dash and locate the push button on top of the light switch (not the fuse box)
- Press and hold the button while pulling on the light switch knob. The knob and shaft will come out of the dash.
- Use a large, single blade screw driver (there are special tools but who buys them?), insert the coner of the blade into one of the slots in the light switch bezel (we are working on the face of the dash now). Lightly tap the end of the screw drvier and turn the bezel couter-clockwise (or "anti clock wise" if you are an Aussie/Kiwi).
- You now can pull the switch/fusebox out of the dash and bring it down under the dash where you can see what you are doing.