hi all,
i driving datsun B310

i have a strange problem
maybe someone can help me...
or teach me how to troubleshoot?


..
this strange problem have been haunting me for sometimes already...
since last year..


first time.
i driving.
then suddently no electric (at night somemore)
so the engine died, no light, no signal,
lucky got petrol station so i roll in there

later i touch here touch there
than got electric again. so i drive away

than later no problem in few months. :(





second thing.
this is few months that i seldom use car
so sometimes the car cannot start
when i turn on, the batt. light is there
but the starter just 'tik' one sound, and not turn
(some foreman say is starter problem due to carbon resides in there)

but if i open the bonet and touch here touch there
than can start again.

so sometimes u see me in parking lot, in petrol station
i have to open bonet to touch here touch there
in order to start the car




than, later on
i got use my car everyday
the problem seems like GONE .. :(


.....so no problem fore few months....



than yesterday..
when i wan to start the car
i turn, see batt. light,
than realize my air-cond is on. so i off the key, switch off the aircond
and start again
and


SAME tHING happened again!!!
no electric or what so ever
the light no work, the batt. light not working, hb light no working.

so i open bonet, touch here touch there...
good.. got electric back!!

than i turn to ignition..
'tik' sound.. than starter wont turn! (like 2nd problem)
than i go touch here touch there again
and can start.
so i just go home







than today morning.
i start the car
than i start to drive when the car still cold and shaking a lot
than the engine died (engine too cold and no choke)

than when i want to start again,
NO ELECTRIC again!!!!

than i open up bonet, touch here touch there

can work again



anyone know what problem is that??

is really fustrating as i cant take to the mech
cause the problem gone sometimes...






-------------------------------------------
and the thing is
the light, example the handbrake light
when its on, its not stable... sometimes brigther sometimes dimmer

and at night, i on the small lamp (can see dashboard light)
when i turn on the headlight, the lights on the dash seems off a while (maybe 1/2 a second)

one day evening i driving uphill and switch on the light, the car jerk like wants to stall



anyone can help me?

i'd say that you should check the ground connection to the frame and make sure it's connected good and is clean, never hurts to replace the ground strap every 20 or 30 years.

serious.

you probably have had no luck jump starting like that as well...

maybe it's not the ground but on the + side, but check the ground first.


where is the touch here that makes things start working?

i touch , disconnect and connect every white connector all the way on the wire comming out from the battery '+ve' side


everytime after i touch touch it will works fine...

so it's the wire that goes to the fusable link and such.

is it possible that someone installed a non cycling circuit breaker in place of the fusable link?

I replaced my fusable link with circuit breakers and if one were to do so then you'd want the kind that don't reset till the current is unhooked.

anyone else got any ideas?

I had an isolator on the + side of the battery (big green knob that can unscrew, diconnecting the battery).


After a while, it would arc and lose contact, having the same symptoms as you describe.
I took it out and replaced the battery clamp with a standard one and never had the problem since.

but mine is standard one
and i tigthen it very well already... :(
very strange.

sounds like it could be a broken wire. ie the core is broken inside the insulation. Or maybe the +ve lead[s] are coroded on the inside. both are common problems in old wiring harnesses. try using a multimeter to test resistance in the +ve side of things including battery lead and fuseable link. It may also just be a case of loose or corroded connections, so clean all connectors and inspect for loose fitting wires

today it happens again!
when i turn on my headlight
the car actually jerks

and when i stop my car (when the headlight is lid and engine running),
when i press my brake, the headlight will dim a while :(
sae thing when i open small lamp, then when i turn on headlight, everything will dim a while.


than i use multimeter to check

at first reading is 13.1 volt (engine not running).

than when i turn on the engine, and test again, shows 12.7 volt. (strange..)

than when i switch of the engine after about 1 minute. the reading shows 12.6 volt


very strange...

have you had the alternator tested?

What do you "touch here there"?wiring? check your fusible links on the positive cable, both battery terminals, especially where the grounds attach to the engine. as for the blinking handbrake light, possibly a relay located behind the batt. ther are books to help you troubleshoot problems with a flow chart good luck and have fun with electricity!