[alfa] RE: 164 Challenge

["Karl Chen" <karlcchen@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Thank you, Joe! You are God Send!

The culprit was found, but I am still far from taming the shrew.
I found black burning mark on four-prong connector coming from ignition
switch.  One of the wire to connector is corroded with green stuff. The
resistance increased and eventually it burned to cut-off point.

Karl

-----Original Message-----
From: Joe Elliott [mailto:jelliott@domain.elided]
Sent: Friday, June 11, 2004 3:56 PM
To: Karl Chen
Cc: Alfa Romeo Digest
Subject: RE: 164 Challenge

Parking lights and turn signal indicators work with the ignition
switch turned off, don't they?  It sounds like the things that aren't
getting power are the things that get power from the ignition switch
(or an ignition-switched relay).  I'm not saying that it can't be an
ECU, or any number of other things, but this is what sprung to mind:
Ignition switch was on the verge of failure, so there was a big
voltage drop across it--when the starter was cranking, this drop
caused the system voltage to fall so low that the ECU wouldn't turn
on, and the car didn't start.  Several consecutive cranking retries
pulled all that current through the switch again and again
repeatedly, and the ailing switch finally failed.  But it's only just
barely crossed that threshold between working and not working, such
that the current induced by turning everything on is enough to get
electrons jumping across the bad connection for that brief .2s before
the resistance of the (mostly) dead switch proves too much for the
battery voltage.  That logic may be totally flawed, but I think it's
worth looking into.  It's also not unlike what I went through with
the ignition switch in my GTV-6.

-Joe


>NO. jiggling switch has no effect.  The instrument turn signal indicators
>works, as well as parking light indicator.  But the instrument does not get
>into self test mode.  Bad ECU?
>
>Karl
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Joe Elliott [mailto:jelliott@domain.elided]
>Sent: Friday, June 11, 2004 2:06 PM
>To: alfa@domain.elided
>Cc: karlcchen@domain.elided
>Subject: Re: 164 Challenge
>
>Without knowing anything about 164's, or thinking too hard, I'm going
>to suggest a bad ignition switch.  When the instruments come on for
>like .2s, does jiggling the key have any effect?
>
>-Joe
>
>
>At 6:28 PM +0000 6/11/04, alfa-digest wrote:
>>Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 11:22:47 -0700
>>From: "Karl Chen" <karlcchen@domain.elided>
>>Subject: [alfa] 164 Challenge - Italian mistress giving slient
>>treatment over German rivals
>>
>>Anyone has better experience handling family feud of car polygamy?
>>
>>
>>
>>My 94 164LS engine cannot start with starter cranking.  After several
>>cranking retires.  Suddenly the entire instrument panel went out black.
>Now
>>I cannot even get starter to crank.  When I turn the ignition key on, the
>>instrument is dead.  No gauge is alive, no warning light turn on.
Electric
>>windows don't work either, but radio and headlights and interior lights
>>worked as well as remote keyless entry.  I checked all relays and fuses,
>>they are all fine.  I am totally clueless now.
>>
>>
>>
>>If I let car sit for several days, when I turn the ignition key on, the
>>instrument panel will light up very briefly like 0.2 second, but then
>>immediately got turn off. Subsequent retries afterward cannot light it up
>at
>>all.  Not even unplug entire battery can let it light up briefly.  Only
let
>>it sit for several days will it light up very briefly again then it is all
>>dead again.
>>
>>
>>
>>Thanks,
>>
>>Karl
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