Lights turned on...Radio goes off

buffalovebus · Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2015 5:30 am Post subject: Lights turned on...Radio goes off

Hi everyone,
Can anyone help me troubleshot and figure out how to fix the problem when electrical goes wacky? After taking my bus out for an evening drive I turned my lights on and the radio turned off. Any quick fixes or simple adjustment?

Thanks in advance!
Michael

chrisradioman · Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2015 6:12 am Post subject:

You've connected the radio ground to the illumination feed.
This is -ve when off but 12V when on its a common mistake
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buffalovebus · Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2015 6:21 am Post subject:

williamM · Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2015 6:21 am Post subject:

common rule- when nothing makes sense- its a ground-

GF had a saab that the windows went up and down when hit a bump- master ground by the radiator was pulled loose.
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buffalovebus · Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2015 6:22 am Post subject:

williamM · Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2015 6:29 am Post subject:

williamM · Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2015 6:32 am Post subject:

My 73 has a lug under the wiper motor that te grounds go to.. then there is a lug on the speedo gauge plate. any thing brown should do

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some days I get up and just sit and think. Some days I just sit.

opinion untempered by fact is ignorance.

Don't step in any!

buffalovebus · Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2015 6:44 am Post subject:

udidwht · Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2015 11:42 pm Post subject:

Does the radio stay off once the lights are turned on? Or does it go off then come back on after lights are turned on?
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tjet · Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2015 3:17 am Post subject:

Are you sure the battery is installed correctly? Pos to +, neg to -

buffalovebus · Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2015 7:11 pm Post subject:

buffalovebus · Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2015 7:12 pm Post subject:

buffalovebus · Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2015 7:19 pm Post subject: Fues Box, Battery

I pulled each fuse and checked to make sure they were the correct ones and had a good connection but still nothing. I also pulled off the battery cables to clean. when I attached the negative post to the ground wire and began to connect it to the bolt on the bus it sparked....I dont ever remember seeing a spark from a ground wire.

I tested the battery with my multimeter and it is showing around 12 volts, however now the generator light is not even coming on and now I dont even hear a click from the starter. I checked all the connections to the starter and they are all secure and I tapped it a few times with a hammer. nothing worked.

One more thing, it starts right up with a jumpstart from my other car...and continues to run fine albeit "lights on radio goes off"

tjet · Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2015 2:26 am Post subject:

When you jump it, are you putting the neg jumper cable on the battery directly, or are you going to a chassis ground point?

buffalovebus · Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2015 11:04 am Post subject:

mikedjames · Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2015 2:06 pm Post subject:

The spark you see when you connect the battery ground wire is usually all the capacitors on modern equipment attached to the battery charging up (harmless unless it blows fuses) , or relays and coils sparking when you did not make a solid connection (not good for the modern electronics)

My bus sparks when the negative lead is connected but it but it has a car radio and a couple of small computers connected to the battery.

The ground wire from the radio could be going to a point which has corroded, and so has become intermittent which might explain the fact it comes and goes for a bit before failing .

It may be going to a ground point shared with the lighting - are you sure that all the rest of the electrics are working ?

The overall failure to start without a jump start points to a failing battery or dirty battery termnals or clamps - look inside -I had a black layer all over that sparking negative terminal - it needed sand paper.
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