Electrical problems!?

[E30_80Y]

I've searched a bit and couldnt find someone with same problems!
So my car has been driving OK for the past month, my cluster hasnt really been working except the temperature, speedo sometimes worked sometimes didnt.

Last night I pulled out the relay below the dash and put them back in just the way they were and I didnt replace anything.
I drove for a good 30 minutes, interior lights started to dim. I then parked the car and the car wouldnt start back up. After sitting for 15 minutes, it started back fine and no more issue, so I started to head to a new destination and all of a sudden the radio dies, my cluster is now all magically working.
The idle was kinda high, almost 2k rpm as I sat at the light. I then turn the car off for a couple hours, come back out everything is back to normal(were my cluster didnt work, radio was ok, and lights were ok) again.

I drive home, lights start to dimming out and radio dies again, and cluster RPM works again. I get home, park the car(turn it off), then I try to start it. All I got was dim lights, but no crank. I hook up the jumper cables and I get a bit less dim lights, but still no crank.

Does anyone here know what's going on? please help.

[jlevie]

There is probably more than one problem here. The first thing to check is whether the alternator is working properly. That can be done by checking system voltage with the engine running. At idle you should see about 13.5v and at 2500rpm about 14v. Lower voltage than that indicates a problem with the alternator. Note that if the battery/alternator warning light in the cluster doesn't come on when the key is switched to ignition on the alternator won't charge.

It rather sounds like you have a dead battery now and/or poor connections in the primary power circuits. If the battery is really low, the jump start vehicle may have to be run at a fast idle for 15-20 minutes to pump enough charge into the battery to get the car to start. Check the connections at the battery, starter, alternator, and the ground strap between the body and block just below the alternator.

The cluster problems could be a bad fuse, bad SI board, failing solder joints on the main PCB, or a bad ground.

[StereoInstaller1]

Jim, I am so glad you are on here.

With you here I don't have to answer every damn electrical question!

[jlevie]

Ahh, but you are good at it!

[E30_80Y]

ok so i'm a retard! i have just replaced all my belts over a month ago. therefore it was the last place i was going to look, because i thought it should be fine. it ended up being my alternator belt was loose. so battery was barely charged.
although, i still have cluster problem, so i will take the cluster apart and see.
thank you jim for the help!

[StereoInstaller1]

ok so i'm a retard! i have just replaced all my belts over a month ago. therefore it was the last place i was going to look, because i thought it should be fine. it ended up being my alternator belt was loose. so battery was barely charged.
although, i still have cluster problem, so i will take the cluster apart and see.
thank you jim for the help!

The moral of this story is: BLAME THE INSTALLER. If everything goes smooth, no hassles, no worries, blame the installer. If the belt gets loose after 500 miles and the damn thing is noisy or whatever...blame the installer.

So now about that instrument panel....







Luke