FRAMING JOHN DELOREAN - ON VOD www.framingjohndeloreanfilm.com
Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 1 2 3 LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 24

Thread: Wiring Disaster and bad pin 31 ECU ground

  1. #11
    EFI'd dn010's Avatar
    Join Date:  Jul 2011

    Location:  Florida: Pinellas County

    Posts:    2,096

    My VIN:    5003 Never placed Concourse

    Club(s):   (DCF)

    I agree, there is nothing out of the ordinary in that picture; it looks stock to me.
    -----Dan B.

  2. #12
    Senior Member
    Join Date:  Jun 2011

    Posts:    4,807

    My VIN:    3937

    Quote Originally Posted by content22207_2 View Post
    Clear case relay is factory OEM for the power antenna (factory antenna didn't have an integrated relay as aftermarket units do).

    To be brutally honest OP's ECU compartment looks stock.

    Bill Robertson
    #5939
    Quote Originally Posted by dn010 View Post
    I agree, there is nothing out of the ordinary in that picture; it looks stock to me.
    Thanks for clarifying. I stand corrected. My own car has the fender antenna so this area behind my driver's seat is a little cleaner without the power antenna wiring. Good to know.


    Sept. 81, auto, black interior

  3. #13
    Senior Member
    Join Date:  May 2011

    Location:  Northern NJ

    Posts:    8,570

    My VIN:    10757 1st place Concourse 1998

    Quote Originally Posted by dn010 View Post
    I agree, there is nothing out of the ordinary in that picture; it looks stock to me.
    If it is having trouble cranking over you should go over all of the "big" connections between the battery and the motor. Don't know your VIN but if it applies check out service bulletin ST-05-2/82. If it hasn't been running for a long time you should inspect the fuel tank, cleaning it out and replacing any deteriorated parts before trying to start it. Getting a Delorean that hasn't been running for a long time means going over each system and rebuilding them as necessary, especially the brakes, clutch, cooling and fuel. Replace all of the fluids and filters. Tires over 7 years (check the date codes). If you are not getting spark 2 of the more common causes are 1) rusty/dirty connections on the ballast resistor, a bad impulse coil inside the distributor.
    Last edited by David T; 06-27-2016 at 10:21 AM.
    David Teitelbaum

  4. #14
    Senior Member
    Join Date:  Feb 2016

    Posts:    942

    Quote Originally Posted by David T View Post
    a bad impulse coil inside the distributor.
    Has anybody ever actually seen one of these go bad? It's an electromagnet. Unless something physically damages the wires, there's nothing to go bad.

    Bill Robertson
    #5939

  5. #15
    Senior Member
    Join Date:  Feb 2016

    Posts:    942

    Changing the distributor windings is not an easy task, especially if screws that hold the distributor together are seized (removing the trigger wheel without bending it is no walk in the park).

    Put an ice pick light on the negative terminal of the coil and watch for the light bulb to flash on & off as you crank the engine. If it does, not only are the distributor windings/pickup OK, but the ignition module most likely is OK as well.

    If the ice pick light doesn't flash on & off, use a multimeter to pass voltage through the distributor pickup (resistance setting) and watch for digital display numbers to jump around/analog needle to swing back & forth as you crank the engine. If they do, the pickup most likely is OK.

    Bill Robertson
    #5939

  6. #16
    Senior Member
    Join Date:  May 2011

    Location:  Northern NJ

    Posts:    8,570

    My VIN:    10757 1st place Concourse 1998

    Quote Originally Posted by content22207_2 View Post
    Changing the distributor windings is not an easy task, especially if screws that hold the distributor together are seized (removing the trigger wheel without bending it is no walk in the park).

    Put an ice pick light on the negative terminal of the coil and watch for the light bulb to flash on & off as you crank the engine. If it does, not only are the distributor windings/pickup OK, but the ignition module most likely is OK as well.

    If the ice pick light doesn't flash on & off, use a multimeter to pass voltage through the distributor pickup (resistance setting) and watch for digital display numbers to jump around/analog needle to swing back & forth as you crank the engine. If they do, the pickup most likely is OK.

    Bill Robertson
    #5939

    The impulse coils do fail. I think it is the wire from the coil to the plug where the failure actually occurs. When they fail they seem to fail temperature sensitive. The classic symptom is the car starts fine cold but within about 20 minutes it dies and won't restart till it is cold again. It is a PITA to change it, you must remove the distributer, disassemble it, reassemble it and then reinstall it and retime the motor. A lot of work. Do a simple resistance measurement. An open circuit (a very high to infinity resistance) would tell you the coil is bad.
    David Teitelbaum

  7. #17
    Senior Member
    Join Date:  Jun 2016

    Posts:    265

    Quote Originally Posted by Bitsyncmaster View Post
    The meal plate behind the passenger seat is not grounded with stock wiring.
    It probably should be though, right?

  8. #18
    Senior Member Bitsyncmaster's Avatar
    Join Date:  May 2011

    Location:  Leonardtown, MD

    Posts:    9,000

    My VIN:    03572

    Quote Originally Posted by spikeygg View Post
    It probably should be though, right?
    Probably would reduce some radio noise when a relay switches but otherwise I don't think you need to ground it. Mine is still floating. One guy had an AUX relay short to the metal case and his metal plate was grounded and he found that relay fault quickly. I also put some cut silicone tubing on the edges of my metal plate where wires touch to prevent it cutting into the wire insulation.
    Dave M vin 03572
    http://dm-eng.weebly.com/

  9. #19
    Senior Member
    Join Date:  Jun 2016

    Posts:    265

    I'm disassembling the center console in my car to determine where the electrical shortcomings are and discover all the botch-jobs that I need to repair. One of the irst things I noticed was a Green/White and Black wire exiting the driver's side wiring bundle and taped up with electrical tape. I'm wondering if you guys know where this pair of wires was headed before someone chopped it up and wrapped the ends in electrical tape.

    See picture for detail:
    Rogue Wire.jpg

  10. #20
    Senior Member Rich's Avatar
    Join Date:  May 2011

    Location:  San Francisco Bay Area, Calif.

    Posts:    2,072

    My VIN:    0934

    Club(s):   (NCDMC) (DCUK)

    Quote Originally Posted by spikeygg View Post
    I'm disassembling the center console in my car to determine where the electrical shortcomings are and discover all the botch-jobs that I need to repair. One of the irst things I noticed was a Green/White and Black wire exiting the driver's side wiring bundle and taped up with electrical tape. I'm wondering if you guys know where this pair of wires was headed before someone chopped it up and wrapped the ends in electrical tape.
    Can somebody confirm the wire pair in the photo is the OE wiring pair that would've hooked up to the lamp in the 3-spd shifter?

    From the wiring diagram there's a Light Green/White wire and a ground wire to that lamp, something your 5-spd D doesn't need or have. If the ID is confirmed this is factory wiring, not PO mayhem.

    For any new owner dealing with PO hacks order a poster-size color wiring diagram to save yourself headaches and eyestrain. Also useful for troubleshooting at connections.
    March '81, 5-speed, black interior

Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 1 2 3 LastLast

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •