DiscoStudd Posted September 3, 2004 Report Share Posted September 3, 2004 I was driving home from work, cruising about 70 on the interstate and suddenly, without warning, everything went dead. Headlights, out completely. Dash lights, same. Motor, dead as well. Luckily I was able to coast to the shoulder far out of traffic. Strangely enough, the hazzards and dome lights worked flawlessly. I remembered what someone had posted on here earlier (as I was wishing I had a laptop and an internet connection right then and there to access the forum) about one of the main power cables running to the underhood fuse box(es) becoming disconnected. I fiddled around a bit and found the auxiliary "jump start" lug was hot to the touch (it even melted the protective cover a bit.) I wiggled the cable and sure enough, it was loose. I tightened it down and the car was back to life. After I got home, I removed the cable and sanded down the ring terminal and the nut to get rid of the corrosion (I also sanded down the mounting surface of the lug as well...) As soon as I can find some Vaseline or some real battery coating, I will be giving that sucker some extra "protection." I guess from now on I'll be checking that aux terminal whenever I change the air filter (it's a good time as any to check it) on both cars. This week hasn't been a very good week for the ole Regal. First I had a nail in the front passenger side tire on Monday and was half an hour late for work (cause I first noticed the tire was flat when I was leaving for work, and no I didn't put the donut on the front) now this... Good times abound!!! What have some of you guys paid to have a tire patched? I had a buddy of mine pick up my tire and take it to a "garage" in his neighborhood to have it patched. They charged $18. Where I live (out in the burbs) there are no old-school garages that actually repair tires, so I have nothing to compare that price to... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruticus Posted September 3, 2004 Report Share Posted September 3, 2004 Disco I been having the same Fing problem with that AUX terminal for the last year and a half ever 3 months or so i have to get a brisel brush and scrape that damn corrosion off i even put petrolium jelly and terminal gel on it and once i see the lights in the das flickering i know its acting up again. Was this yur first experience with it the same thing happened to me on the highway too. Oh and down here in the big city they cahrge about 9 dollars to patch a tire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitaloutsider Posted September 3, 2004 Report Share Posted September 3, 2004 My dad took my flat to NTB and they wanted to charge him $45 TO PATCH THE FUCKING THING. Needless to say, he told them where they could shove it. 5 minutes later, they guy comes out, apolgizes for the outrageous pricing, and did it for free.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruticus Posted September 3, 2004 Report Share Posted September 3, 2004 My dad took my flat to NTB and they wanted to charge him $45 TO PATCH THE FUCKING THING. Needless to say, he told them where they could shove it. 5 minutes later, they guy comes out, apolgizes for the outrageous pricing, and did it for free.. Whoa 45 bucks did he have a tire off of Bigfoot. :shock: Thats gotta be the most outrageous price i ever hear for a patch. I mean i thought disco got charge a lil crazy price. This guy was just plain out looking to rip yur old man off some people are just retarted thank god i have hunts point here over 40 different mechanics and junk yards to choose from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteOut Posted September 3, 2004 Report Share Posted September 3, 2004 I need more info here. I'm trying to chase down a short somewhere in my car thats causing it to run crappily, make the speedo and tach bounce around, and every light in the car flickers. Where exactly is this loose connection, I've not heard of this problem before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick Posted September 3, 2004 Report Share Posted September 3, 2004 I need more info here. I'm trying to chase down a short somewhere in my car thats causing it to run crappily, make the speedo and tach bounce around, and every light in the car flickers. Where exactly is this loose connection, I've not heard of this problem before. I think he's referring to the main connection at the Aux. post, there really close to the cruise control crap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted September 3, 2004 Report Share Posted September 3, 2004 I have never had any problems with the aux terminal, but when I pulled it off to add a ring terminal to it (for aux headlight wiring) I noticed it was a little crusty. Maybe I need to pull it again and wire brush it for some preventive maintennance. As for patching a tire, Wal-mart charges $6.25. If these are factory 16" wheels, Wal-mart should be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supreme_style21 Posted September 3, 2004 Report Share Posted September 3, 2004 My old Lumina had the same problem.. only it didn't die.. it'd come close, gauges and lights would go all haywire.. then it would straighten out for a minute.. rinse, repeat. It was eventually narrowed down to that aux. post. I think I paid 10 bucks for a tire plug last time I needed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick Posted September 3, 2004 Report Share Posted September 3, 2004 My old Lumina had the same problem.. only it didn't die.. it'd come close, gauges and lights would go all haywire.. then it would straighten out for a minute.. rinse, repeat. It was eventually narrowed down to that aux. post. I must just have to take a gander at mine... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy Posted September 3, 2004 Report Share Posted September 3, 2004 Around her Discount tire repairs flats for free............... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiscoStudd Posted September 3, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2004 Disco I been having the same Fing problem with that AUX terminal for the last year and a half ever 3 months or so i have to get a brisel brush and scrape that damn corrosion off i even put petrolium jelly and terminal gel on it and once i see the lights in the das flickering i know its acting up again. Was this yur first experience with it the same thing happened to me on the highway too. Oh and down here in the big city they cahrge about 9 dollars to patch a tire. That was the first time it ever happened. As for patching a tire, Wal-mart charges $6.25. If I had a Wal-Mart with an automotive center close by, then I'd hit them up for sure!!! (All the Wal-Marts around here have no extras like the auto dept.) When my wife and I were honeymooning in the Black Hills of South Dakota, we got a flat when we were leaving Wall, SD (Home of the world famous "Wall Drug.") I took it to the Amoco and the guy charged me $5.50 to patch the tire, and even offered to mount the rim back on the car! I gave him a couple bucks extra, cause in a tourist trap like that they could have ass-raped me for sure... I need more info here. I'm trying to chase down a short somewhere in my car thats causing it to run crappily, make the speedo and tach bounce around, and every light in the car flickers. Where exactly is this loose connection, I've not heard of this problem before. Look on the left side of the Driver's side underhood fuse box. There's a red plastic cover that says "AUX POSITIVE" or something like that. Take off the cover and you'll see a large lug sticking up with a short cable running directly to the positive terminal on the battery bolted to it. That nut was loose and the ring terminal on the cable, the nut, and the post were a bit rusty... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick Posted September 3, 2004 Report Share Posted September 3, 2004 Look on the left side of the Driver's side underhood fuse box. There's a red plastic cover that says "AUX POSITIVE" or something like that. Take off the cover and you'll see a large lug sticking up with a short cable running directly to the positive terminal on the battery bolted to it. That nut was loose and the ring terminal on the cable, the nut, and the post were a bit rusty... If thats the case, i have extra 4 guage wire just sitting here. I might look into running new power wire along with my new ground wires I just did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiscoStudd Posted September 3, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2004 Around her Discount tire repairs flats for free...............Seriously? What's the catch? Is that for anyone or do you have to purchase tires through them to get that deal? Now after I sanded off all the rust from the AUX terminal connection, my ABS light doesn't come on intermittently anymore (knock on wood.) I'm hoping that's what was causing it to malfunction in the first place... If thats the case, i have extra 4 guage wire just sitting here. I might look into running new power wire along with my new ground wires I just did. Aah, yes, the "Big 3" upgrade. Now might be a good time for me to do it as well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick Posted September 3, 2004 Report Share Posted September 3, 2004 If thats the case, i have extra 4 guage wire just sitting here. I might look into running new power wire along with my new ground wires I just did. Aah, yes, the "Big 3" upgrade. Now might be a good time for me to do it as well... Big 3 upgrade??? Never heard that before. What all does that involve? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiscoStudd Posted September 3, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2004 Big 3 upgrade??? Never heard that before. What all does that involve?Okay, someone correct me if I'm wrong here, but I believe it's when you run 4 gauge wires from the battery to the block (ground,) from the alternator to the starter, and from the battery to the Aux terminal (positive...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluegp Posted September 3, 2004 Report Share Posted September 3, 2004 What have some of you guys paid to have a tire patched? I had a buddy of mine pick up my tire and take it to a "garage" in his neighborhood to have it patched. They charged $18. Where I live (out in the burbs) there are no old-school garages that actually repair tires, so I have nothing to compare that price to... I used to work at Sears; IIRC, it was around $15 there. The ones we did there were good quality - better than the old fashioned type that you poke through from the outside. The plug was like a combination plug/patch - looked like a round patch with an integral rubber shaft. We would dismount the tire and place it on a fixture. The puncture hole would then be cleaned up with a type of drill bit (we had different sizes - the smallest one that would do the job was used). Then, the surface around the hole was scuffed (inside of tire). Finally, glue was spread on the plug & tire and the plug was pulled through from the inside. The stem that was left protruding through the tire was trimmed flush with the tread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted September 3, 2004 Report Share Posted September 3, 2004 As for patching a tire, Wal-mart charges $6.25. If I had a Wal-Mart with an automotive center close by, then I'd hit them up for sure!!! (All the Wal-Marts around here have no extras like the auto dept.) Wow, you guys don't have any Super Wal-marts around there? Around here I think we have 5+ Super Wal-marts within a 10-mile radius, but then we have a lot of them teefless people that find nothing more enjoyable than shopping at Wal-mart. Now after I sanded off all the rust from the AUX terminal connection, my ABS light doesn't come on intermittently anymore (knock on wood.) I'm hoping that's what was causing it to malfunction in the first place... Guess I'm always the pessimist, but I think you just reset the ABS computer and the light will come on again eventually! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiscoStudd Posted September 3, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2004 Wow, you guys don't have any Super Wal-marts around there?Around here I think we have 5+ Super Wal-marts within a 10-mile radius, but then we have a lot of them teefless people that find nothing more enjoyable than shopping at Wal-mart. The closest one is like 40 miles away! It's out in the sticks where dem teefless people live. I have no idea why there aren't any in the burbs of MPLS yet. We have SuperTargets all over the place... Guess I'm always the pessimist, but I think you just reset the ABS computer and the light will come on again eventually! Maybe, I guess I'll just have to wait and see. On my old 93 Cavalier and 94 Grand Am, the ABS light would come on when the alternator was about to fail (before the BATT light even!) It's been doing this off and on for the last month or so, so I'm positive the alt isn't bad. I'm thinking the loose connection could be what caused it.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supreme_style21 Posted September 3, 2004 Report Share Posted September 3, 2004 My old Lumina had the same problem.. only it didn't die.. it'd come close, gauges and lights would go all haywire.. then it would straighten out for a minute.. rinse, repeat. It was eventually narrowed down to that aux. post. I must just have to take a gander at mine... I would. I think we spent a few hundred bucks trying to fix the problem. You can imagine how hard I slapped myself when I realized the simple and cost-free repair that it required. DOH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruticus Posted September 4, 2004 Report Share Posted September 4, 2004 My old Lumina had the same problem.. only it didn't die.. it'd come close, gauges and lights would go all haywire.. then it would straighten out for a minute.. rinse, repeat. It was eventually narrowed down to that aux. post. I must just have to take a gander at mine... I would. I think we spent a few hundred bucks trying to fix the problem. You can imagine how hard I slapped myself when I realized the simple and cost-free repair that it required. DOH! Dont feel bad i wasted money on a new alt be4 i realized what it was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supreme_style21 Posted September 4, 2004 Report Share Posted September 4, 2004 Yeah the alternator was the next thing to be replaced.. found the loose crap just as my pops was gonna pull the alternator out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteOut Posted September 4, 2004 Report Share Posted September 4, 2004 Kick ass, I cleaned and tightened the nut on the auxillary post and suddenly my electrical problem is gone, not to mention my ABS light doens't come on any more. Thanks for the tip guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiscoStudd Posted September 4, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2004 Kick ass, I cleaned and tightened the nut on the auxillary post and suddenly my electrical problem is gone, not to mention my ABS light doens't come on any more. Thanks for the tip guys.Sounds like you were headed towards the same fate I suffered. I think this (tightening the aux post nut) is something that should be attended to every time any of us "W" owners change the oil or do a tune up on our vehicles. I did some driving tonight and the ABS light never came on, my voltage never fluctuated once (I have a volt meter built into my radar detector--I used to notice a slight fluctuation at night before tightening the aux post) and whenever I put my windows up, the headlights didn't dim when they reached the top. My dash lights seemed brighter than before, too. It's amazing how something so simple can slip your mind and at the same time degrade the performance of your car little by little until it leaves you stranded on the side of the road... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruticus Posted September 4, 2004 Report Share Posted September 4, 2004 Kick ass, I cleaned and tightened the nut on the auxillary post and suddenly my electrical problem is gone, not to mention my ABS light doens't come on any more. Thanks for the tip guys.Sounds like you were headed towards the same fate I suffered. I think this (tightening the aux post nut) is something that should be attended to every time any of us "W" owners change the oil or do a tune up on our vehicles. I did some driving tonight and the ABS light never came on, my voltage never fluctuated once (I have a volt meter built into my radar detector--I used to notice a slight fluctuation at night before tightening the aux post) and whenever I put my windows up, the headlights didn't dim when they reached the top. My dash lights seemed brighter than before, too. It's amazing how something so simple can slip your mind and at the same time degrade the performance of your car little by little until it leaves you stranded on the side of the road... I hate it lol i ben going thru this for the last year now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiscoStudd Posted September 4, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2004 I hate it lol i ben going thru this for the last year now. So the nut on the post keeps loosening on you? I suggest you take off the nut and take it to a hardware store (or maybe even Home Depot) and look for a "locknut." A locknut looks like a normal nut, except there's a plastic ring integrated into the top of it. The plastic ring keeps the nut from loosening. If you can't find a locknut, then try using a lockwasher between the ring terminal and the nut... Try using some sandpaper or emery cloth to clean up the nut, ring terminal, and the post if you haven't already... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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