KROz Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 A few months ago, after getting an alignment done on my 78, I couldn't resist the urge to immediately follow the alignment with a small bit of spirited driving. Well, this was immediately after doing a lot of work to the car and I still had a few things to finish up, and it turns out that I forgot to tie down my battery, and on top of that I was using a battery from my brothers outback, so it was a bit too tall. I took a turn and pulled a bit of G's (maybe like .01 g's to be correct.) and the battery shorted out onto the section of fender above the battery tray. A lot of smoke was deployed, and it ran like sh$% until I made it home where it stayed parked for a couple of months due to me moving to a different town. Well, today I purchased a cheapo walmart battery, as the subaru battery was already in bad shape before the short circuit can now be rendered completely useless, and I threw it in there to see what works and what does not. -It is now running on 3 cylinders. -The subwoofer is no longer getting power. -And the temp gauge is no longer working for me. I'm sure there are more issues, but I haven't had time to thoroughly check everything out. It may be worth noting that this problem occurred after installing an L28et into my 78 280z (full ecm swapped from turbo as well). Everything ran really very nicely before this event and I just need some direction as to what I should examine when troubleshooting this problem. I can't really find specific info through searching, and I am only in town for a limited time and want to sort this out as fast as possible. This is a very embarrassing newb mistake for me to make, but things like this are bound to happen to a young mechanic such as me, so any help from you folks would be greatly appreciated. I've checked all the fuses within the vehicle and none are blown. Again, I know this is probably a very elementary topic, but I don't understand enough about electricity yet to really know the damage/what to look for. Thanks in advance for your input! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Domzs Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Well , if all fuses are good . I'd would check all ground wires/cables to sure they are not melted . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KROz Posted February 12, 2013 Author Share Posted February 12, 2013 Found the ground on the passenger side of the block to be melted. I'll proceed to check all other grounds throughout the car to see their condition. I am not looking forward to rewiring things. Thanks for the input! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srgunz Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 I never did care for the clearance of the + batt terminal to the fender. To eliminate this possibility, I replaced my battery with one that has the reverse post layout. Now the neg. term. is under the fender. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motomanmike Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 I've started using group 34's due to the height. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 I never did care for the clearance of the + batt terminal to the fender. To eliminate this possibility, I replaced my battery with one that has the reverse post layout. Now the neg. term. is under the fender. I actually converted some cars to this configuration with GM front terminals as well. When possible, I buy dual terminal batteries, and dedicate the front positive terminal as "hot tap" for all future and existing battery power connections. If you get a VW configuration, they run a plastic cover on the recessed top post. A Wal Mart Carburettor Cleaner Aerosol Spraycan Cap with proper cutting makes a nice safety cap, if too cheap to foot for the red and black plastic terminal covers available in most places.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rejracer Posted February 28, 2013 Share Posted February 28, 2013 I too buy the dual post batteries, but use only the front. I don't like the large batteries either. I use the right diameter heater hose for the positive and negative terminals. On our cars in stock configuration if the positive terminal comes in contact with the body it turns the entire chassis to 12v. This will burn just about every ground wire under the dash and in the engine bay. I would check under the dash for signs of burnt wires. If you find it, replace as necessary. Since you have an L28 ET and it's running on 3 cylinders, check the injector feed circuits. Pull the ECU connector and inspect for burnt wires in the loom, and add a dedicated ground which taps into the existing ground circuits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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