gwandersen Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 I bought a used 91 Seville 4.9 last week. It ran fine, got it through emissions. The steering column has been replaced. I noticed that it wouldn't start sometimes unless you moved the steering wheel up or down to another position. The speaker on the driver's side was missing, so I removed the door panel to re attach. I also ran a power cable to the rear for an amp. When I reoved the pos cable from the battery to add the fused cable for the amp, it was sparking when I re attached it. When I turned the ignition switch on, the dash started flashing, and the turn signal chime came on. The lights gradually dimmed. There is a dead short between the pos and neg cables. If you put the battery back in, you can watch the voltage start dropping immediately. With DVM, I see zero res between cables. I have disconnected the bulk connector under the dask from the column, and also the bulk connector near the right fuse box in the engine compartment. With the cable disconnected from the steering column, the short is still present. When I dsconnect the connector by the fuse panel in the engine compartment, the short goes away. Next steps? Thoughts or idea's? Thanks! Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Jim Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 It sounds like it was OK till you ran the wire for the amp. Disconnect all of the wires that you ran and see what it does... I would guess that the AMP wire is somehow shorted and causing it. Or the AMP could be bad and shorted internally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwandersen Posted January 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 That was my first thought. None of the amp cables are connected at this point. I ohmed out the cables, to see if something got skinned on the install. No shorts to the positive or negative side. At this point, the battery cables are hanging loose, and I see a short between them, until I disconnect that first bulk connector near the fuse box on the drivers side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Jim Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 At this point I would pull fuses and relays...one at a time, till I found the CIRCUIT that is causing the problem. Then troubleshoot THAT circuit... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Fiero Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 If it's truly dead shorted - then you can skip all the fused circuits, as they would have blown the last time you had the battery on! I'd start with wiring from the alternator, and other such large current, typically unfused lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwandersen Posted January 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 [Disconnected the alternator. Still shorted. Starter? Any other large unfused cables? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 Very odd, a dead short that would drain the battery like that would start a fire and melt cables quickly Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Fiero Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 ^^ BbF, I was thinking that as well, but.... If the battery is off - no current flow. All it would take is one strand of a 26ga wire to read a dead short with a meter! So Greg - what happens if you hook the battery up again now? You still read no short with the bulkhead connector off right? That eliminates all the wiring from there to the battery. I'd say grab the 'other' side of the connector, and probe each pin from there to ground. See who is "0". Obviously ignore the ground wires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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