[86alfa]

Hey all, i am having some problems with my electrical system in my 86 alfa spider. my turn signals never worked... anywhere on the car. one headlight lights up but not the other, bulbs are both good. and a few gauges are out. as for the turn signals, i broke the original switch and replaced it. they never worked prior to that anyway, but the wipers do work. i know nothing about wiring and some tips would be great!

Thanks,
Travis

 

[bianchi2]

did you check the fuses..on the headligts ther are 4 fuses for the things.. theni would find all the gronds( hint..the major one for the dah is next and above the hood relase,,also holds the dash down on that size..this is a screw.. change it to a app. size nut and bolt..) will last longer that way.then check the ground in the trunk, under the carpet next to the drivers side rear lamp. assb... do you have a dig. volt/ohm meter..check the wires at the plug for the turn signal.. left and right.. amke shure this is working.. use the ohm side to check this way you will not use any vi=oltage..the if this works check or just get a new flasher relay.. hope this helps

 

[86alfa]

are their more fuses than the 7 or 8 under the dash? will a test light work rather than a ohm meter? when i check the grounds, what am i looking for? am i just cleaning and polishing them
Thanks
Travis

 

[bianchi2]

i like using a volt/ohm meter more...as for fuses for the lights..11=left low..12=right low..13=left high..14=right high...7= dash lamps...9=speedo/tach lamps....as for a wire diag.. go to electrical section.. you can see/download a wire diagram

 

[ghnl]

From the owner's manual:

-

 

[bshorey]

Hey all, i am having some problems with my electrical system in my 86 alfa spider. my turn signals never worked... anywhere on the car. one headlight lights up but not the other, bulbs are both good. and a few gauges are out. as for the turn signals, i broke the original switch and replaced it. they never worked prior to that anyway, but the wipers do work. i know nothing about wiring and some tips would be great!

When you say one headlight, do you mean high beam and low beam work on one side and not the other?

Others have passed along good knowledge. I'd add that the advantage of using an ohm meter is that they usually allow you to measure voltage as well.

After you've checked the fuses, and done some of the troubleshooting in the other posts..

Go to the headlight that's not working, unplug the connector, turn on the power to the light, and use the volt meter to see if you've got voltage at the light. If you've got voltage, then the problem is in the light. If not, then you can work your way backwards.

A wiring diagram really helps. Electrical problems, especially with the lighting, is usually pretty simple, you just follow the wires and check for voltage along the way. When you lose it, the problem is in between where you just checked and the last place you had voltage.

As for the directionals, same process. Check the obvious, the fuses, the flasher unit, and the grounds, then get out your wiring diagram and voltmeter and check for voltage.

Bad grounds are a common problem in these cars, even if they look good don't hesitate to disconnect them and clean them up.

HTH,

bs

 

[86alfa]

yeah i have taken a test light and pluged it in the powere connector, and nothing. i also took the bad headlight and pluged it in the working connector and got light. when i tried to follow the wire back i kept losing it.
when you say check the ground... what am i looking for? corrosion? rust? or is there somthing else?

when the fuse is bad you can always tell just by looking at it, or should i just go ahead and change them all out? also i noticed my fan light is on when the car is running. is this for the mechanical fan or the electric fan?

well obvously i am a novis at the wiring game but im only 19 and i guess i need to learn it somtime. thanks for all the help guys.

Travis

 

[bshorey]

yeah i have taken a test light and pluged it in the powere connector, and nothing. i also took the bad headlight and pluged it in the working connector and got light. when i tried to follow the wire back i kept losing it.
when you say check the ground... what am i looking for? corrosion? rust? or is there somthing else?

when the fuse is bad you can always tell just by looking at it, or should i just go ahead and change them all out? also i noticed my fan light is on when the car is running. is this for the mechanical fan or the electric fan?

well obvously i am a novis at the wiring game but im only 19 and i guess i need to learn it somtime. thanks for all the help guys.

Travis

No problem, glad to help, and kudo's to you for jumping in and learning.

Wrt the grounds, you're looking for corrosion, but it won't always be obvious. Some times you've just got to take them apart, wire brush them a little bit, spray on some contact cleaner, and put them back together.

Wrt the fuses, those Alfa fuses are notorious for making bad contact. You should be able to visually see if they are blown, some times they are not blown but they make bad contact in the fuse box. Try wiggling them, make sure the copper leads that hold them in place are nice and snug. If not, remove the fuse, bend the leads inward a little bit, then re-insert the fuse.

To check them, use your test light. Turn the headlight switch to the on position, then check for voltage on both sides of the fuse. If only the input side lights up, and not the output side, then the fuse is blown or not making contact.

The fan light is for the internal heater fan.

bs

 

[86alfa]

ok now the situation is, I got the grounds under the dash cleaned, and behind the passenger tail light. turn the ignition on and hit the blinker, still dont work. the hazard lights work tho... and now the green light on the dash with the turn signals stays on even with the key out. dosent blink just solid green... dose anyone know what might be causing this? thanks

 

[DavidH]

Sorry to intrude with no useful information, but your bronze Spider really is good looking, Travis.

 

[86alfa]

thanks, i was going to paint it black or red, but everyone has a black or red spider. than i fell in love with a color i saw on a nissan 350z and thought i could not go wrong with this color.