92 Formula

iTrader: (2)

Hi,

I have had a continious problem with my battery running down. When the Formula was converted from L03 to L98 the guy who did the wiring ran a hot wire from the starter solenoid and then spliced into the the orange wire which, I believe is the wire for the fan and fuel pump relays. This causes a constant hot situation which runs my battery down in two days. How is this really supposed to be wired? To a constant hot or ignition hot?

Thanks.

92 Formula

iTrader: (2)

Here is a pic on how the guy wired it. The hot wire from the starter connects here just in front of the strut tower, as does the wire where he spliced into the orange (fan/fuel pump wire?).

llvll4l2c91350

There should be a relay in between the power source and the fan. When the ECM grounds the control circuit of the relay, it energizes it, sending power from that hot wire to the fan.

Vader

92,

Many of the orange wires ARE supposed to have constant battery power. Some of them are ignition circuits, but many are hot at all times. The fan relay and fuel pump relay should be interrupting power to those devices. You may have other issues.

Do you have dual electric fans? Do both of them run constantly or just one?

92 Formula

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for the replies everyone. That is partially good, the orange is hot, though is it safe to say it is "rigged" by using the constant hot source as a wire coming up from the starter to the fender, where a splice from the orange wire connects. (See pic above). Concerning this is that if this splice is not hooked up in this place the fuel pump never comes on.

So, does that (above) sound like what might be draining my battery in a short amount of time? Or is the power drain likely a different animal?

Thanks, I rarely have time to work on the car and this weekend I'm off. (Baby due in a couple of weeks and full time college).

Edit: Yes, I do have dual fans. I believe the auxillary one works as well, though it never gets hot enough for it to go on. It's been high's in the 20's lately.

llvll4l2c91350

Check to see where this hot wire is going. Also check the relays and wires for the two cooling fans and fuel pump. They should be attached to the firewall near the brake booster. They could've wired it so that the relays get battery power all the time, eliminating the need for a control circuit.

92 Formula

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for the replies, here is an update:

I went through the car today more thoroughly and everything checks out right that I know to check, ie:

Using a multimeter and going through the fuse box everything that the helms manual says should be a constant hot was a constant hot, everything that is supposed to be run hot was run hot.

I rechecked my aftermarket stereo, including the grounds and all checked out. I noticed that the ground wire to the front frame from the battery negative cable was loose, so I regrounded it. Maybe that was it? I am using a charger to give the battery a full charge and will see if it drains back down.

I also checked the alternator and it reads at 14 at idle, so it should be o.k., right?

llvll4l2c91350

14 should be fine. I think anything close to 15 or higher isn't good.

H0TR0Dn

In my opinion the fuel pump and fan would not drain your battery because when you turn your car off they are turned off too, right? If they were still using power then you would here them on when your car is off. And the power wires you say are hooked up to the relays so they too should not have power when the car is off. I think your loose ground cable was your problem. But you say it is hooked to the frame? I am not sure can anyone back me up when i think it should be hooked to the block? Also you should check the voltage at the battery. On my car the Alt. was 13.9 but my battery was only reading 11.98 which showed me i had a problem somewhere. Another thing to think about is making sure those rigged wires are safe from moving against the headers etc. if you plan to leave it hooked up like that for the time being.

92 Formula

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for replying. When I say the ground I mean the small one (I think it's about 10 or 12 gauge) that goes to the front frame, the main cable does go to the block. It was slightly loose. Yes, the fuel pump and the fan definitely shut off when the car is off. I agree with you about moving the wires, too, I could have wired it better than that, but because I had little faith in wiring the TPI after I pulled the 305 and installed the 350, I took the wiring to a "professional". The hot wire from the starter is exposed to heat, but is clear of the headers. I will re-wire it, but first I want to track down the problem, or hope that I fixed it this weekend. I gave the battery a full charge today and what happens next.

Thanks again for the reply and help.

92 Formula

iTrader: (2)

Just another update, so that it may possibly help others when using the search feature. It appears that my battery draining problem may very well have been the small ground that leads off of the negative battery cable and then attaches to the front frame. After re-grounding it I let the car sit for 6 days and it started up fine this evening. If, for some reason the problem recurs, I will update this thread for others.

Thanks for everyone that helped me out, this site is very valuable and I am very appreciative.