Check Gauges/ voltage problem

[paxton350]

ok this is the first problem im having this season.... i noticed yesterday upon startup the check gauges light flashed then went away once i started moving. last night i was on the freeway and made a sprint to 140.... i noticed after the fact the check gauges light was on and bettery voltage was around 9-10 volts... i checked all electrical connections and fuses and everything was cool... the weird thing is that the battery voltage will fluctuate from about 9-10 then return to normal charging, 14ish volts here and there at lower speeds... the speedomater and tach also go haywire sometimes but always return to normal... when the voltage falls low sometimes i can feel some hesitation.... im not sure if this is electrical or ignition related... i wanna say there is a short somewhere since the voltage falls then climbs back up to normal here and there.... any insight would be great.... also i replaced the battery today and seem to have the same problems... i do have a large electrical drain on the battery due to the electric waterpump, supercharger recirculation pump and fan switch and amp... would a speed sensor in the tranny throw something off like that i did have the tranny out a few months ago and did a clutch.....

thanks for any insight.....

-chris

[Kevin - Blown 95 TA]

A bad ground?

[fastTa]

Where are you obtaining your battery voltage measurements from?

[brothapig]

I just had a problem with my battery connections. The speedo and tach would fall to zero, and then jump right back up. It was so quick, I don't think they ever made it to zero. It felt just like an engine miss. What was happening is the battery would fall out of the circuit for a split second, killing everything electrical in the car.
I know you said you just replaced the battery, but the connections could be something to look into. After that, my guess would be the alternator. It takes a lot more juice getting to 140 than just cruising around town. Could be it's not putting out enough amps. I've had that happen before too on another car. After that, grounding??

[4THGEN Z]

Get your alternator checked.

[paxton350]

bad battery ground on frame? i just replaced the alternator like a month ago.... all battery connections are good and tight at the battery... im looking at the voltage meter on the dash... could a bum msd box (6a)which is unfused be drawing too much juice and causing some missing here and there?

[4THGEN Z]

interesting you mention the MSD box....I had an issue with my 6A, try bypassing it and run off the stock ignition...it solved my problem.

[paxton350]

ok problem solved.... P.O.S msd box must have had a short internally... msd claims you dont need an inline fuse so i didnt put one in....i swear these boxes are so unreliable its amazing, this has to be the 3rd box ive gone through in 3 seasons...

[paxton350]

apparently disconnecting the msd box solved the low battery voltage problem... however i noticed the tach and speedo gauges still have the same problem... i noticed tonight after i pulled the msd box that when i turn the amp on the tach and speedo still ping... also the amp doesnt seem to be powering the speakers anymore but it is still recieveing power ie turns on etc but when i turn the volume up it shuts off.... 4 of the door speakers are new but the 6x9 could possibly be going... i thought i heard a hint of it blowing a while ago.... this is a weird electrical nightmare! they (best buy) also installed an alarm too, you think that would that be causing problems like this?

[Joe K. 99 Zeee!!]

I had a problem that was the same as what you originally described. Low voltage (9-11 and jumping to 14 occassionaly). Turned out the battery had been going for a while and took out the alternator while in it's death throws. I posted a thread about it a few weeks ago.

If you swing by an Autozone or Pep Boys they'll test the battery for free. You could also have a problem with the battery connections.

What I didn't experience is what you describe in your last thread. So you may want to take this with a grain of salt. Worth looking into, but it may not solve your problem.

[paxton350]

ok went to autozone had them load test the alternator turns out it is good.... this leads me to believe the amp and alarm best buy installed has something to do with it.... i swung over there talked ot the guy who did the install and he said there could be a short internally in the amp since it was a reconditioned model... he said during an alarm install they do tap into the ignition wires and some other circuits, i mean this is certainly an electrical problem that i did not have before their installation 2 weeks ago.... i really am starting to believe there is something faulty with their installation now.... they said swing bye on saturday and they would look at it.... i wonder if the msd box is even bad.... is there a way to test msd boxes at all for proper function? btw the motor is also missing more frequently now.....

-chris