Corvair Forum

Dang auto spell… I meant I realize the battery should be putting out 12.6 V where as it’s reading 12.34 v

Dang auto spell, I meant I realize the battery should probably put it out 12.6 V were as it’s currently putting out 12.36 v

Man, I can’t even post correctly On a forum, I’ll probably never get this car straight…

Question... for debugging purposes... will the engine start with the dash pulled ? or are there required connections/grounds that the dash provides ?

Do you mean with the instrument cluster disconnected? None of the Corsa instruments or warning lights need to be present in their circuits for the engine to run. As shown in the schematic, there is a primary 12-pin multiconnector that connects to the rear of the car and provides connectivity to the ignition switch. The ignition switch provides a connection between the RED circuit voltage and the ignition coil positive terminal via the 14/18/20 B/P circuit that feeds the ballast resistor wire. As long as you can measure the presence of voltage at the ignition coil positive terminal when the key is ON, the ignition circuit should function. Likewise, the starter solenoid is triggered by voltage from the ignition switch when it is turned to START (via the 12 PPL wire that runs to the "S" terminal on the solenoid).
Unplugging the Corsa instrument panel from its separate 12-pin multiconnector should not disrupt the primary ignition circuit or the starter solenoid circuit and the ties to the ignition switch in the dashboard.

FIXED !!! Another buddy of mine dropped by with a meter... turns out it was corrosion on the 10 gauge pin on the body side multi connector in the engine compartment (nothing visible)... couldn't get the pin out yet to fix it correctly... but he pushed in a small brad, to make a better connection... and poof... everything came back to life... sheesh... all that work for a 1/4 inch piece of wire... but it's all good now... and with all the de-bugging, I know a lot more about the car... Put a charger on the battery now she's reading 12.97... heaven...

Thank You Everyone for your input...

morevair wrote:Question... for debugging purposes... will the engine start with the dash pulled ? or are there required connections/grounds that the dash provides ?

I had the same question in the past. The car will start without the dash. I’ve done it.


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Morevair,

Glad to see you got it going. That connector has always been a problem, I bought a new 62 Monza & one day I just left my girlfriends house when I lost all power. Lights including dash, dome, radio & engine just just quit. Being 18 I wondered what the hell, car's only 3 months old. I opened the engine lid & looked around not knowing what I was looking for but then I saw the multi-pin connector & pulled it apart & plugged it back together. The lights came on so I turned the key & it started right up & I never had that happen, only had the car a little over one year though.

bbodie52 wrote:...Another potential problem area is the 12 contact plastic multi-connector in the engine compartment — below the voltage regulator. It provides an electrical connection for almost every major circuit in the car. Even though the two halves look to be solidly connected, age, heat, moisture and vibration can cause internal corrosion and faulty electrical connections. The two halves should be separated and inspected. Look for burned contacts, corrosion, etc. Sometime simply unplugging the two halves and then re-seating them will provide a better connection...

I was curious how many times that I had made this — or a similar statement — about the engine compartment multiconnector over the years. My search revealed 38 repeats of this information between 2013 and 2017, and I probably phrased it differently in other posts.

It is a common "weakest link" in all model years.

morevair wrote:Fri Dec 22, 2017 2:51 pm

...turns out it was corrosion on the 10 gauge pin on the body side multi connector in the engine compartment (nothing visible)... couldn't get the pin out yet to fix it correctly... but he pushed in a small brad, to make a better connection... and poof... everything came back to life... sheesh...

Somehow it feels rewarding to hear that a "small brad" was needed to fix the problem. (Please excuse the pun).

I figured You'd like that "Brad"... very appropriate... Thanks... I'll be asking a lot of more stuff... and I'm counting on and really appreciate all of your support... next on the list... figure out the trans linkage.. replace the bushings.. (maybe put in a quick shifter link) ... figure where my oil leak is coming from(already replaced the cooler seals, although I didn't like the look of the cooler) (only being held in with 1 bolt, the left side was "chopped" so the other mounting bolt is not there)... I'll probably get a NOS or convert to an external... Temporarily I bought a cookie pan from the grocery store and strapped it below the leak area and... no oil hits the ground... plus I can slide it out for cleaning... A Corvair diaper ... LOL
I'm in Phoenix Arizona... so anything I can do elevate heat will be a plus... Plus down the road, when I've got her right, I'll look into putting A/C into her... I know it will be a load... but I live in a place where it gets 120 degrees... So I don't want to use her only in the winter...

Corvair Love... Thanks

Can't figure out why my updated posts don't show up... I'm reposting...

I figured You'd like that "Brad"... very appropriate... Thanks... I'll be asking a lot of more stuff... and I'm counting on and really appreciate all of your support... next on the list... figure out the trans linkage.. replace the bushings.. (maybe put in a quick shifter link) ... figure where my oil leak is coming from(already replaced the cooler seals, although I didn't like the look of the cooler) (only being held in with 1 bolt, the left side was "chopped" so the other mounting bolt is not there)... I'll probably get a NOS or convert to an external... Temporarily I bought a cookie pan from the grocery store and strapped it below the leak area and... no oil hits the ground... plus I can slide it out for cleaning... A Corvair diaper ... LOL
I'm in Phoenix Arizona... so anything I can do elevate heat will be a plus... Plus down the road, when I've got her right, I'll look into putting A/C into her... I know it will be a load... but I live in a place where it gets 120 degrees... So I don't want to use her only in the winter...

Corvair Love... Thanks
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If you replaced the oil cooler seals the one big bolt should stop any leak, if it's still leaking you did something wrong.

Don't think I did anything wrong... pretty simple to switch the seals... and torque to specifications. I just didn't like the modified/hacked cooler that's currently in there. I just need to remove the shrouds to see where the leak is actually coming from... I only replaced the seals due to there likelihood to leak and there easy to get to... plus I had no idea how old they were...