This chapter describes repair and maintenance operations for various electrical components not related to the engine. Information on repair and maintenance of the battery, alternator, ignition distributor and starter can be found in the corresponding chapter.
It should be noted that when working on the electrical system, it is necessary to disconnect the negative battery cable to prevent a short circuit and/or fire.
Caution: If your car stereo has a coding system, make sure you know the activation code for the stereo before disconnecting the battery.
Detecting faults in electrical equipment systems
A typical electrical circuit consists of an electrical component, switches, relays, motors, fuses, fuse links or circuit breakers, and the wires and connections that connect all the components together and to the battery and (ground) of the vehicle. To make troubleshooting easier, electrical diagrams of the vehicle's electrical system are provided at the end of this chapter.
Before you begin testing a faulty circuit, first study the circuit diagram to understand what components it consists of. You can find the source of the fault faster if you determine which components of the circuit are working properly. If several components or circuits fail at once, the problem is likely a blown fuse or poor grounding, since one fuse often controls several circuits.
Problems with the operation of the electrical system are usually caused by simple reasons such as corroded or unreliable contacts, a blown fuse, a blown fuse link or a faulty relay. Visually inspect the condition of all fuses, wires (if possible) and connections in the faulty circuit before you begin testing other parts of the circuit. If you are going to use test equipment, use the schematic diagrams to determine which connections to test to locate the fault.
The main devices needed to find a fault in an electrical circuit are a voltmeter (or a 12 volt light bulb with connecting wires), continuity tester, battery with jumper wires and jumper wire, preferably with a circuit breaker that can be used to connect in parallel to the circuit. Before you start troubleshooting with test equipment, study the circuit diagrams to determine the connection points.
Engine electrical system
The engine electrical system includes the ignition system, battery charging system and engine starting system.
When maintaining electrical equipment, please observe the following rules.
When the engine is not running, do not leave the ignition on for more than 10 minutes.
Do not disconnect battery cables while the engine is running.
When emergency starting the engine from another vehicle's battery, observe the polarity of the battery connection
Always disconnect the battery from ground first and connect to ground last.