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Intermittent electrical problem 200 1986

well... hmmm...

the radio, the dead battery, the dash lights..the fact that it always starts with a jump. they all point to bad brushes in my experience. It only takes a couple minutes (or 30 seconds) to pull that brush pack for a looksee. If the alternator was damaged (rough commutator due to bad brushes sparking) in the past, it's possible that new brushes could last a year.. the brushes in the picture below were less than a year old... I put them in after the problem described below...

I agree... that new battery should have gotten your car to work for some time even if it wasn't being charged... maybe it's a bad battery even if new, maybe it had been sitting on a shelf for a long time before you bought it, and it wasn't as charged as thought...

About 3 years ago, my brushes wore out in the middle of nowhere, Wyoming. 300 miles from home. At first, it was intermittent. I checked wires, then it would work for a bit.. then quit again. But.. the radio, the dash lights, and the dead battery were all identical to what you've been experiencing. I got a lift into the nearest town, bought two new batteries, and they got me home. Your new battery should have as well...

It could be that you have a phantom discharge.. easy enough to check for a draw, but I'd still check them brushes first.

--
-Matt I ♥ my ♂







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