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total electrical failure - please help


outyz

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symptoms: "pippy" the mighty 1975 BMW 2002 will completely die after 10 minutes or so of driving - no dashlights, no headlights, no radio, no engine, etc. she will then not start until i have disconnected the positive battery cable for 5-10 minutes and reconnected (i don't know why this seems to work nearly every time).

what i've checked: all grounds, all relays test good, battery tests good, cables are mostly clean and in good condition, ignition switch, fuses

recent work: new 320i type alternator (properly grounded and definately charging the battery), new battery, nearly total engine rebuild

other: i deployed (military) for about 7 months and the car wasn't driven

please help - i am out of ideas

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How old are the cables.....The connectors can corrode from inside the lug where it is not readily visible. Check that the cable itself is tightly secured in the lug that attaches to the battery as well as the starter.

Earl

US Army (Ret)

74 02Lux

72 Volvo 1800ES

02 M Roadster

74 02Lux

15 M235i

72 Volvo 1800ES

People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." -- George Orwell

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How old are the cables.....The connectors can corrode from inside the lug where it is not readily visible. Check that the cable itself is tightly secured in the lug that attaches to the battery as well as the starter.

Earl

US Army (Ret)

74 02Lux

72 Volvo 1800ES

02 M Roadster

+1 Also check the positive battery cable at the starter.

Jim Gerock

 

Riviera 69 2002 built 5/30/69 "Oscar"

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Hi,

you have already touched the problem.

this is common on 02's . the red wire that

comes off the nose panel to the positive conn-

ection to the battery is bad. it may seam okay

but it is a flex point between a wobbly battery

and the wire tye that holds the cables to the

nose panel. CUT off the old eyelet, then add 4-6"

of 8 AWG wire and a new proper sized eyelet.

this will give the cable some additional flex

length. let us know the result!!

stone

stone racing co

phila pa 19123

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I don't have time to do the repair right now, but it looks like you were right. With the car running, i jiggled the red wire and poof. . . the car died. I was not thorough enough checking this the first time around. Thanks for pointing me back in the right direction. Hopefully next weekend will be quick repair and back on the road. Thank you!

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