Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Stack Exchange
Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [electrical]

Concerning the main electrical system of a motor vehicle or internal combustion engine. Consider using the [electronics] tag for radios and other such systems. Use the [electric-vehicle] tag for questions about electrical powered vehicles and their unique systems.

Electrical

Having to do with electric signal and power transfer via electrical energy through circuits.

Car Wiring Harness

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1850 questions
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Jump starting a dead battery: Connect black wire to negative pole of battery or grounded metal?

Most of the advice I've seen for jump starting cars instructs to connect the black wire to a bare piece of metal on the car with the dead battery. However, I've always just hooked up both poles to the corresponding poles on the other car's battery.…
JohnFx
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What causes battery terminal corrosion?

I put a new battery in my car about 8 months ago. After a problem starting a couple days ago, I found that there was massive corrosion under the battery terminals, so I cleaned them out and reconnected. I've never had this problem with this car…
Brian Knoblauch
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How do I test my car battery?

My car still starts fine but when I turn off the car (just the motor . . the key is still in and "on") I noticed the headlights dim to almost off. It's and older car and the headlights don't turn off automatically. The battery is over 4 years old…
tooshel
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Static electric shock as I leave the car

Now this has started to "interfere with concentration". It is happening when i am getting out and trying to close the door. I feel a static shock as i touch the metal part of the door as my foot touches the ground. I faced it in my last car as…
shabby
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Replace car batteries with capacitors?

I recently watched this video on YouTube which basically shows the guy replacing a larger capacitors with some smaller capacitors which he had bought. The larger capacitors were actually in place of a worn out battery. Both capacitor packs were…
Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2
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Battery drains by itself when vehicle is parked (parasitic draw)

A 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee has gone through 3 batteries in the last 3 months. While they have all been replaced by warranties, it'd be nice to get the problem solved permanently. I've tested the alternator, and it's not defective. I'm suspecting it…
PearsonArtPhoto
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Are there requirements for building a car-PC and it's software?

I am currently rebuilding a car as a hobby. As a part of it I am planning on building in a car PC with custom software for some multimedia usage, navigation and some diagnose usage. I know there are pre-built systems to buy and install in the car…
Requion
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Can a weak battery destroy an alternator?

I've heard a story that a weak vehicle battery can destroy an alternator or cause an alternator to fail early. Is this true, or is it largely fiction?
Amazon Dies In Darkness
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Should negative trickle charger clips be attached to the battery negative terminal, or ground?

I'm trickle-charging a car using direct connections to the battery. I thought this couldn't be simpler: ventilate, unhook the battery, connect the positive first, then the negative, then turn on the power. Then I saw this article... Locate a…
user56reinstatemonica8
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Should I replace fuses as a part of regular maintenance?

I've been having a few problems that might be electrical in my car. Seeing as mechanics always want to replace parts first, I'm having to diagnose this problem myself. It seems like replacing all the fuses would be cheap and preventative, and more…
Betsy Dupuis
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2000 Jetta runs rough, shudders on cold start only on wet days.

This is an issue I've had off and on for, embarrassingly, at least a year: On misty or wet mornings, everything starts out fine but, a few minutes into the drive (like clockwork. I even know the lights it will happen at), the Check Engine light…
LadyGuardian
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Adding a additional battery to car

I have purchased a brand new Toyota Innova. I need to install a a mac mini, 2 laptops and make this car a mobile office. I need to know if I can install another car battery in parallel, and will there be any negative side effects ? I know that a…
Siddharth
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What can I do to combat wire embrittlement?

I live in a very hot climate where temperatures regularly touch 45 deg C and the heat in the engine bay area means that under-hood wires, especially the thinner ones, endure high levels of thermal fatigue. As a result, when working on older cars…
Zaid
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Park/marker lamps won't turn off

A few days ago, my Starcraft Allstar minibus, built on a 2012 Ford E-350 cutaway, started having a problem that the park/marker lamps never turn off. I was originally informed of the issue by another driver on Thursday (March 31), but when I came to…
Moshe Katz
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Why don't I get shocked constantly?

Noobie question here; NOTE: I don't understand electrics much. If a car's electrical system grounds to the bodywork (usually to the negative terminal) so that the electricity flows through the metal of the car, why don't I get shocked whilst…
yollooool
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