Electrical Snafu? Advice please!!

[SteveJ]

Hrm, I'll probably replace some fusible links. I have a couple of "iffy" lookin' ones.

... However I'm at a loss for "EGR?" ... ??? I'm afraid I don't know to what that refers.

Also, can somebody please tell me how to get the air-vent/cowl thing off? I need to remove it to finish this project, like I said.

EGR= exhaust gas recirculation valve

Since you don't know what one is, there are two distinct possibilities. 1. You haven't inspected it. 2. You have a non-California Z that may not have an EGR.

I believe that while you do have some electrical/corrosion issues, that is coincidental to your other problem. I'm not sure how I would nail it down unfortunately.

[SteveJ]

Hrm, okeydoke. Anybody got a pic of an EGR and it's location I can look at?

Here's a listing of EGR valves:

http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductList.aspx?PartType=282&PTSet=A&SearchFor=EGR%20Valve

[KDMatt]

Those all say Automatic Tranny/California

Mine's a Manual Tranny/Oklahoma ... though I suppose someone could have done a swap, hrm...

Also, I'm not having any luck with the cowl.

Wipers are off, as are the screws, but I can hardly make it budge, not even by wedging a flat screwdriver down there.

[EScanlon]

I don't understand why you're removing the cowl to address an electrical issue, as the only electrical items in there is the windshield wiper motor. From what you posted, you're planning on installing a new ground bolt, but you might be better served using a bolt hole on the frame rail below.

However, addressing the cowl issue:

The cowl is probably glued down with the "dum-dum" (per Wick Humble) used to seal many of the seams etc.. If so, use a small bladed scraper and gently insert it along the leading edge of the cowl, right behind the hood/body weatherstrip seal. There are 5 sheet metal screws holding the cowl in place. Once you lift that forward edge, then slide the cowl FORWARD and then UP.

If you DO drill through the cowl bucket, be sure to seal the bolt hole well, as that little bit of space between the cowl bucket and the firewall metal....is your interior.

FWIW

Enrique

[SteveJ]

Those all say Automatic Tranny/California

You might want to double check. There are two different part numbers for each supplier. One is for an automatice transmission. The other is for a manual transmission. However, they are for California cars (non-federal) as I mentioned before.

Of course, are you sure your car didn't start out as a California car?

[KDMatt]

The reason I'm removing the cowl is because of this...

There is a small bolt to which leads off of the battery cables attach to.

This bolt is threaded into the metal "firewall" sheet... when I was tightening this bolt, it snapped and half of the bolt is still stuck in there, so the hole is pretty much useless.

I don't have the right stuff to tap a new hole like this one, so my plan is to remove the cowl, drill the hole and put a new bolt and nut in this hole.

Here, I'll go take pics and be back in a minute.

[Mat M]

The tabs are located on the cowl, basically bent metal from the cowl that slide into slots on the body frame under the windshield.

Once you remove the screws holding the front-end of the cowl, pick up the front end while pulling the cowl out toward the front. Viola!

If you have a Dremmel tool, you can grind out a notch in the remaining bolt and remove the thing with a straight blade screwdriver...

[KDMatt]

Thanks Mat... but I haven't got a Dremel, so I'm SOL in that department.

Here are some pictures for reference, hot off the digital presses!

As you can see, the broken bolt, the "new" locations to where I've put the ground cables, one to some kind of fitting that goes into the cowl, and the other to the metal directly above and behind the voltage regulator.

I also threw in some pics of my old battery terminals for reference.

[mriz]

Before you get too far. If this only happened when you turned a corner was your battery secured down?

[KDMatt]

Yes it was.

Leads/terminals were also very firmly in place... just... corroded.

[EScanlon]

That fitting into the cowl is your windshield washer nozzle.

Those battery terminals seem awfully dark on the inside, be sure to give them a solid brush out to effect good contact.

If you did in fact clean to the metal on both of those metal pieces where you have the battery ground bolted to, that is both of the sections touching the lead, then you should have both enough and proper ground.

Check your voltage between the poles at the battery, then between the positive pole and a point on the body metal and compare the reading. Your two readings should almost be identical with only a MINOR variation.

But to go through all the trouble you're mentioning to open up the cowl JUST to put a bolt through....seems excessive and unnecessary.

But opening up the cowl is a good idea, if only to remove whatever crap may be in there clogging up the drains and to determine the condition of the bucket.

FWIW

E

[KDMatt]

...to go through all the trouble you're mentioning to open up the cowl JUST to put a bolt through....seems excessive and unnecessary.

In other words, it's my anal retentiveness at work here, and you think the "improvised" way I've come up with should work? I'll go grab a multimeter and find out... hrm...

...But opening up the cowl is a good idea, if only to remove whatever crap may be in there clogging up the drains and to determine the condition of the bucket.

FWIW

E

You're tellin' me! There's so much crap in there, sheesh!