Lights flicker and stereo loses power when changing gears

[MechaStalin]

Hello all, you may remember me from a little while ago when my car lost all power to the interior and headlights. It ended up being my fusible link and wires off my starter and I got my mechanic to clean all that up and got a brand new starter. I'm now having a new problem though...

This started shortly after getting everything fixed and wiring my stereo back up. It started with my stereo randomly cutting out when hitting bumps or travelling at high speed. Holding the stereo in place would make it go away. This has gradually gotten worse over the last little while and now the stereo can barely stay on at all and usually just flickers on and off as I'm driving. I cut and rewired the stereo ground and battery wires to no effect, although there is a part where the battery wire has been cut, spliced, and taped up further up but it looks solid so I didn't **** with it although I may have to retry it there too.

Now, I'm also having the problem where my interior lights and headlights if they are on will flicker whenever I change gears, either taking the car out of park, putting it into park, or changing between gears even when I'm driving. This will also make the stereo lose power and turn back on quickly.

Anyone have any idea what could be causing this? When troubleshooting my previous problem I lost the proper nut and bolt for where my headlight ground should go and I have it wired it up around a stud under the hood that has a nut that goes on top of it. I've tried stripping this wire and putting it on nice and tight to no effect. I've tried it with this wire disconnected and everything still works but I've noticed that with it unhooked my left turn signal indicator seems to be lit at all times, but not lit as in the light is actually on, more like other light from elsewhere on the dash is spilling over, they still work fine with it disconnected though as does the radio and headlights, but the cutting out problem seems worse. Since the headlights work with it disconnected this makes me wonder if this actually the headlight ground and not something else? Its 3 or so wires coming out of the harness that have been spliced into one single wire.

Any ideas? Like I've said this problem has been getting worse gradually but apart from the stereo no problems while driving. I'd like to fix this before it leaves me at the side of the road, and itd be nice to have my stereo working again too.

 

[CWPottenger]

Re: Lights flicker and stereo loses power when changing gear

Sounds like you have a grounding issue. Sadly radio wiring is the most screwed up, hacked on wiring in every car. Usually the power and ground wires have been cut, spliced, crimped connectors(which always go bad eventually),etc so many times that you get gremlins.

 

[chevy2480]

Re: Lights flicker and stereo loses power when changing gear

I would recheck the starter connections and make sure they are tight along with the battery connections.
Check motor to body ground strap on motor.
Make sure the wireing harnes is not melting on exhaust manifolds/ headers and making intermitten contact shorting out.

 

[MechaStalin]

Re: Lights flicker and stereo loses power when changing gear

I haven't dug into this yet, waiting for a day on the weekend with semi decent weather but a bit more stuff I've noticed.

Moving my column shift lever, not between gears even, causes the lights to dim and brighten depending on how I move it which is very strange.

The radio cutting out is always minimal to none when I first turn it on after being off for awhile, Its been doing this for awhile its just the time from turning it on to the time that its cutting out with every slight bump in the road has been getting shorter.

I'm thinking a combination of hokey wiring somewhere and an alternator on its way out is compounding together to cause this problem. I'll check the wiring I can easily in the meantime and if that doesn't work change the alt on pay day and hope for the best.

 

[gbondo57]

Re: Lights flicker and stereo loses power when changing gear

Your steering column, under the dash. You'l find 3 major plug ins on the column. The long flat one, that feeds up the column is for turn signals n sh*t in there. ON TOP of the column are 2 more that almost look like one. Major power supplys etc. Check them for loose connection. Every bump can loosen it more.

 

[seawolf18]

Re: Lights flicker and stereo loses power when changing gear

I had a simular problem with my old 1980 chevy pickup. The radio and dash lights would cut out when I stepped on the brake, then come back when I stepped on the gas. It ended up being a gounding problem. I connected a 1/2" copper gounding strap from one of the bolts on the back of the cylindar head to the body. I also put a grounding strap from the negative battery terminal to the body. That fixed all the problems instanally.

 

[MechaStalin]

Re: Lights flicker and stereo loses power when changing gear

I had a simular problem with my old 1980 chevy pickup. The radio and dash lights would cut out when I stepped on the brake, then come back when I stepped on the gas. It ended up being a gounding problem. I connected a 1/2" copper gounding strap from one of the bolts on the back of the cylindar head to the body. I also put a grounding strap from the negative battery terminal to the body. That fixed all the problems instanally.

Just checking on this old thread as the problem comes and goes, I will have to try that, thank you. I just started getting the cutting out when stepping on the brake too.