EVERYTHING electrical died ????

[rbduck]

I have a 1990 240sx. I was coming home this evening... Suddenly..EVERYTHING electrical went off just like flipping a switch. I mean everything. dashboard..lights..heaterfan...radio.!!!! It didn't go out gradually like it would if the altenator went bad and the battery started dying... It all went off ...as I said ..like flipping a switch...Now...I'm an electronics tech... I'm pretty sure the altenator is either bad or a wire might be bad because (oh yea, the starter works and the motor runs) when I measure at the battery with the car running, I'm getting maybe 12.6 volts. No more than with the engine not running.

Has anyone ever seen a problem like this? I've had an altenator go bad on this car a few years back and the battery slowly died and got me home ok.But this is strange....Nothing electrical works...

Thank you in advance for any help....I've not done any real looking yet because it was dark when I got home... I'm trying to get through until Saturday.....

[s13sr20chris]

well, alt is not charging but i dont think its bad in this case. you probably blew one of your fusible links. check all the giant fuse looking things and the wire looking things that plug into the bat pos cable(if you have them). those are all your fusible links and they handle multiple fused circuits.

[Kenrik]

Where your battery hooks up on the positive side there is a little conector with a plug... if that came loose everything electrical would cut out but the car would keep running.

[rbduck]

There is a 75 AMP fuse from the altenator in the black box next to the radiator overflow twnk....replaced and it's ok... my Sub woofer amp might have taxed it.... I'm gonna be connecting direct to the battery from that one... thanks for all the help....

[s13sr20chris]

there you go bro.

[tiger]

yeah, I have a spare 75 watt fuse in my console just in case that happens to me cause I have a little bump in the trunk. the guy before me had it happen to him.