Electrical issues answered!

[kelikran]

Hi all fellow tracker/sidekick owners. JTGH is a real whiz when it comes to these things, from electrical to mechanical, but here are some ideas to help you figure things out for yourselves. "Ohms law" describes how electricity works. This might help you to diagnose your electrical problems. It says " V=IXR" This means, Volts = I (flow of current measured in amps) multiplied times R (resistance measure in ohms). So, if your volts is 12 (rounded for simplicity) and you have a resistance measured in ohms (which is how you measure your load, load being your fuel pump, your radio, your lights, whatever), you can figure out what current it would take to run that circuit. Why does this matter, well, if, somewhere in that circuit you have a "short circuit" , that means your load goes suddenly from being maybe 25 ohms to almost 0 ohms, because the path goes to ground, then I, or amps goes way up, to make the equation balance, and you get smokin wires, because the current is very high. Remember, electricity [b]always[b] follows these rules. It has no choice. Almost any electrical problem in a car you can think of will fit into these rules. Suppose you turn on the key and you get "click" and nothing else. Every scenario which causes this, fits into ohms law. If your battery is run down, V is low, R is the same, I, goes down to make the equation balance, and it's not enough "I" to spin the starter and turn the motor, so the tracker doesn't start. It's basic math. Just remember, "Volts = amps X load."
Every situation. Here's a common one, which can drive people crazy, but again, it fits into ohms law. "R" goes up. How does "R" go up? You ask. That is the load. The work, the job. Well, a common problem is in connectors. Where things plug in. For example, I have had numerous times that a block heater won't work, and it was only due to oxidization on the cord ends, the terminals which hang out front of the car in wind, sun, salt, etc. and build up a coating on the terminals which plug into your extension cord. This raises "R" enough that I becomes so small that it won't flow. Thus, nothing, you think your block heater is toast. Same thing can happen with your ECU, where the connectors plug in. Or any other electrical "load". It's the same old equation over and over again. Ohm's law. That's why, if you mix up + and - terminals when you are boosting a car, you get big time sparks. "R" suddenly becomes 0 so "I" becomes very high, and when amps (I) are very high, that is high current, usually sparks, or smoke, or burning insulation because the wires get very hot from high current flow. So fellow tracker/sidekick owners with electrical trouble, stop and think how your problem fits with "Ohms" law, and in many cases, you will be able to figure it out. It's not rocket science. But repair shops like to charge your for rocket science. So, if you can solve something from this post, yahoo! PM me if you have further questions, I will be glad to help if I can.
Kelikran

[leeschaumberg]

Kelikrran
Now if we could make everyone believe this we wouldn't read about problems on this board and jtgh wouldn't have to explain stuff. Thank You for the time spent!