re: UrQ Volts

[William Elliott <William.Elliott@mail.mei.com>]

Having gone through this circuit in detail on my 85 UrQ (remember my little 
fire a few months back?) I tend to agree that if you're using a common 
reference ground, you're dropping voltage along the line somewhere.  I'm not 
sure of the 83, but on the 85 the wire runs from the alternator to the starter 
solenoid and then directly back to the battery. There were no other 
connections/junctions that I found.

Troubleshooting should be fairly easy (and imperative to do since your drain 
could be a small and/or intermittent short due to a break in the wire 
somewhere.  Since this line is unfused, you have the potential for disaster 
(like I almost had).  You could also check the resistance of the long line at 
each end to see if you have a problem which would account for the drop.

My second recommendation would be to carefully check for corrosion at the 
starter connection. If you only tightened the connection, you may need to 
disconnect and clean everything.

Finally, I've had problems on other cars (mostly older) with the starter 
solenoid developing an internal short which will flatten the battery with no 
other symptoms.  Disconnect the cable from the solenoid and check your voltage 
again. (I admit this is hard to do... I would disconnect it, hook up a jumper, 
start the car, disconnect the jumper, take the measurements.)

Hope this helps!

Bill Elliott
Lake Mills, WI