Voltage drops in gear (new alternator, new battery)

[dutch]

Hello,

So my car has been down for about a month now and at this point i don't know what to do, it all started when my gauges blew a fuse and the high beams stopped working (beams fuse intact)... the car died 10 miles later. I tried replacing the fuse by the way and they keep blowing.

After replacing the alternator and the battery it starts and runs but only charges at 11.5v or so when in gear (13-14v) when in neutral, another interesting bit is that when i unplug my gauge cluster it charges at 11.5v neutral or in gear. If i drive it dies in a couple miles.

I've been trying to check for chewed wires everywhere and i cant find any (although i havent pulled the entire dash yet), nor can i smell any melted wiring.

Side note* The car has a manual swap and doesn't require the clutch being pressed to start (previous owner stuff).

I've been searching the internet high and low and can't find anything helpful. Any advice you guys can give i would really appreciate since i cant afford to drop her off at the shop.

Thank you!

[dbeiler]

First of all, you MUST figure out why the gauges fuse blew. Shoving in new fuses won't fix the problem. If the "gauges" fuse is blown, the alt WILL NOT charge!

Is anything extra wired into your gauges circuit? Aftermarket gauges, alarm, anything? Something put a significant load on the circuit; enough to blow the fuse.

11.5 volts means the alternator is not charging at all. The battery is dying.

The alternator charge warning light circuit must be functioning or the alt will not charge. By disconnecting the gauge cluster, you created an open warning light circuit. The alt will not charge without the gauge cluster connected.

Since it charges only in neutral, the transmission wiring is most likely to blame.

Using a multimeter, test all the wiring running from the trans to the gauge cluster.

Pull the rubber boots off the trans sensors to check if any wiring is shorting.

Disconnect the transmission connectors one by one until the alt starts charging while in gear.

[dutch]

you rule! it was the neutral position sensor! do i even need it? or can i just delete it?



...never mind just did a search on it. Thanks!!!:kiss:

[S14DB]

Is it using the manual lower harness or the auto? They probably fucked up the alt voltage sensor when they did the swap.