[Guest]

Have you considered the fuel pump as a source of the tapping?

No. I can clearly hear it emanating from the block. Whats a bad fuel pump sound like?
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Hmm. Try this, do you have a test lamp? Disconnect the + side of the battery. Connect one end of the test lamp to the battery cable and the other end to the positive post. Does the lamp light? If so, something is shorting out. Usually it's a door light or interior light that gets stuck on. You can pull fuses again until the light goes out, there's your trouble.

No lamp, but I have a setup with a buzzer that goes when the circuit is closed. I pulled the +cable offthe battery and used the buzzer to complete the circuit, and it buzzed. So that means a drain from what Im told. So I went and pulled each of my 5 fuzes one by one looking for the culprit, but the buzzer buzzed for each fuze I took out. What gives?

Also, I replaced a bad bulb from under my dash. But that couldnt cause such a powerful drain could it? Ppl said maybe volt. regulator, or alternator. Well, my alt. is new. Ill get it checked at the local shop. Is there a way to test a voltage regulator? I bought a bluestreak one bout a year and change ago.
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About the tapping, pulling plugs does not affect the tapping.

What is piston slap? Is that what is caused by a bad wrist? pin? I ppulled my oil pan, they looked fine. Couldnt get in there to test them at all, or know a way in which to do so.
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About cookies, I've dumped all my cookies, same problem, must leech other peoples computers to login GRRRRR!!!!\

Thanks for the help all, -E.

 

[sharkmouth]

there is some small current flow all the time, so testing between the post and the cable may not detect a real drain....odds are if it were big, it'd burned the light or buzzer out.

piston slap is when the pistons, not the rings, have excessive clearance and it makes a knocking kind of sound...the only way to know is diassembly

 

[motorhead]

A mechanical fuel pump has an arm hanging into the engine where the cam has a lobe and pushes the handle down each time it goes around. When things start getting old there will be a bit of a gap. It will soound a lot like a loose lifter except it will be much deeper in the engine. A mechanics stethascope which you can get at any parts store for about $15(?) . Unlike a doctors version the piece that they put on your chest is a solid rod. you put the ear pieces on then GENTLY touch parts of the engine. As you get closer to the sound it will get louder. So you can touch on the exhaust header on each cylinder to listen to each cylinder. If a valve is kissing a piston you will know. You can place the tip in the fuel pump, on each runner of the intake to listen to the intake valve. Place it on the timing cover, valve cover, you can even place it on the alternator, power steering pump or A/C. Your listening for a point on the engine that is louder than the other places.

Onto the electrical problem.

If the buzzer gets louder when you open the door and softer when you close it in response to the dome light coming on then you should have a good setup. If it doesn't make a difference then your buzzer is too small and a small amount of electricity makes a noise. Maybe try the cars horn. It may be a bit loud if you got a bad short but it can take the full load of the battery. A headlight would also be big enough to run a lot of power through. Once you can detect the opening of the car door then your in business. Now your car should be growning from the horn. To test the alternator just unplug it. If it makes no difference with all the wires unplugged then its probably not shorting. Unplug the voltage regulator to test it. And like you did before check the 5 fuses. Don't forget to check the cigarette lighter.

As i recall it took 3 days to drain the battery. If i leave the dome lights on my car burning i have less than 24 hours before the car goes dead. So i'm guessing you have to be pulling something like a glove box light to drain in 3 days.A car can normally be parked for 30 days without a battery problem.

Then again maybe your battery is at the end of its life. Got another battery you can try?

 

[chetz4d]

Last tapping sound I had turned out to be worn out valve spings and a couple of busted retainers. First thought it was a lifter sticking, turned into a complete rebuild of the heads!!

 

[Midlife]

Removing fuses will help out, but I'm not sure you're doing the procedure correctly. First, your buzzer is OK. Pull one fuse, and check the buzzer. Then leave that fuse out, and pull another. Continue doing that. Once the offending fuse is pulled, the buzzer will stop, and that fuse that you just pulled will be the fuse for the circuitry that is shorted. If you pull all of the fuses and the buzzer still blows, disconnect the harness at the firewall and check the buzzer. There are some lines that are not fused. If the buzzer still continues, disconnect the voltage regulator, then the alternator. If it still buzzes, then the solenoid is shorted.

It's all about eliminating various portions of the circuitry, one by one, until you find the one that's bad. Then the fun begins: trying to find the short within that circuit!