Just purchased a 89 with a 5.0 and 5 speed. It runs and drives! but has problems we are ddressing. Problem #1 electrical! We took off the passenger door pannel and the wires are cut to the switches and the door close indicator things are cut out too. Our guess is they tried to cut wires to fix the problem. There are also several fuses that are blown.

But the battery drains dead if left off the charge over night. When the battery is charged and we reconnect the battery we can hear the fuel pump kick on and a relay kicks on too. We are not sure if the fuel pump is the only thing coming on, but it is the most obvious.

Could this be a problem with the ignition? The fact that things turn on as if the ignition is on all time makes me think this is our problem. Other ideas?

Thanks

 

Are there other indications that the ignition may be coming on, such as the radio turns on as soon as the battery is connected? It might also be an issue with the electrolytic capacitors in the PCM. Being a 1989 it's certainly of the age those could have failed.

-Rod

 

The radio turns off with the key. Also, the fuel pump only pumps for a few seconds when the battery is connected, then shuts off. I am wondering if it might be the relay??

 

That is normal for the fuel pump to prime the system for a couple seconds then shut off when the key is cycled from OFF to RUN.

Connect a test light to the battery. Keep pulling fuses until the light goes out. Whatever the previous owner did obviously was not on the circuit causing the draw unless one of those cut wires is shorted to ground.

 

I'll give that a try. Thanks