Radio & Heater Control Went Dead
 

My '88 'Vert had been idling in the driveway for about 5 minutes. When I got back into the car something electrical in the interior had burned up (noticed the typical "burnt up electrical component" smell). Radio and heater control no longer light up, but when I click the radio on and off I can still hear a relay clicking.

Before all of this happened the dash "Volts" reading was at about 11.2-12V, but voltage at the alternator and battery was 14V or so. The radio had trouble staying on, and even lost its settings once, like it had REALLY low volts.

It's funny that I would lose both the radio and the heater control. Anyone have any experience on this one?

Thanks in advance,
Bob

I did check the radio and heater fuses. They are good, but voltage at the fusebox is low, at about the 11.2 VDC level.

Someone had told me to check the AC component at the alternator, and that it should be less than 0.5VAC. I checked it, and it's 31VAC. I never heard of this check before. Because the DC output is about 14VDC, I don't think there's anything wrong with the alternator (but hey, I've been wrong before).

The voltage problem is fixed. One of the smaller red wires from the positive battery cable goes to a component behind the battery called the "Jump Start Junction Block". That connection was loose and tightening it gave me a solid 13V at the dash.

However, the flaky voltage apparently blew up the radio and "C68 A/C Electronic Control". I'm in the process of selecting a radio receiver and speakers to replace the Bose. If anyone knows how to verify that the A/C control is really dead (instead of the dash having a problem), I'd be interested.

Thanks,
Bob