yes the firewall connector does pull apart at the firewall like it shows in the pictures. The rubber gets hard and makes it difficult to separate.

 

Well, I thought I mad major progress by separating the connector and cutting that part of the system. I tested the harness amp draw, and it still had .68A. ????? WTH????. I was puzzled...until I looked at the connection. It was the UPPER connector. AUGH! So, now my son and I will try for the lower one under the hood hinge. DUMB! I think I'm gonna get inside and try t hold it where it goes through the lower firewall while he tugs on it from under the hood. FYI: I used a flat-headed heavy scraper/upholstery removal tool that is about 1" wide. By wedging it into the gap between the two connectors, and then twisting it L and R, it moved the connections apart. Saved the rubber parts for sure. but down below, I'm not sure we can get a tool in there. All these connections were done before the hood was installed. Ugh!

 

hoods are easy to take off...mark hinge flange to hood print with a marker

 

[QUOTE=Gun Jam;8637841]hoods are easy to take off...mark hinge flange to hood print with a marker[/QUO

Been there, done that...and don't want to do it again. My son got the connection apart, and then tested the circuits. The amp draw DROPPED TO ZERO. So, the problem is inside the cabin on one of the components or the wiring. Tomorrow we start searching inside. The ammeter would be a suspect, but it worked long after the battery was being drained and problem got worse. Maybe the Rally Pac? Not sure, but that was working fine until long after the battery drain issue started, too. Maybe the radio. I hate working under there. With the full console and the A/C unit right up against the dash there's very little room. Ugh!

 

May sound dumb, but you aren't taking that measurement with a door open are you? For example an interior light such as a #67 light bulb is 8 watts at 13.2 volts which is a draw of 0.592 amps. Just wondering.

 

8 watts at 13.2 is .61 amps, (.606060606) .56 at 14.2V

 

We did most of the current tests with the doors closed. Now, because we are working inside the car, the d.door is open. However, the fuse to the "courtesy lights" was pulled a long time ago, and not needed. Anyway, My son eliminated the circuits one by one until the culprit turned out to be the Rally Pac. Pisses me off because I paid a lot to have the clock and tach restored to concourse condition in 2007. We pulled the Pac out after the meter dropped to "0" when the wires were unplugged. Since the clock and tach had stopped working properly this last year I guess it needs another going over. I've taken it mostly apart, but I'll let an expert do the rest. So, half the problem is solved.

 

NOW, I need a good Rally Pac repair person/company. Amy suggestions? I saw an old ad for the "Tachman". Is he still in business?

NEXT: The AMMETER still does not seem to work. We hooked everything back up, sans the Rally Pac, and the ammeter doesn't budge with any load we put on the system. We did find the "Accessory" fuse was blown, but have no idea why. It is only being used by the windshield wiper-washer motor circuit according to the schematics. But we don't know what else might be included on that circuit. It's not the radio. Many other components have their own circuit breakers. So.....I just don't know.

 

Before the days of quartz clocks, many of the car clocks were wound by a little solenoid inside the clock housing. As the main wound down, a set of contacts closed which put current to a solenoid that wound the spring back up. These solenoids either burned out or the contacts stuck which might be your case. Pull the cover off the clock and see if there is a pair of contacts that are stuck together. You might be able to dress them up with a point's file.

 

I was fortunate t find a good RP clock repair service at www.rccinnovations.com. I have the clock back, but he doesn't mess with these tachometers anymore. SO...I need to test the tach before I re-install it, and I need to test the ammeter before I button everything up. Any suggestions for testing both of these components?