1975 nova custom

W

wigsplitter01

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I just picked up a nova and it runs great but theres one problem. It has a short somewhere in the wiring so it drains the battery when the car is not running. How can i fix this? Culd it be a fuse?
 
I had the same problem with my 75' Nova.....tried changing the ignition...changed the distributor....had mechanic check all the wiring.....still had the problem of it not starting and just spinning the engine over. Finally, I did some research on the internet....and found out these Nova's have the same problem of engine getting too hot with a thermostat of 190 degrees. Solution to this problem was>>>>>"2" things...first you have to put a pressure plate on your carburator to prevent it from vapor locking....second thing you have to do is, put a thermostat of 160 to keep the engine cooler. These two things prevent the engine from getting too hot....and keeps it from shorting out the modgule in the distributor. It still hesitates...but these two things stopped the engine from hot boxing and shorting out the modgule.
I haven't had a problem since doing these two things....so good luck with your's....and I hope this has helped you.
 
Not sure how that answer has anything to do with a parasitic drain, which is what you have. You have to use a voltmeter to check what the voltage drain is with the car turned off. Then one by one pull the fuses till the drain disappears. Once you know which circuit is causing the drain you have find the root cause of the problem in that circuit.
 
I changed the batteries three times...?!?! This was not the problem!!!! I had an experienced NOVA mechanic look at the fuses.....ALL the wiring....and after TWO months of trying to fix the problem.....he threw his hands up and said he could not figure out the problem!!! He had my Nova for TWO months.....looking for the problem.....to NO AVAIL!?!? Dude....all I can say is that my car NOW RUNS PERFECT!!! And.....if an experienced NOVA mechanic could not figure out the problem......it's worth a TRY TO GO MY ROUTE.....! Why? B'cuz.....now my NOVA starts......everytime I get in it!!!
 
Your problem was the engine would crank and not ignite because of a bad ignition module. The OP's problem is the battery goes dead when the car isnt being used, nothing to do with ignition.
 
Hi, again! I did change the ignition module......and the battery was still draining. By the "third" battery....(which was the biggest...strongest...1000 cc's battery I could put in my Nova).....all the engine would do was spin. Then, I looked on the internet to problem solve......and, I came across the information that distributor modules were burning out due to engine "hot boxing" from exhaust manifold. Information stated to put a heat pressure plate between the carburator and engine block....(this still did not alleviate the problem)....however, it would work for about 5 days, until, the distributor module burned out, again. So....I thought about cooling the engine down with a 160 thermostat....instead, of the 190 thermostat. This, coupled, with the pressure plate...has.....me and my Nova starting....and running down the road for the last few months. No more problems!! No more sucking-up my wallet......it has been a win win for me.
 
Glad you resolved your problem. Do you know if you used a large mouth thermostat, they look different from your 195 thermostat in that the central opening is about twice as big. If you have any further temperature related problems, I recommend looking at one of the aftermarket water pumps that have a metal plate riveted to the back of the pump impeller sich as FlowKooler.
 
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