Please help me!!!I just got my 3" DP and catback installed and when I was on the freeway the headlights and speedo as well as interior lights flicker on and off. The needle on the speedo also drops off. Whats the worse case scenario? Wheres the ground in the area. The symptoms are more prevalent when the foglights are on. Thanks in advance

 

did u cut anything electrical?

 

maybe you dont have something plugged in all the way?

 

the installer said he was extra careful but I was not there. I am bringing it back today so I will keep you posted.

 

yeah please do, I did my install myself and I never once needed to touch anything electrical.

 

The installer said he unplugged the battery during the install. When he went to hook it up it sparked. He said it showed that there is a load on the system? Is there any wire or anything that could accidently get unplugged that would cause this? Thanks again

 

check the alternator wires they are very close to the downpipe

 

ya, I had to install/uninstall my Alta DP several times (standard p0420 problem) and there's nothing electrical your mechanic should have touched. aside from R&R of the O2 sensors, no wires should have been molested, even the battery should have remained untouched.

 

Straight fwd install, you should not have to touch any wiring besides the battery . I do recommend the batt is disconneccted for sure because it sits right next to the alternator power wire! So by moving the oem/DP chances are pretty high you will hit the power wire.

 

Is there any grounding on the dp or exhaust. I know my old car did and if you didn't ground it, it would go retarded

 

no, there's no ground strap on the downpipe. it's bolted to the turbo & the engine block. Odds are one of the cables to the battery wasn't tightened down properly or the 'installer' pinched or shorted some other wire, either by the battery or the alternator. It should be fairly obvious as there's so little extra wiring in either location.

btw, worst case scenario is he's shorted something bad enough to fry the underhood electrical center, you'll end up taking it to the dealer with your aftermarket parts installed, and warranty denied.

 

The only times it happened were at freeway speeds during my first trip on the freeway. After I drove it home and around town it disappeared. May be the exhaust settled in and is sitting away from the alternator now. Anyways should I keep digging or just be happy things are back to normal?

 

I'd still go over it & check for any loose connections or pinched wires, cars don't 'heal' themselves or just have odd days.

 

So I have been driving the car around all weekend and things have been fine. What I have noticed is that my mpg has dropped to 21mpg down from 29mpg. I thought my mpg was going to stay the same or get better.

 

That's because you like the sound so much that you are constantly on the gas