Avanti II electric grimlins.

[Enrico Salvi]

I have a ‘72 Avanti II where i recently replaced the battery and water temperature sensor. The car was the parked for 2 weeks and I was stupid enough not to engage the battery isolator. 😡😡😡 The battery died and I jump started the car with no problem, BUT the instruments are dead and the wiper motor will not shut off unless I shut off the engine. All others electric things work.  Engine died when I touched the wires around the motor which was hot to the touch. Alternator checks out ok(AAA). Disconnected the wiper motor, isolated battery, now trickle charging it to make sure it is ok. 
DoI have a bad wiper motor or a short somewhere , or ???☹️☹️

Any words of wisdom will be very much appreciated. Aldo, I live in Cape Cod ( just moved). Any reasonable referrals within striking distance?

Thanks,

Rico

 

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[Avanti83]

Make sure you have the engine, frame and dash well grounded directly to the battery. Missing/poor grounds make voltage go strange places in fiberglass bodied cars. Check to see if you left off or disconnected some during the battery change. Hot wires can also indicate bad/poor grounds.

[JLBKY]

Rico, you posted this in the '63-'64 Avanti section. You might get more, and perhaps better responses if you posted this in the '65-'83 Avanti section.

[Desert Driver]

The expert on Avanti windshield wiper motors is David Bass - amxwipermotors@gmail.com  Very helpful guy who diagnosed my '71 wiper motor issue and got the beast to work properly.

Edited August 1, 2020 by Desert Driver

[studegary]

14 hours ago, JLBKY said:

Rico, you posted this in the '63-'64 Avanti section. You might get more, and perhaps better responses if you posted this in the '65-'83 Avanti section.

I noticed this and thought that the Administrator would move it. 

[Skip Lackie]

What Avanti83 said.  Things that won't turn on or won't turn off are almost always due to bad grounds.  The electrons are always trying to find a way to get back home to ground, and if their path is blocked, they will seek other paths, including gong backwards through other circuits.  Add some grounds like Bob said, and/or add some temporary ones with alligator clips on test wires.