Turned up blower fan, gauges all died!
Discussion
I'm clearly still in the "one thing after another" stage of ownership..
When I has out just now I switched the fans up and the gauges all died, battery light came on full.
The engine was fine and the radio stayed on.
I switched the fan switch off (fans had already stopped) and the battery light went to half brightness, I got some rev counter and speedo movement (but not correct readings).
I didn't want to risk stopping and being stranded so drove home and switched off. It restarted fine - no battery light - but no gauge action or fans either.
The car has a new alternator and battery - the only thing I can think of immediately is a dash or fan fuse? Thought I'd check here before spending the rest of the afternoon with my head in the footwell!
When I has out just now I switched the fans up and the gauges all died, battery light came on full.
The engine was fine and the radio stayed on.
I switched the fan switch off (fans had already stopped) and the battery light went to half brightness, I got some rev counter and speedo movement (but not correct readings).
I didn't want to risk stopping and being stranded so drove home and switched off. It restarted fine - no battery light - but no gauge action or fans either.
The car has a new alternator and battery - the only thing I can think of immediately is a dash or fan fuse? Thought I'd check here before spending the rest of the afternoon with my head in the footwell!
Instruments and heater fan are on different fuses.
I suspect your 100 amp fuse may have blown. It can give strange results. Mine caused my speedo to read 55 mph at 4500 rpm in 5th. But the engine ran fine......until the battery ran out.
Do you have a multimeter? I can tell you how to test it.
I suspect your 100 amp fuse may have blown. It can give strange results. Mine caused my speedo to read 55 mph at 4500 rpm in 5th. But the engine ran fine......until the battery ran out.
Do you have a multimeter? I can tell you how to test it.
I do somewhere!
The 100A is only a few weeks old, too (replaced as part of the last bout of electrical fault finding!) I have some spares though.
If they are separate fuses then yes it rather sound like something else!
I suppose then comes the oh-so-fun task of finding the why..
If you could give a couple of pointers that'd be fab, but if it's something that has been written elsewhere before then a nudge in the right direction is fine!
The 100A is only a few weeks old, too (replaced as part of the last bout of electrical fault finding!) I have some spares though.
If they are separate fuses then yes it rather sound like something else!
I suppose then comes the oh-so-fun task of finding the why..
If you could give a couple of pointers that'd be fab, but if it's something that has been written elsewhere before then a nudge in the right direction is fine!
Unfortunately no, I'm in Herts.
I think I've found your instructions:
Ignition on, don't start the car. 20 volt scale on multimeter. Black lead onto the engine block. Red lead into hole on the top back of the alternator. 12.6 volts, fuse fine. 0 volts, fuse buggered.
If 12.6 volts, while holding multimeter leads in same places, get a passing yokel to start the car. Voltage should change to over 13 volts. If no change, take alternator to auto electrician to prove its faulty.
The fuse is strapped to the underside of the chassis, drivers side, close to where the rear arm of the lower front offside wishbone attaches to the chassis. It is in a black fuse holder case about 35 mm long, in the middle of a thick wire. Replace with a midi fuse off EBay.
So I'll try that first!
I think I've found your instructions:
Ignition on, don't start the car. 20 volt scale on multimeter. Black lead onto the engine block. Red lead into hole on the top back of the alternator. 12.6 volts, fuse fine. 0 volts, fuse buggered.
If 12.6 volts, while holding multimeter leads in same places, get a passing yokel to start the car. Voltage should change to over 13 volts. If no change, take alternator to auto electrician to prove its faulty.
The fuse is strapped to the underside of the chassis, drivers side, close to where the rear arm of the lower front offside wishbone attaches to the chassis. It is in a black fuse holder case about 35 mm long, in the middle of a thick wire. Replace with a midi fuse off EBay.
So I'll try that first!
That's the ones!
Or if you cannot find the multimeter, just change the 100 amp fuse again if you can remember where it is (under the chassis)
I have had my 100 amp fuse blow twice in 6,000 miles, then not again in 9000 miles. No idea why either time.
They all do that, sir!
The effect of blowing the 100 amp fuse is that the engine is running off battery, not alternator, so anything a bit voltage heavy, or voltage sensitive, can behave oddly.
Or if you cannot find the multimeter, just change the 100 amp fuse again if you can remember where it is (under the chassis)
I have had my 100 amp fuse blow twice in 6,000 miles, then not again in 9000 miles. No idea why either time.
They all do that, sir!
The effect of blowing the 100 amp fuse is that the engine is running off battery, not alternator, so anything a bit voltage heavy, or voltage sensitive, can behave oddly.
He's right. I looked at most of the variants in the Steve Heath bible, but missed that one. Page 241. It's the eighth fuse from the right hand end, shoud be 15 amps.
But I remind you of your own comment - summarized as some activity without the engine running, none with it running.
Could be either therefore.
QBee said:
He's right. I looked at most of the variants in the Steve Heath bible, but missed that one. Page 241. It's the eighth fuse from the right hand end, shoud be 15 amps.
But I remind you of your own comment - summarized as some activity without the engine running, none with it running.
Could be either therefore.
EARLY CARS DON'T EVEN HAVE A 100Amp FUSE.But I remind you of your own comment - summarized as some activity without the engine running, none with it running.
Could be either therefore.
The activity is feedback from the alt field coils, you obviously fail to understand how the alt ign warning light works, so your logic is gobble-de-gook.
QBee said:
That's positive. I am learning, thank you, and apologies if I am misleading the OP.
When did they start getting 100 amp fuses?
95'ish, hard to tell really as build not totally sequential, and first reg can be completely different from build....When did they start getting 100 amp fuses?
The heater is powered off the dash circuit commonly until the black boxes & ribbon cables were introduced, ie different knob. It doesn't take much (leaves jamming / twigs / crap heater resistor pack) to blow the fuse & typically a jam will blow at any speed and failed resistor pack will blow only at a specific speed.
QBee said:
That's positive. I am learning, thank you, and apologies if I am misleading the OP.
When did they start getting 100 amp fuses?
Around the same time they swapped the battery and fuse box locations approx When did they start getting 100 amp fuses?
I can vouch for the heater motor fuse taking down the instruments too on a 95 car this as been my 1st and only ever blown fuse in 7+ years of ownership the heater motor had jammed 
keith2.2 said:
I do somewhere!
The 100A is only a few weeks old, too (replaced as part of the last bout of electrical fault finding!) I have some spares though.
.......
Does this make it a later car, or can he have a 100 amp fuse and still have the early heater and instrument combined fuse?The 100A is only a few weeks old, too (replaced as part of the last bout of electrical fault finding!) I have some spares though.
.......
Righty then;
100A fuse, single blower / instruments fuse!
The later of which had blown (15A)
A jam being the cause would make sense - it was turned up to full, with the control telling it to blow 'down' - but the footwell vent was closed!
I think I need to stop expecting the worst every time something goes wrong - although that's going to t aka some getting used to after my initial induction into ownership!
Thanks for the help everyone. Hopefully the fact I've got old and new electrics will help add some confusion to the mix in future.
Project for winter is fusebox and battery relocation..
100A fuse, single blower / instruments fuse!
The later of which had blown (15A)
A jam being the cause would make sense - it was turned up to full, with the control telling it to blow 'down' - but the footwell vent was closed!
I think I need to stop expecting the worst every time something goes wrong - although that's going to t aka some getting used to after my initial induction into ownership!
Thanks for the help everyone. Hopefully the fact I've got old and new electrics will help add some confusion to the mix in future.
Project for winter is fusebox and battery relocation..
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