HELP

Dave3066

Dave3066

Well-Known Member
Gents

I'm currently stranded at the side of the road waiting for the RAC after the car died. The engine just cut out and it seems to be taking out the ignition control fuse as soon as I turn the key to position 2. If anyone can help please call me on 07900 295933 preferably with a wiring diagram to hand.

Dave
 
RAC man is here now and neither of us can figure it out so we're waiting for a recovery truck.
 
bugger - hope you got home in the end...

Do you have an electric pump on the ignition fuse??? ( Only thing i can think of that would come on then???)

Rich.
 
Could be anything that is ignition controlled, so, heater, HRW, wipers, indicators are all suspects as well as anything else that I've forgotten that only works with the ignition on. Get the car home, have a look at the wiring diagrams while having a cuppa and things will be far clearer and easier than messing about on the hard shoulder.
 
Dropped you a text but hopefully your almost home now.

Short circuit on the starter relay?
 
Home now. wiring diagram out tomorrow morning and sort it. No electric fuel pump and the only thing that is not working with the ignition on is the indicators. Good place to start then.
Dave
 
Car is fixed now :D

Pretty quick fix once I had the wiring diagram to help. The problem was entirely of my own making. When I'd removed the gearbox mount and dropped it a bit to get access to the front prop shaft universal joint I'd nipped the supply wire for the reverse light switch and it had eventually made contact with earth causing the fuse to blow. Luckily for us we were on a relatively quiet stretch of road and able to coast to a stop. 10 minutes earlier we had been in the outside lane of the M6 :shock:

With hindsight I probably could've narrowed it down without the wiring diagram just by going through all the systems that need ignition to power them. I'd already discovered that the indicators didn't work, nor did the windscreen washers. Since the supply to the pertronix ignitor comes off the washer motor feed that's why the engine died. If I'd noticed that the stop lights and reversing lights weren't working I probably would've found the fault last night. Oh well :roll:

The only other thing that came off that fuse was power to the instrument voltage regulator. Begs the question as to why it is listed as an "Ignition Control" fuse? :?

Happy days

Dave
 
In some ways it's nice to know that a problem is related to the last thing that we messed with - and that there is nothing inherently wrong with our cars.

It's also a right PITA that we buggered something up in the process of fixing something!

Glad you're back on the road, I had to log in this morning to make sure everything was OK.

Cheers,
Bri.
 
Dave3066 said:
Pretty quick fix once I had the wiring diagram to help. The problem was entirely of my own making. When I'd removed the gearbox mount and dropped it a bit to get access to the front prop shaft universal joint I'd nipped the supply wire for the reverse light switch and it had eventually made contact with earth causing the fuse to blow.
Click to expand...

I was going to suggest starting with the reverse lights, because you'd just been there or thereabouts to do the prop u/j, and as it was all OK before that gives a good clue where to start looking. So easy to knock a wire off the switch without noticing, and before you realise the reverse lights aren't working the wire shorts out and blows the fuse, bringing the car to a halt. I don't think there's any of us who can say we've not been there, done that, (or similar) and got the T-shirt. Seems harsh that it causes such a serious problem for such a minor error really
 
Brian-Northampton said:
there is nothing inherently wrong with our cars.
Click to expand...

Absolutely right Bri. I had feared that a wiring loom somewhere in the depths of the car had been slowly chaffing through and had finally made contact so it was good to find out it was something I'd done ........I think......

harveyp6 said:
Seems harsh that it causes such a serious problem for such a minor error really
Click to expand...

Interestingly I had been listening to an audiobook of Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency in the car at the time. These are a couple of books written by Douglas Adams of Hitchiker fame. Dirk Gently uses a holistic approach to detective work that examines the fundamental interconnectedness of all things. Quite appropriate I thought :LOL:

Dave
 
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