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Car Forum / MINI / May 2004Changing a fusebox/Indicator problem
Hi there, As usual, one sniff of the wet stuff and my indicators have stopped working again. Bloody rain!! This time, however, the problem has spread to infect my: rear lights reverse lights brake lights horn rear demister headlamp flash main beam oh, and my indicators themselves! thanks to advice from your goodselves in the past, I have replaced a grubby negative earth lead from the battery, and added an additional earth strap from the engine to the bonnet catch on the front panel. At the same time I replaced a lot of the horrible, grubby black plastic connectors under the bonnet for nice blue (clean) ones. I also changed the solenoid (sp? definition?) under the washer bottle on the o/s inner wing. All this work DID seem to cure the problem (of a sort) but now its back with a vengeance!! No fuses have blown at all...I have, from the top, a 35A, two 25As, and a 15A, (correct sequence according to the Haynes) So the next thing to try as far as I can tell without resorting to a new and very expensive front loom, is to question the fusebox itself... So to the questions... Can I scrap the old glass fuses and change for a spade-type fuse box? What about moving the box inside the car? I presume it has had enough of being where it is!! Any thoughts/Ideas/own experiences? Thanks as usual Karen Bugger! Forgot to say, its a 1986 Mayfair 998 (called Norris in case anyone is interested!) Karen Fitting a new fusebox should sort the problem. Taffy > Bugger! > Forgot to say, its a 1986 Mayfair 998 > (called Norris in case anyone is interested!) > > Karen Thanks for the reply Taffy Does the fusebox itself have to be earthed to the body? I had a quick look earlier and can see lots of paint bubbling behind the bottom screw fixing... Probably answered my own question there, but I enjoy typing so-what-the-hey! Karen > Does the fusebox itself have to be earthed to the body? > I had a quick look earlier and can see lots of paint bubbling behind the > bottom screw fixing... Nope. The fusebox simply connects 12V inputs to 12V outputs and has no need for earth. > So to the questions... > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Thanks as usual > Karen The easiest answer is to replace the fuse box with a new one. The 4 way box is prone to corrosion problems along with every other electrical item on the bulkhead. A new one will last as long as the first one did, which is not bad really since it is now getting on for 20 years!  SignatureRgds Steve steve@dsnclassics.co.uk www.dsnclassics.co.uk >>So to the questions... >> [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > bulkhead. A new one will last as long as the first one did, which is not bad > really since it is now getting on for 20 years! Also check the in-line fuses behind the air filter and (IIRC) there is an earth screw with a bunch of wire on it screwed into the bulkhead cross member near the support web on the drivers side, check it for corrosion and security. Also check the indicator units for corrosion. HTH Drew. > > So to the questions... > > [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > steve@dsnclassics.co.uk > www.dsnclassics.co.uk Hi, The main cause of the problem is the sponge they fit to the bulkhead under the fuse box. When you replace it it is worth placing a piece of polythene between the fuse box and the sponge and gumming up the back of the fusebox with lashings of vaseline. keith Thanks Everyone! A new fusebox is on its way! Karen > Hi there, > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > main beam > oh, and my indicators themselves! Tails, heads, mains, flashers and horn are all ignition independant. Indicators, demist and reverse aren't, but I can't remember if they share a circuit or not. So if it's fuse, tehn it's more than one. Not unlikely, I rewired one of my Triumphs a couple of months ago, using what looked to be very clean s/h parts, and yet half the electrics weren't working till I played with the fuse box. > Can I scrap the old glass fuses and change for a spade-type fuse box? You can, if you really want to. Makes finding discount fuses at teh breakers easier I suppose ;) > What about moving the box inside the car? I presume it has had enough of > being where it is!! Couldn't hurt, but quite a bit of hassle lengthening the wires and routing them IMO. > Any thoughts/Ideas/own experiences? Small sharp scrapey thing. Pop the fuses, scrape the connections on them and in the fuse box. Put them back in, turn on whatever needs testing, and wiggle the fuses one by one. Look for sparks in the fusebox (will show that that's the fuse being used) and try to look at the thing you're testing whilst wiggling. 9 times out of 10 I've found the culprit with a bit of fuse wiggling, half the other one I've found it by popping the fuse half out then easing it back in. Quite often there's a nice spark as the fuse makes contact with the outside of the connections in the box, and as soon as it's back in properly the thing (usually wipers for me) stops working again. Just because connections look clean doesn't mean they are at times, somehow. |
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