Gleaming Beauty Disaster

[Styria]

Hi guys, thanks for all your best wishes and expressions of sympathy in advance. I'll really be needing them, although wadfuls of cash donations would be even more useful.

Sorry I have no photos of the happy moment, as I was even too dumb to use my Nokia N95 (not for sale !) to take pictures. I'll try and cut a long story short. Just driving around, even on a pretty hot day, when I stopped the car, I noticed smoke coming from the dash area. Obviously, I turned off the ignition and decided to investigate. No undue heat from the wheels nor brake components, so I turned the ignition 'on' again, but did not start the car. Didn't take long to spot the smoke and heat coming from the 'thin' wiring loom that's connected to the large one that comes out of your fusebox. I knew immediately that I was going to go nowhere in a hurry.

So I rang Great Western Auto Electrics, about eight k's down the road. Just as an aside, I have mentioned these people under the heading of 'recommendations' on the discussion board. If I ever needed proof again as to their reliability and dependability, this occasion certainly reaffirms my faith and trust in them. Within twenty minutes, Ray the proprietor, was on the spot to try and assist. So please, if you are in the Parramatta to Penrith area, you will not find better.

Anyway, there was nothing that Ray could do there and then, so it was a tow to his workshop at Prospect. My normal tow truck operator (and I think Ray's as well) was out of Sydney, so Ray found another guy who was on the scene within about forty minutes, taking Gleaming Beauty and myself to Ray's workshop. Ray then drove me home - I mean, is that service ? You bet.

I am still scratching my head as to the cause of this quite major electrical problem. There seems no rhyme nor reason for it, as all I did that day (electrically speaking), was to install a new electric aerial, and I also set the ignition timing which I had only carried out by 'ear feel and hear' previously. The timing was 10 degrees BTDC, but I adjusted it to TDC, Car ran beautifully after that adjustment.

So, at the moment, it looks as though the fuse box may have to come out so that the wiring problem can be traced. Well, that's life. Regards Styria

BTW, anyone know how difficult it is, and what is required, to get it out - I have never done the job.

 

[TJ 450]

That really is a disaster and certainly a worst nightmare situation.

Fuse box removal is a bit of a saga. The main issue is dealing with the wiring inside the car and the sheetmetal bracket that extends back and sort of acts as a conduit behind the fuse box under the dash. The box is secured by 8mm nuts/studs under the dash which are slightly obscured by the metal bracket. You then need to label every terminal and unscrew the lot from the actual fuse blocks. You should then be able to remove the lot, but the relays need to be attended to as well.

Tim

 

[BenzBoy]

I am truly sorry to hear about this Styria. You have my sympathy but now with the purchase of the Holden you don't have to rely on TGB for regular transport so that at least takes the urgency out of the situation.
Regards,
Benz-Boy

 

[Michel]

I guess that is a tough one.

In the days when I worked for the airlines, the most annoying delay was the electrical one as it was always the most difficult:
Until the fault could be pin pointed, we had no estimate of the time needed for repairs!

Good luck

 

[Styria]

Thanks Tim - not that it makes it any easier. Well, we'll just see which way this is going to develop. Will keep you guys posted. Regards Styria

 

[John S]

I'm confused Styria, was the timing 10 degrees BTDC or ATDC?

 

[abl567]

The timing was 10 degrees BTDC, but I adjusted it to TDC, Car ran beautifully after that adjustment.

.

BTDC

 

[CraigS]

I don't think I would be pulling the fuse box until I had a GOOD auto electrician look at it. These guys can do things in half an hour that you and I would take a day to do. With their test equipment, they will be able to trace the source of the fault and either repair or put new wiring into the existing loom. I'm sure it is not as serious as you may be thinking.

 

[Mercules]

Fusebox removal - undo all engine bay wires, reove the dash and loosen the harness so you have some slack - gather the wires from each row into and bundle them into 6 groups with a label - not sure it the 6.9 s the same as the 450 i had but below is the legend I made...



(first colour deontes wire colour, second & third colours denote tracers)

1. red/blue
2. black/red + black + black 5 wire
3. black/red x 2 + black/yellow/green
4. black/green + black/purple + black yellow
5. black/purple + black/red + black
6. red x 2 + red/white
7. red/black x 2 + black/red
8. grey
9. grey/white
10. black (sheathed)
11. red + red/yellow + red/grey + red/white + black
12. blac/green + black/pink/green
13. grey/red x 3
14. grey/black x 2
15. grey/green/yellow
16. white/blue + white
17. yellow
18. red/yellow + red
19. white
20. yellow
21. red/blue
22. white/black
23. yellow/black
24. red/white + red/black



Its not impossible!

 

[WGB]

Sorry to hear the bad news but I don't think I'd be doing a total strip down yet.

Take CraigS' advice and get someone clever to look at it.

Failing that a bit of detective work yourself should sort out the overload.

Chafed wire? Wrong Fuse rating? What damage has actually been done?

I assume you have the 6.9 Euro wiring chart.

If you don't let me know.

Sympathies.

Bill

 

[CraigS]

Did you sort this problem out, and if so, what was the problem ? Did it involve removing the fuse box ?

 

[Styria]

Hi CraigS, I did have a phone call from Ray, the Auto Electrician, last Thursday advising that Gleaming Beauty is well again. Unfortunaterly, due to private commitments and housing changes, my time has been fully taken up in that direction, leaving me with very little time to attend to car matters, and that included Gleaming Beauty.

I have always highly praised Ray's co-operation AND I THINK, knowledge, when dealing with Auto Electrical problems - it is, after all, his profession and obviously I need to trust him. I've only contacted him on two or three occasions, leaving it to his time frame to fix whatever was the cause of the melting of part of the wiring loom, and what was required to rectify the problem. I do not yet fully know the exact details of all work carried out. However, I believe it was the loom behind the engine (on the firewall ?) and also involved the loom going down to the gearbox ? Not sure at this stage.

I do know that there was PARTIAL ONLY removal of the fuse box - I believe it is, in fact, possible to get to some items and areas of the fuse box without the need for total disassembly/removal. I suspect that he managed on that basis. I further believe that he 'grafted' new wiring to replace the damaged wiring, but I do not know a lot more at this stage.

Presently, I need to refit the driver's seat before I can remove the car from his premises, but a busted left index finger is not helping in that regard. Will keep you and everyone else posted regarding further progress. Regards Styria

 

[BenzBoy]

Sorry to hear that not all is as well as it might be Mr S. Hopefully the world will fall into a better path when you collect the 6.9.
Regards,
Benz-Boy

 

[Styria]

Sorry to hear that not all is as well as it might be Mr S. Hopefully the world will fall into a better path when you collect the 6.9.

Hi BenzBoy, I did not mean to sound like a sad-sack. Some matters just take time to sort out, and the worst is over, especially as far as moving is concerned. The real benefit are much nicer premises, accompanied by an increase in weekly rental - but that is to be expected.

I am confident Gleaming Beauty will up to her best behaviour come 15th March.Regards Styria

 

[WGB]

Sorry about the finger - pleased about the car.

Was there a lot of re-wiring involved?

Bill

 

[Styria]

Hi Bill, cannot really get a lot of info from the Sparkie - he tells you in a round about sort of a way what the problem was, but he doesn't really tell you what has been fixed and/or replaced. As I said earlier in another post, you just need to trust someone, and this is just such a case, so I have no complaints.

My understanding is that the wiring loom at the back of the engine had some fried wires (I will actually have to check if there is a loom in that area), and that loom was running down to the inhibitor switch. I further understand that some of the earth wires that are bolted as a 'clump' to dashboard frame below the instrument panel had fried as well. At the moment, Bill, the only issue I have (electrically) is with a somewhat wildly fluctuating temperature gauge needle, and this I will take up with him. The damage bill ? $500.00 smackeroos, which included the initial service call, lift home (20km round trip plus time), and another 15 km home and return trip. Really, I have absolutely no grounds for any complaints. I recommend him highly. Regards Styria

 

[WGB]

I'm pleased you are mobile and not too much out of pocket.

I guess if it is only the temperature gauge by itself that is a blessing.

It is a simple power to instrument to sensor to earth type of circuit so if it is fluctuating either the instrument itself is damaged (plenty of spares about) or much more likely (if the gauge is swinging up to maximum) you have a fault in the circuit after the instrument and it is earthing before it gets to the sensor.

Best of luck with the fix.

Bill