WHY NOW ? ?
clairetoo - 18/8/10 at 04:05 PM
Why does a car run faultlessly for months on end , and then two days before going on holiday all the electrics go haywire ? 
All I have done is changed the headlight switch , and re-crimp a few loose wires behind the dash - and now I have no rev counter or temp guage , it
blew the fuse supplying the megasquirt on the way to work this morning , and tonight on the way home the ignition live feed fuse (on the ford loom)
blew twice 
I've bodged it at the side of the road with a bit of wire I found under the seat , and limped home on maybe 3 cylinders , with it cutting out and
popping / banging constantly .
God I hate electrics - so now it's out with the dash , and try and find the problem - but since it blew fuses on two separate unconnected
circuits , I just dont know where to start
gottabedone - 18/8/10 at 04:13 PM
Did you wire in the headlight switch right?
power instead of earth etc?...and how is your switch related to your gagues?..it it a common earth?
too many questions and too many wires
Steve
interestedparty - 18/8/10 at 04:18 PM
Only thin I've learned about car electrics over the many years I've had old or kit cars is that trying to deduce the faults from the
symptoms is usually a waste of time.
Best thing usually is to search everywhere first for anything that isn't right, loose wires, bare wires touching the chassis , that sort of
thing. Then it's on to testing the individual components. A good meter, and an assistant is very helpful. Another good tool is the circuit tracer
Maplins sell about £35 injects a signal at one end of a circuit and you trace it with a radio probe, helps to find breaks and which way a wire runs.
carpmart - 18/8/10 at 04:31 PM
Its called Sods law! (Murphy's sometimes) 
clairetoo - 18/8/10 at 04:45 PM
quote:
Originally posted by carpmart
Its called Sods law! (Murphy's sometimes)
As in - nothing ever goes wrong - untill it matters
I've found the rev counter / miss fire problem - I used the diode pack setup for the rev counter , and it had got trapped - the zenner diode was
squashed , broken and shorting out the coil supplies ! !
Now removed , and rev counter connected to the diagnostic output on the edis (and working )
Next is the temp guage...........and fan.........and try and get the interior light setup I fitted last night connected and working .
steve m - 18/8/10 at 04:51 PM
I also had electrical problems with my 7
drove it to Parents house 6 weeks ago,and disconnected the battery, as we were having work done at my place
Picked the car up on sunday, no indicators, no fuel pump, no rad fan,
no fuses blown,
So i had to drive home (in the rain!) with nothing working
Yet today there all fine
BLOODY ELECTRICS !!!!
I went back
tomgregory2000 - 18/8/10 at 05:07 PM
voooooooodooooooooo
Canada EH! - 18/8/10 at 06:22 PM
Are you still using Lucas electrics over there?
blue2cv - 18/8/10 at 06:38 PM
Joe Lucas, prince of darkness
clairetoo - 18/8/10 at 07:37 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Canada EH!
Are you still using Lucas electrics over there?
I have a mix of 1970's Ford loom , and added on Megasquirt and Lc1.....................and to be honest , ten years of modding and running
repairs are catching up with me
I have it all sorted out now - but I'm not filled with confidence about my upcoming two week european tour
Dangle_kt - 18/8/10 at 09:08 PM
I found your problem
In all seriousness, I hope you get it sorted. I too hate electrics.
RK - 18/8/10 at 09:56 PM
I certainly feel for you, since electrics in general have doomed my car from the beginning. Interestingly, all the lights and stuff have not been
problematic - yes, that's right - all the stuff I MYSELF designed and put in. It's a bit of a mess under there, but I know where it all
goes. I've said this a hundred times on here: get someone in to give you ideas, and I'll bet you have it all good in no time.
I would not put any of it past MS as being a big variable in a lot of people's problems - but I am not basing this on personal experience.