TTA died on the road today...fusible link, ign. sw ?

I'm 95% sure I have found the root of the problem. Wire harness behind the dash was rubbing on bare metal frame near fuse block...big pink wire from the ign sw in this harness was cut exposing bare wire and slightly burnt. This is my guess...when I went over the bumps the harness touched the frame behind the dash and shorted the "run" circuit and blew out the fusible link at the starter (what it was designed to do). I cut out the fusible link and temporary replaced it with heavy awg wire. When I installed a good battery with lots of juice and turned the key on...steering column still hanging down I moved it which moved the wire harness. This broke the short enough for everything to turn on...only a second or two...then it shorted back out. Now the "run" circuit has a direct short to ground (no fusible link to burn out this time) so the smallest gage wire melts down...his being the pink wire 14 awg...red wire feeding the ign sw is 10 or 12 awg...so is fusible link jumper. The terminal on the ign sw melts down and can't be turned off pink wire started melting from the sw to the fuse block. I get the battery disconnected before it make it all the way to the fuse block. I replaced the burnt pin wire and check for shorts...I find one that is tied to the "gages" 10 amp fuse...pull it out no short. Turn car on and all is good so far...pretty sure it will start. But now need to trace what is shorted in the gage circuit...according to the book there is 11 things in this circuit so I need to unplug them one at a time to find the bad one. I'm close....

Don't ever let anyone tell you you don't need fusible links !!!

-Scott
 
Razor said:
His headlamps are dead. Non vats related....

I said not to rule VATS out, especially with the culprit now being a bad ignition circuit. However, if a percentage of the fuse block is dead, I pointed to a bad fusible link, not VATS, although now it sounds like the blown fusible link was the byproduct, thereafter....

Street Lethal said:
and if half of a percentage in your fuse block is gone, its more than likely a fusible link.
 
IT LIVES !!!!!!!!! :cool:

No shorts...it starts and runs too...now I just need to clean up the wires under the dash and bolt everything back up.
 
took the TTA out today and just as I came off the ramp on to 95 it just shut off. i coasted to the side of the road and tried to start it back up...it was completely dead...nothing, no dash lights, gauges, scanmaster, etc. The horn, interior dome light and the parking lights worked. 2/3's of the fuse block is dead...only 12v on the 3 mentioned. Had to have the car towed home. Last Fall id did a similar thing when I stopped to get gas...when I went to start it back up it was dead...about 15 min later it started up and was fine...neverr knew what it was.

I got it home today and checked the fusible links...pretty sure one was broke. There are 4 at the starter...replced 2 so far, one was broke unless I broke it...car is still dead. Same 3 things still work, nothing else...when I turn on the key the interior light goes out.

Anyone have similar problems and if so what did it turn out to be?



Thanks,
Scott

Yes I have an the wire that goes from the battery to the alternator had been rubbed bare by the front suspension. The shop repaired it for me and haven't had a problem since he also pulled it up closer to the engine so it wouldn't rub the relay rod that goes from the left to the right side.:D
 
WOW CONGRATS BRO!!!

I am jealous ... but your HARD WORK paid off :)

I need to pull my ECM out from under the dash. When I bought my car the computer was laying on the passenger floor (from a recent tune), and the guy just STUFFED it under the dash before I drove off. I am sure thats where I should start looking for my problem. ---
 
here is a pic of where it all started...scuffed electrical tape and bare wire (pink "run" wire) then one after removing the electrical tape. Then pics of the carnage and the previous car alarm part spliced into the big yellow "start" wire.

-Scott
 

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Do you think thats the big yellow wire by the master cylinder in my underhood pic?

I bet my problems are from the old alarm too ---
 
All back together and seems to be running fine !!! BIG thanks to Steve Kaminski for all his help and patience helping me over the phone :cool:

-Scott
 
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