Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Broomies Mate]

Hi Guys.  I have a strange problem in that Fuse 12 (KL30 whatever that means) is blowing.

Haynes suggests it protects a number of circuits. 

When I insert a new fuse, I can hear the Heater blower fire up, then the fuse pops its clogs.

Any idea what could be causing this?  Common problem?

TIA - BM.

[RobG]

Nowt to do with blower motor. Possible short,bad earth or blown bulb in one of these circuits
Fuse #12-20A Courtesy light,  boot lamp, hazard warning flashers, information display, radio, navigation system

[Entwood]

Turn everything that fuse does off.... especially the heater blower !! Then switch each item on in turn until you find which one is the cause.

List of items on each fuse on pages 186/187


http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andrew.reynolds983/Manuals/Omega2002Manual.pdf

[Broomies Mate]

Thanks guys.

I'll go whip the Stereo out and pull all courtesy bulbs, plug it all in one by one.

Feeback to come.

 

[Broomies Mate]

All Bulbs and Stereo removed.  Still the same.

OK.  A little more information, which maybe I should have included in the initial post.

Without this fuse, the car runs and drives fine.

I have no Rev Counter, Temp Guage, Fuel Guage etc.  No Climate Panel, no Radio.  No Interior Light.

The rear Grab Handle lights are partially illuminated, suggesting to me there is a short somewhere in that circuit.  Both lamps and holders are in good condition and the wiring seems to be perfect.

Does this help anyone to narrow down the potential fault?

[Sixstring]

Ross...
Remove the light bulbs in the rear, as there may be a short in that circuit "backfeeding" then remove the bulb in the front courtesy lights too for the same reason. If it still blows, make sure all doors are shut, so door lights don't feed to earth too, and keep window open. THEN, look at boot wiring for interior light, common problem with skagged/caught wiring, have you put something in the boot recently? without my multimeter and being there, hard to give any other help.

Mike.

[Broomies Mate]

UPDATE TO THIS PROBLEM:

I have disconnected every courtesy light, including the Sun Visor Vanity Mirror Lights.

Removed Climate Panel

Removed Instrument Panel

Unplugged Drivers Memory Seat

Basically, everything that Fuse 12 protects is disconnected.

Even with everything disconnected, when I put a fuse into socket 12, it goes pop.

The wiring behind the Fuse panel looks perfect, so no signs of overheating there.  Wiring to the Instrument panel and everywhere else looks perfect.

I'm now holding a petrol can and a box of matches. 

Does anyone have any slightly less drastic potential solutions to the problem?  :-/

TIA - BM

[Dave DND]

I'm now holding a petrol can and a box of matches. 

Does anyone have any slightly less drastic potential solutions to the problem? 

Don`t be so stupid !!
If you set fire to your own car, you are unlikely to be able to claim on your insurance.
 

Get one of your mates to do it
 

[Dave DND]

On a more helpfull note . . . .

Anything been done to the car lately? Any work? Any panels or bits tinkered with?

 :-?

[Andy H]

Is this the fuse that supplies the rear cigarette lighter?

People have reported fuses blowing after children have kicked the rear lighter or dropped coins into either front or rear sockets.

[Broomies Mate]

Cheers Dave 

Well.  Work on the car...... Yes.  There were no speakers in the rear doors, so I pulled some out of my scrapper and fitted them.  This is the only thing which has been done to the car in the last fortnight.  I have gone through the steps of unplugging the speakers again, even though the likelihood of this causing the problem is negligible.  That's how many straws I have clutched.

Andy.  Both Cig Lighters have been unplugged and still the problem persists.


MORE UPDATE:  There is high resistance between the plug on the back of the Instruments and the Fuse Box which would obviously suggest a short in the cable between these two units.  I was kind of hoping that the loom would travel due south from the Instruments to the Fuse Box, but does it hell.  Travels to the centre console, then branches out to all other ancillaries which use this live feed;

Drivers Memory Seat
All Courtesy/Vanity Lights
Electronic Climate Control
MID and Instruments
Hazard Warning Light Switch.

The problem is, without removing the dash completely, it is impossible to trace these cables their full length, and I'll be buggered if I'm doing that.

I was thinking of running a new cable from the Fuse Box up to the centre of the dash (behind the climate panel) and then running new feeds to all the ancilaries one by one.  I know by doing this I'm not 'solving' the problem, but as a work-around, I think it's my only option.

Any other ideas (no matter how stupid) or opinions on this please?

Gracias.

BM

[Andy H]

Cheers Dave 

Well.  Work on the car...... Yes.  There were no speakers in the rear doors, so I pulled some out of my scrapper and fitted them.  This is the only thing which has been done to the car in the last fortnight.  I have gone through the steps of unplugging the speakers again, even though the likelihood of this causing the problem is negligible.  That's how many straws I have clutched.

Andy.  Both Cig Lighters have been unplugged and still the problem persists.


MORE UPDATE:  There is high resistance between the plug on the back of the Instruments and the Fuse Box which would obviously suggest a short in the cable between these two units.  I was kind of hoping that the loom would travel due south from the Instruments to the Fuse Box, but does it hell.  Travels to the centre console, then branches out to all other ancillaries which use this live feed;

Drivers Memory Seat
All Courtesy/Vanity Lights
Electronic Climate Control
MID and Instruments
Hazard Warning Light Switch.

The problem is, without removing the dash completely, it is impossible to trace these cables their full length, and I'll be buggered if I'm doing that.

I was thinking of running a new cable from the Fuse Box up to the centre of the dash (behind the climate panel) and then running new feeds to all the ancilaries one by one.  I know by doing this I'm not 'solving' the problem, but as a work-around, I think it's my only option.

Any other ideas (no matter how stupid) or opinions on this please?

Gracias.

BM

Frayed insulation on the cables under the seats would be the first thing I would look for.

[Broomies Mate]

Cheers.  I disconnected the seat thinking the same, but to no avail.   

Must be a chaffed cable behind the dash somewhere.

[Broomies Mate]

Just to give some feedback;

Today I decided to run a new live feed to all the ancillaries.  I decided to run direct from the battery rather than piss around behind the fuse box.

2 way fuse holder fitted under the scuttle (away from drainage) and 2x 1mm cable fed through the firewall and fed to the area behind the Climate Panel.

Started by cutting, and insulating the live feed to Instrument Panel, Hazard Light Switch, MID, Radio and Climate Panel.  New wire to each of these.  10amp fuse in the holder and ignition on.  All working perfectly with the exception of the dimmer doesn't work, which is no biggie for me as it's always set to maximum.

Tomorrow I'll use the other 1mm cable to feed to the main Interior light, Sun Visor Vanity Lights, rear grab handle lights and boot light.  In addition to this circuit, I'll send a new feed to the Drivers Memory Seat.

I split the circuit into two because this way, it is easier to pinpoint any future problems.

So onto question time;

Does anyone know which way the existing cabling runs to the interior lights?  From what I have stripped already, I can see a feed running up the drivers B Pillar, but wondered if that splices up the top to feed both sides of the vehicle, or is there a separate feed for each side?  Also, the Vanity Mirrors...... do they run spliced from the main Interior Light or again, are they completely separate?

TIA - BM

Fingers crossed that goes as smoothly.

[Sixstring]

Ross:
If I remember righly the feed splits in a joint by the "A" pillar to the rear lights by the grab handles, give me a ring and I'll come and help you trace it all.

mike.