Fuego intermittent electrical feed fixed.

[Kenfuego]

Due to the increased (3 points) loss for using a mobile phone
whilst in motion, decided to get hands free setup installed
in kids Fuego's, when the "authorised" installer set up the
kit in the 86 he found a problem in the electrics with power
supply dropping off under load.

As I hadn't given this main circuit board "the treatment" (checked
for overheating marks where the connectors slide on, and if
not too bad, a good clean and if needed a wipe of electrical
resin cored solder will usually restore good contact - and
resoldering the fuze bases to the circuit board eliminates dry
joints.

If the contact in the clip is burnt away, (useless) then I bypass
the clip, drill a small hole at the end of the fuze nearest the
clip and solder in a short length of wire with a new crimped
joiner making sure it is soldered to the fuze holder, (auto
electricians seem to solder directly to the circuit board, but
this fix is neater and stronger and still uses the circuit board
fuzes to protect the wiring etc. I then cut the wire away
from the clip and crimp a connector on the end so the two
wires can be re-connected.

I keep a couple of circuit boards that have had the solder
wipe treatment and find that a quick board swap cures
most electrical problems - Ah but this time it didn't. The
power feed would still fail under load!! damn!

Wiggled the large yellow main feed wire to the board and
suddenly we had power!!, enough for the installer to finish
the job and head on his way.

After some fruitless time checking the the main feed wire,
I found that it was easy to get to the other end under the
dash where it secures to a terminal block, unscrewed it
and removed the twisty plastic loom, and compared it with
one from a spare fuego and discovered that the end that
slides onto the board terminal must have been replaced
at some time and the internal crimping was not tight enough,

Swapped the spare one into place and immediately had full
power in all the right places. The offending clip looked very
close to the moulded style fitted to the other car and I have
no doubt would have caused the previous owner some real
heartache with the intermittent nature of the fault.

Hope this info may help another owner. Incidently the fuze
setup in the 86 is different to the UK and US setup and the
numbers printed on the back of the circuit board identifying
the fuzes is not helpful unless you remove the board.

While I have the board out I mark the #1 and 2 Fuze position
and the #18 and #19 fuzes on the "front"of the board so
they are visible when the fuze flap is opened.

As best I can work out the general fuze #s on the 86 are

#1 8amp Flasher unit. #2 5amp Left Flasher.
#3 5amp Right Flasher #4 16amp Rear demist
#5 8amp Cigarette Lighter/Clock
#6 8amp Interior lights #7 5amp Windscreen wiper park
#8 25amp Air Conditioning
#9 16amp Right window winder
#10 16amp Left window winder
#11 16amp (R18 Demist/rear wiper)
#12 1.5 amp Auto transmission (position not used Aussie manuals)
#13 10amp Fan cool/rear reversing light/heater fan.
#14 Not used.
#15 16amp Windscreen wiper.
#17 5amp Instruments
#17 5amp Radio/accessories.
#18 5amp Rear Fog lights.
#19 8amp Brake wear warning light.

If anyone can add to that list, I will be happy to amend same.
Hope this helps.

Ken

 

[Haakon]

I can also add that the suuply for stereos is pretty average if you go for a modern high powered head unit/cd player. The stereo supply as fitted by Aust. dealers for the original Pioneer decks is fine for old low power units, but it cannot deal with a rockin' 200watt 6 speaker cd system as I had in my last Fuego - the unit will cut out at higher volumes, starved of power. Feed the unit directly off the main supply terminal, on the firewall behind the fuse box. This has 2 knurled nuts clamping about 4 fat wires for fuse box and ignition power supply. It is fed directly off the battery by big fat wires and will happily cope with the most silly of sound systems.

 

[Kenfuego]

Thanks Haakon

Yep thats probably why son complains his disc player cuts out
at peak volume!! Hasn't worried me, I prefer the original pioneer
setup in my cars. By the way have you picked up/tried the front
spring compressor yet?

I'm still working on the 86, bypassing some overheated cables that
used to feed the front Fog lamps, and it never ceases to amaze me
the number of different ways Fuego switches and instruments etc
are wired. I don't know if this happened at assembly or by subsequent
owners but there always seems to be some subtle differences just to
make life interesting!!.

Ken

 

[Haakon]

Yep, I reckon that would be it - the wire and the source off the cigar lighter is just not up to the job.
Got the compressor, will have a go on Friday. I see that it is designed to hold on to the spring seat at the bottom. This wont work for the 25 as its 2 lower coil are much smaller diameter than the rest, and the much smaller spring seat is intergral with the shock ie if its holding the seat to the spring ala Fuego, the shock wont come out. If it wont work by resting on the 3rd coil (my worry here is that it will be uneven) and hooking the top one, I will have to make some sort of adaptor plate to better seat on a lower coil. Where theres a will, theres a way!!