Damned defender.....can anyone please help!!!

This problem is doing me in
1990 Defender 110 electrics problem.
Can someone please help as i am at my wits end here. My dear old defender has a minor electrical problem in that the indicators, horn, hazard lights fuel gauge, temp gauge etc.....in fact, everything except the side/headlights are not workin.
I have changes some of the fuses but they keep blowing. sometimes the hazard lights come on and stay illuminated ( not flashing at all ) brake lights have stopped working as well.
I have no idea on where to start to look so PLEASE can any of you guys out there give me some help, that is, apart from setting fire to the thing and claiming the insurance. Oh and just one more thing......when i get below 1/2 a tank of fuel she doesn't like to start, as if all the fuel is draining away from the pump. but continually turning it over for a minute or two does get it to start.............then again.....setting fire to it sounds like a good idea.
Any help would be very much appreciated

you have an earth problem

Earth problem would seem to be about right....but.....where the hell do I start???

Check and if necessary replace all earth straps to chassis..

Being a complete dumb nut where can i find where all the earth straps are??

Just another thought came to me. When i picked up a heavy trailer the other day the fog light cm on and stayed on till the trailer was put down. Didn't have the electrics connected to the trailer at any time either.

If you had searched the forum you would have found loads of threads about this particular problem.

My 90 developed the same problem just a few days after I got it and I searched about it and the majority of posts related to this problem ended up in an earth problem in the indicators.

So, what I did was take all the indicators and side lights off and give it all a good clean and brush, on the metal plates and the screws, exposing metal and therefore improving the earth connection between the screws, the metal plate and the body wings..

the problem was then sorted, no more fuses blowing and all the lights and gauges were back on.

Thanks for the info JP. I'll get out there tomorrow morning and clean everything up. Hopefully this will sort the problem out. Still don't really see how this could affect the fuel temp/gauge though but i'll take your advice and try it.
Thanks again

its the same fuse i believe, when the indicators go and fuse blows, the fuel and temp gauge go as well...

I replaced the fuse on mine the first time and got the fuel and temp gauge back on, once I indicated right, the fuse blew, i lost indicators and gauges again..

then I cleaned everything and no problems again.
let us know how you get on...

might not sort it, but its an easy thing to do to start with..

I'll post it on here as soon as i get it all cleaned. Hospital appointment tomorrow but should get time in the aternoon

An interesting problem, but like all electrical problems a simple bit of logic will soon find the fault.

I tend to agree with everybody above, but the blowing of all the fuese puzzles me a bit as well, as for this to occure you must have a dead short (or a large amount of current being drawn - which may be the case if for example the heated rear window is earthing the stop lights etc)

The first things I would do (and in this order as well)

1) I presume the starter motor is working so the -ve from the battery to the starter motor seems to be intact, so therefore If the earthing is going to be a problem, then its going to be between the engine and the body - there should be a fairly large cable (strap) between the engine/gearbox and one of the main front to back beams / some other large bit of the bodywork. - This is likely to be damaged/broken/missing in your case - either way I would remove it, sand down the metal work under it (to remove any rust etc) and then replace it with a new one if you are in any doubt.

2) Then get a multi meter and check the voltage you are getting between the two terminals on the battery, and then check the voltage between one of the fuse folders (the supply side - trial and error) and an unpainted bit of body work (not the engine).

They should be the same. Then try things again and see it one of the circuits starts to work. If they do put the fuese in one at a time to see if things start to work.

3) if the first fuse blows/ the circuit does not work then i'm afraid your going to need to pick a simple circuit (e.g. stop lights) and go fault finding with your meter.

I always find the stop lights are easy as you can easily make them come on by pulling both cables off the top of the master cylinder and conecting them together, and there are only two bulbs and nothing else slaved (e.g. main beam etc) off them

4) If non of this works let us know how far things get, and what works/does not so far, and ill come up with more of a plan

Hi Guys. here's an update of what's happened so far.
I got a mate to take a look at the landy and up to now he has got the indicators and the brake lights to work so things are looking up! Only problem is...... he has to leave to top left fuse out (interior light, horn etc). If we put that fuse back in the indicators go mad and stay on or not work at all.
OK DID have everything working but now indicators etc have stopped working again.......hell damn thing, anyone kow of a landy mechanic wiring guy in the crawley/haywards heath are?????

Another update,
Got the indicators and brake lights working again.. The fault with them was in the indicator hazard switch.
BUT.....I still have to leave the top left fuse out (interior light, horn etc). If we put that fuse back in the indicators go mad and stay on or not work at all.
So I am assuming that there must be a dead short somewhere, either in the interior light or maybe the switch for the interior light. Hell, this thing is driving me mad, as well as taking up so much time. If anyone knows a landy mechanic in the Crawley or Haywards Heath area please let me know.

Can you get a meter out and check the voltage between the body work, and BOTH sides of the fuse holder. One should be 12volts+, and the other should be 0.

next thing I need you to do is remove the switch for the interior light/dash light change over, and pull the plug off the back, and see if the same thing happens when you put the fuse in.

James

I had a problem with my rear fog lamp a few weeks back... it wasn't working and I was also trying to get the dash light to work for the MOT. I replaced the bulbs but the fuse kept blowing. To be brief.... the air filter box was crushed against the wiring loom in the engine compartment and that had worn a wire causing the fault...... just one to consider if it not an obvious earth problem.

Sorry about the delay everyone but have been away for a couple of weeks.
OK now everything is working just fine....except top left fuse, horn interior light and headlight flashers.
Just to make things even worse this fuse only blows when mobile. when the vehicle is standing still everything is ok. So i assume that I must have a dead short somewhere. But where???? I have no idea at all as to where to look. Anybody got any ideas??? apart from setting fire to the thing that is. By the way...just upgraded the old 2.5td for a 300 tdi. Much better engine!!!! not that this has anything to do with the fuse problem as this was happening before the engine change

Keeper said:

Sorry about the delay everyone but have been away for a couple of weeks.
OK now everything is working just fine....except top left fuse, horn interior light and headlight flashers.
Just to make things even worse this fuse only blows when mobile. when the vehicle is standing still everything is ok. So i assume that I must have a dead short somewhere. But where???? I have no idea at all as to where to look. Anybody got any ideas??? apart from setting fire to the thing that is. By the way...just upgraded the old 2.5td for a 300 tdi. Much better engine!!!! not that this has anything to do with the fuse problem as this was happening before the engine change

Click to expand...

my fuse kept blowing ( the one that controls head light flasher etc)
i couldnt find it for love nor money, in the end it was the mass of wires in the dash ready for a radio to be fitted blowing that fuse,(never had a radio when ibought it) do you have radio if so check the wiring behind it

Nope, no radio fitted. Why would you want a radio in a defender? you would never be able to hear it anyway!
I do have a few spare wires sitting in the dash area though but have already tried moving them around. This is going to be hard to find because it only happens when driving along

Keeper said:

Nope, no radio fitted. Why would you want a radio in a defender? you would never be able to hear it anyway!
I do have a few spare wires sitting in the dash area though but have already tried moving them around. This is going to be hard to find because it only happens when driving along

Click to expand...

why i can hear mine fine it came with one as standard

Getting off the subject of the damned fuses for a moment.
Has anyone fitted the "wright off road" accoustic mats to their defender? if so....are they worth the money???? If they are, then maybe i'll get a radio in mine too, but only if i can get to actually hear it.....