Fuse gone? Or something more sinister?

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Jacksprat

Member
Posts
86
Location
london
Afternoon all,

Yesterday indicators, windscreen wipers, temp gauge and fuel gauge all stopped working.

I had a quick look in Haynes and note that..

Fuse no. 1-2 Protects the lighting circuit.
Fuse no. 3-4 Is a spare circuit.
Fuse no. 5-6 Protects the directional indicator and window wiper circuits.
Fuse no. 7-8 Protects the fuel guage, water guage and the stop lights.

However I cant work out whether they number from the top or the bottom?

The bottom one looks like it has blown. So I swapped that one with the 2nd from top and that didn't seem to make any difference.

I am going to replace all the fuses this evening but what do you think that this could be something else?
 
The fuses are a protection. There's a short circuit or earth problem somewhere. Check connections under the bonnet. Have you had problems with switches on the dashboard?
 
Thank you John I have sometimes had a problem with the windscreen wipers staying on. I changed the park switch and this hasn't cured it...

I am hopeless with electrics where exactly am I looking for the connections under the bonnet?! (big question probably)
 
I never liked glass fuses, and I like the fact that half the circuits on a series are unfused even less! My 109 will be getting a rewire during the rebuild so I can modernise/upgrade to blade fuses and have everything properly fused.
 
I haven’t had the chance to go through this any more as been so busy and car is parked on dark street so after work is hopeless now. However, I went out in the dark last night and replaced the blown use and checked them all with a multimeter. What seems strange to me is that I turned the head lights on and then took out the fuses in turn and the lights didn’t turn off?! Is this weird?
 
Glass fuses are prone to failing with age as the filiament is not supported so they sag and break. Also the holder does not grip them very well and you get a high resistance so you need to clean everything and (as above) pinch the clamps a bit.
 
The series 3 was the uprated version with 4 fuses. Series 1's only had one.
 

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Going to do a complete rewire on my 109 when I put it back together, partly so I can add proper fuses/relays where they're lacking from the original installation.
 
I took the steering column shroud off this afternoon and found that someone had obviously run out of spade connectors and had therefore soldered the purple wire from fuse 1-2 this was now breaking down and I hoped that this was the cause of the issue (see picture attached) After attaching a new connector I found the problem seemed fixed however every time I put the shroud back on the problem returned... I therefore checked all the other spade connectors and found that they were ok however if I 'jiggled' one of the green wires that leaves fuse 5-6 the problem could be mended or returned! It turns out that this fuse had gone, but only just and could reconnect if 'jiggled'. Everything seems to be working at the moment so hopefully not an earth issue or something further down the line. I think a rewire is due.. I am going to connect up a battery isolator for now until time and funds allow a rewire.
 

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Does anyone know where I could get a new steering column shroud for a series 3 from? I think part number 347557 and 347558. Craddocks have them but for nearly £150!
 
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