Disco 1 new issue that i suspect could be serious

Ok so im just gonna throw this one out to all the guru's on here and hope someone has come up against it and found a fix.

I'm Blowing fuse 14 the instant i turn on the ignition.
I lose ALL my dash no gauges/dials or warning lights work only thing that lights up is my SRS for its little test then go's off. I also lose my reverse lights

i suspect fuse box but i dont have a spare 300tdi fuse box laying around if anyone has one there willing to sell please let me know or if you have one laying around you can test for me and tell me where you get continuity readings from the both sides of the fuse14 holder.

additional info.
i was a while ago blowing fuse 14 and after "looking" at the wires on the transducer and clocks found nothing but it then worked for a week or so. now its gone again, now for the list of what i have tried

removed and replugged ALL wires on the fuse box,
removed the transducer and reverse switch wiring and tried with them off,
removed all the dash clock plugs and tried with them off,
wiggled and pulled wires about to see if it would make a difference.
none of that helped

jerked the car in 1st gear for a bit and pulled over put in a fuse and it worked for about a mile.

took out the fuse box and got continuity in a large number of pins from the fuse holder. i'll try get it out again tomorrow and get some picks.

any help appreciated as at present i dont even know what fuel i have got or what temps im running at.

Hi ceffyn (kev) just had the book of lies out & no 14 duz instruments & reversing lights ! Stick a 20 amp in & see wot sets on fire sounds like a short to me

lol already put a 20 in to find a fire it went pop like the others, tomorrow im going to take out the center and drill out the rivets for the access see if i can see anything else there first i know its not the main transducer wire's i have replaced them going to look at the rest of the wires down there. quick side question my trailor hitch (leccy bit) is fobard, am i safe to remove all the wires from it and put them in blocks for now until i get a replacement.

As you're well aware, a fuse blows because there's too much current trying to pass through it.
There are a number of things which can cause that over-current; too many circuits drawing current on the same fuse, but that would have been sorted in the design phase; we can discount it.
The next thing is a faulty circuit, that could be a fault on an individual circuit within a package of circuits such as an instrument cluster. Even washers fitted in the wrong order can cause such faults.
Another cause is faulty wiring, sometimes due to a reversal of polarity which can happen when maintenance or repairs have been undertaken.
Yet another reason for a fuse to fail is the reason why the fuse is in the circuit in the first place, to protect the wiring, not the device on the end of the wiring. The kind of things to look for is insulation chaffed through to a ground (bodywork) or another circuit.
There are at least two ways such a short circuit fault could be introduced; age induced, insulation becoming brittle and breaking down, vibration causing chafing and of course operator induced faults while working.
Obviously the first things to re-check and possibly redo are the jobs "completed" since the fault has occurred, after that, a careful check of all the wiring and circuits involved on that particular fused supply. These checks can take time and perseverance.
The only way to work on this now is methodically, step by step without jumping about from one bit to another.

Stick a M6 bolt in then you will see smoke As for the leccy bit NO you have to sit in the boot with the door wide open with 2 wires in your ears 2 in your mouth & the other 3 in your hands while the good looking 1 drives around you local off road track ! LOL

lmao i'll think of an m6 later down the line when im all P***** off with looking lmao and is there a chance of a serious answer on the trailer wiring lol

I was being serious about the trailer wiring ! was gunna get the kids to take picys LOL yes you can put them in chocky blocks to keep them from shorting out + I think you can pull then back inside truck to keep them dry !

awesome because i was going to try tomorrow without asking on the assumption it would work haha but as im here with new issues figured may as well ask haha.
many thanks as always will keep you updated with progress haha

From what I can see of the wiring diagram there should be no problem with cutting the socket away and sticking the wires into a block to keep them all separate. Just arrange for the block to be waterproof afterwards. There is a slim chance that some of your other problems might be down to shorts on the trailer socket. Make a note (and keep it safe) of where the wires came from so that they can be put back on a new socket some time. I don't know since I don't have a Disco 1, but there might be a plug and socket arrangement somewhere inside the car, at the back behind a trim panel where it would be easier to just disconnect the outside bit.
If you're using a 7 pin socket, there's no problem, if it's one of the later 13pin sockets then testing it should be part of the MoT if it's still fitted.

ok guys i said i would update so here it is,
removed the towing socket via the plug just behind the back inner quarter panel just down from the lights.
put a new fuse in drove it like a D*** to bounce it and wiggle it around and the fuse lives on
tore out the center console and all looking good from above wires all in tact and out of the way.
also cleaned off my transfer box underside i suspect im leaking from the access panel if i am anyone know how big a job it is opening that to change the gasket
am i going to get a face full of internals

also for the record it was a 7 pin socket and the connector inside is also a mini 7 pin connector. in addition to the fuse staying alive i now have both rear fog lights working

will update again if something changes or i have to sort something to do with the same issue
thanks again for the help guys

ok i said i would be back to report if there was more to this issue, was driving about rough and smooth and it was all fine then randomly on a soft right hand turn out of a junction POOF fuse gone again. was no juddering no bumps just a simple gentle pull out of a junction. after all the stripping down and checking of things yesterday im now VERY suspicious that it is something to do with my fuse box as i cant find any damaged wires anywhere. as soon as i get the chance (hopefully in the next couple of days) im going to remove the fuse box and continuity test it and make note of where i get connections. then im going to shake it a little (or maybe a lot hehe) then test again to see if anything changes. i'll post the results up on here as soon as im done. on a more positive note removing the trailer socket has fixed my drivers side rear fog so at least i've found the problem with that and sorted it haha

ok quick update to see what some of you guys think. i havent had the time i had planned to remove the fuse box for testing but i have found a method that for now is working and im happy to say its fuse box until i get chance to change it. why do i think its fuse box you may ask well i will tell you, this is how it go's lol

fuse blows - change the fuse it blows again on key turn
fuse blows - punch the fuse box 2 or 3 times then change the fuse and it will work for a random amount of time.

plans on this one for now are keep hitting it until...
A : i get a new fuse box to change it,
or
B : it stops working and i have to wait until i have a new one to change it before i continue to drive the disco.

ceffyn Go to your local garage & get a gallon of petrol ! & set fire to the f**kin thing

Steve

haha steve i have a video now of my passenger door sounding like an impact gun when i lock the thing

Magicgrotto said:

ceffyn Go to your local garage & get a gallon of petrol ! & set fire to the f**kin thing

Steve

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I'm tempted to agree with you too Steve.

lol come on now guys give her a chance she's only had issues from day 1 pmsl


thats my new impact hammer door locking haha.

Now Boy you OK?
Think your door actuator is out of line that's why it sounds like a impact gun !! Needs adjusting !
As for your fuse box can you not find another power supply for wots on the fuse line that's blowing ? while you get a new one
Other than that think my idea about petrol & match are the next move !!!!!! LOL
Another idea ! Why not give the offending wires a separate power with a fuse + switch & see how that goes ??

Steve

ceffyn said:

ok i said i would be back to report if there was more to this issue, was driving about rough and smooth and it was all fine then randomly on a soft right hand turn out of a junction POOF fuse gone again. was no juddering no bumps just a simple gentle pull out of a junction. after all the stripping down and checking of things yesterday im now VERY suspicious that it is something to do with my fuse box as i cant find any damaged wires anywhere. as soon as i get the chance (hopefully in the next couple of days) im going to remove the fuse box and continuity test it and make note of where i get connections. then im going to shake it a little (or maybe a lot hehe) then test again to see if anything changes. i'll post the results up on here as soon as im done. on a more positive note removing the trailer socket has fixed my drivers side rear fog so at least i've found the problem with that and sorted it haha

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Fuse boxes get oxides on their contacts, you can make up a 'cleaning utensil' I use a modded kebab stick (unused) ...
Saying that tho, I have repaired a Volvo fuse box that had melted on the underneath ... so it may pay to take lots of photos, so you know what goes where, or write up a crib sheet ... and take the box out and have proper look at it ...

Magicgrotto said:

Hi ceffyn (kev) just had the book of lies out & no 14 duz instruments & reversing lights ! Stick a 20 amp in & see wot sets on fire sounds like a short to me

Click to expand...

A nail instead of a fuse finds the fault really quick