Car is an '86 4wd hatch . The horn hasn't worked since i bought it 2-3 months ago . Every time I go to put a fuse in, it blows & I get a nice little shower of sparks. I swapped the original wheel to a 4 spoke but I don't think that would have anything to do with it ... The clock works, but resets to 1:00 every time the car is started . I found the yellow wire with the female bullet connector on it which I believe is for the clock memory . But I'm more worried about having a horn & hazards at the moment ...

 

Anyone got any ideas ? This is my first ea81 so I'm not quite familiar yet ...

it has a short or two wires crossed if its doing that so you will have to look around to see if anything seems ovious and go from there.

Ok, how would I find a short ? And on the back of the fuse box there's a green wire & a white wire with a black stripe going to the slots for the horn/hazard/clock & the plug on the horn under the hood has two green wires going to it. One with a black stipe

I got the same problem with my 85 Brat. I just got it so that's how it was.

 

The horn/hazard fuse keeps blowing. If I install a new fuse I get some sparking as I install it and then the left turn indicator lights up. It just stays lit. If I pull the fuse it's pretty hot but not blown, but I didn't leave it in very long. If I try to use the hazards it blows right away. If I operate the turn lever it blows right away.

 

I tried unplugging the turn lever harness and put the fuse back in but the left indicator light still comes on and fuse get real hot...so my problem is not in the turn lever. I've looked under the rear left but the wires seem fine. I also tried unplugging the front left turn wire harness up by the light and no change.

 

I have now pulled the whole inst panel. If I put the fuse back in it no longer gets hot. Well the dash panel is disconnected so no power is going thru it. that's as far as I've gotten this weekend...

I'm experiencing  the same problem and mine is from the ignition.

 

 

I replaced the tumbler in the ignition module, as the old one was locked up.

The small plastic bump right under the ignition is the problem for me.

Remove the interior plastic pieces surrounding it to see it.

I think all that it does is just runs back to  a key chimer letting some scatterbrain know that

the key is still in the ignition.

 

What i hope is that it doesn't have to do with the ignition lock, as my steering wheel won't lock in place.

 

I was able to start the BRAT when the ignition was apart and i could turn the module in the back of the ignition with a screwdriver.

I also had hazards and horn then.*

*edit* - the "plastic bump" under the ignition was slid out and not making contact with anything- i had even taken the

Brat out on a small victory lap when i finally got her running again.

 

I have yet to check with the wiring schematic in my Haynes book or try to run the wires back to where they came from.

 

I plan on taking some pictures and was thinking of starting my own thread, but this falls under the same problem.

 

The copper "switch" in that little ignition module is making contact with the body of the tumbler and that is what is

blowing fuses for me.

 

 * *edit*

Edited October 8, 201312 yr by seventythree

I checked my fuse box with a multimeter just now, I'm getting 13v where the horn/hazard fuse would go & I'm getting over 20 amps, it gave me an error code when I tested it set at 20 amp.

I'm experiencing  the same problem and mine is from the ignition.

 

 

I replaced the tumbler in the ignition module, as the old one was locked up.

The small plastic bump right under the ignition is the problem for me.

Remove the interior plastic pieces surrounding it to see it.

I think all that it does is just runs back to  a key chimer letting some scatterbrain know that

the key is still in the ignition.

 

What i hope is that it doesn't have to do with the ignition lock, as my steering wheel won't lock in place.

 

I was able to start the BRAT when the ignition was apart and i could turn the module in the back of the ignition with a screwdriver.

I also had hazards and horn then.*

*edit* - the "plastic bump" under the ignition was slid out and not making contact with anything- i had even taken the

Brat out on a small victory lap when i finally got her running again.

 

I have yet to check with the wiring schematic in my Haynes book or try to run the wires back to where they came from.

 

I plan on taking some pictures and was thinking of starting my own thread, but this falls under the same problem.

 

The copper "switch" in that little ignition module is making contact with the body of the tumbler and that is what is

blowing fuses for me.

 

 * *edit*

When i changed the ignition on my brat i just left off the chime wire since it drives me insain. Plus the lock smith i got the ignition switch from said he put a ignition in once for somebody at their house and he didn't get the wire in correctly so it shorted the car out making it so it didn't run which is why it was brought to nissan.

 

Ok, how would I find a short ? And on the back of the fuse box there's a green wire & a white wire with a black stripe going to the slots for the horn/hazard/clock & the plug on the horn under the hood has two green wires going to it. One with a black stipe

Basicly check everything that is hooked up to the fuse. It could be 2 wires crossed causing a short or a electrical part like the horn or hazard switch shorting out that needs replaced. Has the fuse beem blown the whole time you have had the hatch

Edited October 8, 201312 yr by turbosubarubrat

I just got done checking with a meter. And the horn didn't work when I got it, so the first place I went was the fuses & there wasn't one. Stuck one in & it blew. I also stuck a 20 amp fuse in & it blew that too. So I stopped messing with it until now ...

pulled the inst panel and re-connected the turn switch...everything works and no blown fuse...I got a bad wire or something in the dash somewhere.

When i changed the ignition on my brat i just left off the chime wire since it drives me insane. Plus the lock smith i got the ignition switch from said he put a ignition in once for somebody at their house and he didn't get the wire in correctly so it shorted the car out making it so it didn't run which is why it was brought to nissan.

Thanks, I just checked my Haynes and it says it's a key warning switch.

I'm just going to leave it off as you did when i get a new fuse in and everything back in place

later this evening.

Edited October 8, 201312 yr by seventythree

Well I'm glad you guys got your horn situation figured out ! I unplugged the turn signal switch & the ignition one & it still pops a fuse every time I go to put one in. Anyone know why I would be getting so many amps to that fuse ??

Disconnect horns, try again

 

Repeat for each load item on that circuit.

I'm sorry.  I feel bad about hijacking onto your thread.

 

Since you stated that the clock resets every time you start the car I'd

try and get a reading on the clock with your meter.

Check the wires as well.

 

 

My brat doesn't reset every time, my problem was with that silly key warning switch.

Disconnect horns, try again Repeat for each load item on that circuit.

I did that to both of the horn plugs already. Didn't change anything. I'm thinking about unplugging everything in the harness & plugging em back in to see if it'll reset anything lol

I first unplugged the turn switch harness and mine still got way hot from too many amps and blew...one the inst panel was unplugged it stopped blowing out. With the turn switch re-connected everything work normal. no problems so far but have not put the inst panel back in...

 

I should not that someone has replaced the ignition tumbler and that might be somehow connected with the problem...But I don't think I disconnected that harness yet, but could have bumped or moved it somehow and disturbed a "short" there??? but I don't think there is anything shared between the horn/hazard circuits and the ignition switch other than both harnesses are in the steering column

 

 

One way to help you find a short on a circuit is to replace the fuse with a brake light bulb. Get a bulb socket with some pigtail wires and place a brake light in the socket. Then solder the wires to each side of a blown fuse. The lamp will limit the current available to the short to a safe level as the lamp will now act as the load for the circuit. The lamp should be at full brightness if the cicuit is a dead short. By disconnecting suspected areas of trouble the lamp will either go dim or off when the problem is disconnected from the supply lead.

Thanks for that tip Cougar, I'll keep that in mind. Just pulled off my cluster surrounding with the wiper knobs etc. unplugged the wires that connected to it & the ones from the ignition. My problem was with this green plug, it runs to the little black piece under the ignition. I unplugged it, stuck a fuse in and beep beep ! My horn works but when I plug those green connectors in, it pops the fuse. What's this green connector for ? Or do ?

 

can you follow the wires? I'm still waiting on my Haynes to arrive but it should have wiring schematics

I did not follow the wires, just the 2 that go to the little black cover underneath the key in the ignition. I left it unplugged & just put everything back together. My horn/hazards work, & my clock now has memory so I'm satisfied.

 

I'll see if I can follow the wires through the harness to see where they go ....

If one of the connectors goes to the ignition switch area it might be for the key warning chime circuit. I don't have my data right now but will try to check it out when I do.

It is for the warning chime

I looked yesterday and I can only see one of the green plugs (yellow & blue wires) I didn't see the other plug. Not sure if it's been cut off or just tucked away somewhere...I don't remember if I unplugged it either...I just disconnected everything that was in the way to get my inst panel out.

The plug for the horn rubbs on the body and shorts the horn is + powerd all the time wire shorts blows fuse 95% shure shorted horn check all horn wire harness on front of car have fought this many times.Check were wire harness comes thru body