EYE_WHY Posted June 27, 2005 Share Posted June 27, 2005 Ok, well, I did some more electrical testing and found out a couple of things. First off, fuse #5 seems to control everything!! I tested each individual fuse, and fuse #5 was the only one when taken out would make the test light dim. Also, everything works fine if all fuses are in, but nothing works if fuse #5 is out and things work fine when fuses except #5 are out. So after pulling ALL fuses, I looked at the test light, and although dim, it was still lit. Now for the big problem, after I put all the fuses back in, I noticed that with the key in the on position all of the red warning lights came on except the "check engine" light. I found this kinda odd so I tried to start the car, nothing. The starter motor and everything works, the engine just doesn't catch. I am totally stumped, everything is back in and connected and the car still won't start and I just drove it to the auto parts store 3 hours ago!!!!! Please help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted June 28, 2005 Share Posted June 28, 2005 does the hazard work, and does the door chime work? the reason i ask is one day, on my 88 spfi, i was installing a factory radio and had to restore the harness(chopped up from stolen aftermarket) anyway i shorted out the green wire to the stereo(hot all the time) and blew the ecs fuse. i replaced the fuse and no start. i was like what the hell, and was about to tear out the dashboard. i tested for volts at the green wire and no volts, when it should be hot all the time with the key off. so i got smart and jumped + from one of my switches straight from the battery to the green wire and then it would start, and i have been driving this way when i connected the jumper my chime came on and the hazard came on(with the button) and this way i knew the ecu was gettin power Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EYE_WHY Posted June 28, 2005 Author Share Posted June 28, 2005 Haha, I made a dumb mistake and forgot to check my fuses before I posted. It was just a blown fuse that supplies power to the SPFI, so understandably it wouldn't start. Thanks for the reply though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted June 28, 2005 Share Posted June 28, 2005 You are correct that fuse #5 powers a lot of things and the ECU is one of them. I learned about this fuse after working with a another poster who was having ignition problems. It turned out fuse #5 was missing. Fuse #12 also runs a lot of things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EYE_WHY Posted June 28, 2005 Author Share Posted June 28, 2005 So then I shouldn't be worried if fuse #5 powers my automatic seatbelts?? I was almost positive that the leak had something to do with those seatbelts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted June 28, 2005 Share Posted June 28, 2005 If you have a current drain problem still the problem could very well be with the seatbelt system. It would be nice to know how much current is being used while the car is off. If there is more than around 80 milliamps of current draw then there is a problem. If the seatbelt system is suspected, try disconnecting the wiring to it and see if the current draw changes significantly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EYE_WHY Posted June 28, 2005 Author Share Posted June 28, 2005 yep, that is what I was gunna tackle next. I figured that whatever the drain was, it wasn't coming through any of the fuses, so it must be something that uses power directly from the battery and I didn't notice an "automatic seatbelt fuse" in the manual or on the fuse cover so maybe thats the culprit . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted June 28, 2005 Share Posted June 28, 2005 From your first post you stated that by removing fuse #5 it made the light dim. Is that still the case? My manual for an '88 model shows the seatbelts being supplied power through fuse #12. Not sure if yours is the same or not. If you find there is a draw that is not going through the fuses then check the alternator by disconnecting it and checking things again. The output lead is hot so disconnect the battery before working on it and don't ground the lead while checking again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EYE_WHY Posted June 28, 2005 Author Share Posted June 28, 2005 Ya, I checked the alternator, its all good. The alt. was replaced about a year ago when someone else had the car and they were trying to figure out the drain, so its in good condition. Fuse #5 does make the test light dim a little, but after about 5 or 6 seconds the light lights up again to the brightness it orignally was. Fuse #5 seems to control my horn, hazard lights, clock, radio and seatbelts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted June 28, 2005 Share Posted June 28, 2005 Fuse #5 does make the test light dim a little, but after about 5 or 6 seconds the light lights up again to the brightness it orignally was. Fuse #5 seems to control my horn, hazard lights, clock, radio and seatbelts. Are you saying that when you pull out fuse #5 that the light goes dim but 5 seconds later it gets brite again with the fuse still removed? According to my manual the fuse contols more than that, but your model may be different. It would be good to know how much current is being drawn. Can you get a ammeter to check the current with? If you can't reduce the current flow by pulling any of the fuses you could try pulling the fusible links one at a time to see which one the draw is on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EYE_WHY Posted June 29, 2005 Author Share Posted June 29, 2005 Yes cougar, with the test light hooked up, when I pull the fuse, it does dim then gradually (over 4 or 5 seconds) gets up to the brightness it was originally at. I tried unplugging every connector that went to my power seatbelts and power windows, but the light was still on. Tomorrow I'll pull the fusible links and see if I can find anything. I'm gunna try to borrow my friends ammeter because I am also curious about the current drain. Thanks for all your, maybe someday I'll find this d#%$ drain!!! I also noticed that my CEL didn't come on when i had my key in the 'on' position, I am pretty sure I just forgot to plug something in, but it did seem strange that all the other lights (Charge, oil, etc.) came on. Hmm..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted June 29, 2005 Share Posted June 29, 2005 I take it that pulling all the other fuses doesn't change the light intensity, is that correct? If so, then hopefully pulling the fusible links will show up something. I would check the bulb for the CEL to see if it is burned out. If it is ok then there may be a problem with the ECU circuit to it. I have had to replace some IC's in them before to fix the problem. The circuit makes a ground connection to the bulb to turn it on. Check to see if voltage is getting to the bulb when the key is turned to on or run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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