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86 xt gl10 turbo engine/meter fuse keeps blowing


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okay looking for some help. so a couple days ago car started acting crazy and it died on me a couple times. so looked and alt was getting hot and smelled bad. before I went to get it tested I checked out the fusible link that is connected to the alt (1.25 black wire) and noticed it was hot as well so I figured maybe that were the issue so I did alittle research to try and figure out what watt of newer style FL I should use and when I did this it just blew and caused my engine/meter fuse to blow so no I have no dash lights or gauges no heat radio cig lighter etc.... bought a new alt and installed it and car is now running great but the engine meter fuse blows instantly if I put a new one in. obviously have a short somewhere but I'm not sure as to what wire(s) go to this engine meter fuse

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 I should use and when I did this it just blew and caused my engine/meter fuse to blow so no I have no dash lights or gauges no heat radio cig lighter etc.... bought a new alt and installed it and car is now running great but the engine meter fuse blows instantly if I put a new one in.

 

Well if the radio is going out when it blows, the radio is on that circuit.

 

IN my experience, the stereo is the most monkeyed with electrical system in a car........you never know what someone did in there....

 

Common ones are to

 

A) wire the radio "ON" power to the red/green Lightning wires...

 

B) Leave green "Hot all times" wire cut and dangling.....shorting out on metal in dash...

 

C) Wire up speakers without seperating the Front/rear grounding cicuits.

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I had just put in a new stereo and everything was wired fine and was working fine for multiple days then I was messing with the 1.25 FL and that's when the meter engine fuse started blowing. I've even tried narrowing where the short is by pulling fuses to the things that are not working and the fuse still blows.

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If it's fuse 12.....that would prevent starting since it's the circuit that triggers the Main Ignition relay.

 

The power for the Ignition coil is fuse 11.

 

Things on the #12 fuse...

 

Blower relay, Rear Defrost relay, Kickdown switch, Warning lights, Combination meter.

 

 

Is it possible you wired the stereo into the interior lighting cicuit?  What color wire did you hook the Batt and Ig. 12+ to in the dash??

 

Humor me......pull the trim and inspect the radio wiring.

Edited by Gloyale
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I'm not sure of fuse number off the top of my head but on my flip down cover it is "engine/meter" fuse I can check the number next time I'm in it but this really has me stumped because everything was fine until I put a 40 fl in place of the 1.25mm OEM one. car runs and drives fine but I have no readings or controls. my dash lights up when headlights are on, right turn signal works left does not (illuminates solid on dash), windshield wipers work, no cigaret lighter, blower, or defrosters. I have pulled fuses for everything that was not working plus some other and the E/M fuse still blows

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I'm not sure of fuse number off the top of my head but on my flip down cover it is "engine/meter" fuse I can check the number next time I'm in it but this really has me stumped because everything was fine until I put a 40 fl in place of the 1.25mm OEM one. car runs and drives fine but I have no readings or controls. my dash lights up when headlights are on, right turn signal works left does not (illuminates solid on dash), windshield wipers work, no cigaret lighter, blower, or defrosters. I have pulled fuses for everything that was not working plus some other and the E/M fuse still blows

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Turn signal and cigarette lighter not working may be unrelated....they are not on that circuit.

 

But the blower relay and rear defrost relay are on fuse 12, along with A/C unit, height unit, Power window relay.

 

The strange thing is that the on;y connection between the 1.25 Fusible link and the Circuit you mention is literally the IG. switch.....and that is before the fuse so short there wouldn't blow a fuse in the box.

 

IDK......I think you have more than one issue

 

But for the fuse blowing start out bychecking the relays below the radio in the center......try removing the Blower relay(white connector with RY and GW heavy gauge wires)  and the Defrost relay(blue connector, also RY wire)

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Turn signal and cigarette lighter not working may be unrelated....they are not on that circuit.

 

But the blower relay and rear defrost relay are on fuse 12, along with A/C unit, height unit, Power window relay.

 

The strange thing is that the on;y connection between the 1.25 Fusible link and the Circuit you mention is literally the IG. switch.....and that is before the fuse so short there wouldn't blow a fuse in the box.

 

IDK......I think you have more than one issue

 

But for the fuse blowing start out bychecking the relays below the radio in the center......try removing the Blower relay(white connector with RY and GW heavy gauge wires)  and the Defrost relay(blue connector, also RY wire)

just unplugged the relays and still blowing that damn fuse

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Well, that fuse is indeed the #12 one I was talking about.

 

hmm....Gonna have to keep digging......I'll keep lookin through the FSM...

 

Pretty much all the wire on that circuit is Red/Yellow.....so I'd look for relays that have Red/Yellow wire and pull them til you find it.

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Just be aware that at least down under, we got different fuse blocks under dash between the years, yours might be different from those advising you too !

 

You said you were going about upgrading the FL to the more modern plastic body female fusible link FFL , yeah ?

 

Did you get around to doing that ?

 

Curious as to what rating FFL replaced your black fabric covered FL.

 

Some have said swap colour for colour, whereas a lot of thought by some who know normal electric and fuse blow ratings etc, suggest colour for colour is too high rated. Black fabric genuines croos to black FFL which are 80A. I halved the 80A and fitted a 40A rated FFL and had no problems.

What rating was new fusible link ?The answer may not have any bearing on finding your problem though !

 

Does the blowing fuse blow immediately ?

 

Does it blow on acc or IGN ON without starting engine, or have you gotta start and run engine before it blows. Turn off every accessory etc tooo helps eliminate odd things, switch on and off one at a time....

Edited by jono
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jono I first tried a 20 and then a 40 FFL and both blew within seconds. after putting the 40 FFL in i now had a blown meter/engine fuse and it blows just by turning the key, car does not have to be started for it to blow....however all of this trial and error with these fusible links was before I realized what the real problem was (bad voltage regulator in my alternator). after I replaced the alternator the car ran fine but the fuse still blows. my issue with the meter/engine fuse blowing began when I put the 40A FFL and when it went out so did the meter engine fuse

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how exactly do you determine the number of the fuse? sorry if it's a stupid question but everyway I count the fuses I don't get 12....just trying to make sure we are on the same page haha. I grately appreciate you trying to help me out with this

 

From your sideways picture above count left to right on the top row....1-8.....second row, 9,10, 11, 12 is the forth one in.

 

Stop focusing on the FL........I know you are thinkin they are related....but they can't be.  The FL gives power to the fuse......so even if the fuse blows....the FL is still giving power to one side of the fuse.......the Short is "downstream" from there.......on one of the curuits that is fed power by fuse 12.

 

Here from the 86 FSM for XT.......is everything listed on the #12 circuit.

 

Warning units, Rear defrost relay, Diode box, Trip computer, Blower relay, A/C max switch, Height control Unit, Switch box???, Speed warning, Mode control unit, Kickdown relay, Power window relay, Kickdown solenoid.

 

Any of those things your car has, disconnect them.  You can substitue a test light between the contacts of the fuse...it will glow until you pull the device causing the issue.

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OK. ECU in your beast ? If so, you could try unplug its connectors one by one see if fuse blows .....If your alternator spiked or surged it could have done something to a component protected by the fuse panel fuse before any fuse could blow as mine did behind the cluster, and a few other places, such as the diode checker on my 3AT 4WD switch box and all hazrd blinker globes and interior globe. You need to isolate each circuit off that fuse until you find it. :(

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Well.....That's awesome.

 

I still don't understand though.....that is Connector i77 with wires for the "passing switch" which is connected to both the Hi beam circuit and the Open/Retract headlight unit.  Neither of those things is connected to fuse 12 ????

 

Are you sure you didn't just wiggle around some other connector? 

Edited by Gloyale
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