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Topic: Somethings wrong. (Read 12767 times) previous topic - next topic

Somethings wrong.

I know that when I changed the starter for a new one I had to rearrange the wiring. Yesterday and today my car would start just fine and would run. Yesterday, when I first started it I moved the distributor one tooth and it ran great! I saw no smoke coming from my exhaust (intake manifold gasket, OIL LOOKS GOOD!) but then the idle got a little rough. This morning I put the charcoal canister back on and it acted like it wasn't getting any gas at first then it started, again no smoke coming out the exhaust but still a little rough at idle.  I went to check out my adjustment on my transmission shifts (another problem), trying to listen to a "click" between park, reverse, neutral, ect., and when I put my ignition in accessories, I heard a pop and saw smoke under the hood. I must have a short somewhere. No rest for the wicked....I must have been a rotten kid!

Somethings wrong.

Reply #1 –
Well, I think I have the shift problem fixed. Now I need to figure out the electrical problem. I tried to find anything that felt hot in the wiring when it happened, but no luck.

Somethings wrong.

Reply #2 –
could have been a fuse link that went pop.

its hard to really tell until you have the key in run with everything on and figure out what is not working correctly.

the fuse links get kinda tricy to,

Somethings wrong.

Reply #3 –
I had a friend come over to give me a hand. What we did was check all the electrical in the area where I saw smoke and we did not find anything. I took the cover off the electronic module and I didn't see anything or smell anything that smelled burnt. I took a continuity tester and stuck a needle around fuse links and one beeped while two others medium yellow wires (one had a yellow wire and a black wire) but both were bad. We tried to find a schematic that showed us the value of the fuses and we could not find one. On the fuses they only said "16 gauge". They are a sealed fuse so I will have to cut them open to see. They also both connect into the same connector from there they go into the body on the drivers side by the battery. So, hopefully we found the source of the smoke. The schematic that I saw on jassity's photo bucket is for a 2.3 not a 5.0 so I still need a schematic to trace the problem. Oh, at first we tried to cause it to smoke again by leaving the ignition on "accessories" but we got nothing. What I did find out is it did not appear to be getting voltage to the fuel injectors and the car did not start like it did yesterday.

Somethings wrong.

Reply #4 –
Fusible links are not sized by amperage, but by wire gauge size, one size smaller than the wire that they protect.  If you have a 16 gauge fusible link, it is most likely protecting a 14 gauge wire.  Jcasitty also has the entire EVTM online, which covers 2.3,2.8 and 5.0 circuits, though not usually on the same page.

Somethings wrong.

Reply #5 –
I found the schematic for my car, tomorrow I will try to figure out where those yellow wires go. Thanks!

Somethings wrong.

Reply #6 –
If you blew a fuse link you have something grounding out. Try disconnecting and seperating them and back feed the links. I pulled the print on an 86 and found orange links but no yellow. I do remember yellow on the midnighter (1988 TC) They most likely feed the alt or the main power distribution points. If the links blew look for anything that is chafed to mettal or pinched in the engine compartment. A bad alt can do this very easily. Normally you can use a signal flasher in series with the link to identify where the grounded wire is. Use a heat gun to trace the wires or harness. The flasher heats up the wire and with a heat gun you can trace it. When the wire cools down you found your Grounded wire or shorted component!!
I spend money I don't have, To build  cars I don't need, To impress people I don't know

HAVE YOU DRIVEN A FORD LATELY!!

Somethings wrong.

Reply #7 –
The other day when I started up the car I noticed that my gauge was reading about 60 amps. continuously instead of the usual 30 amps.(30 amps. then it drops off). I've never dealt with this type of fuse link, I take it they can be bought at any parts store? I have a lifetime warranty on the alternator, so I will take it off and have it checked out. That's funny that yellow wires were not on the schematic, these are a bright yellow. When my friend took the connector apart that they went into, he said there were two larger tabs that were for a large amount of electricity, that must have been for them. Thanks!

Somethings wrong.

Reply #8 –
Quote from: 86cougar;402237
...I take it they can be bought at any parts store?

I wouldn't say ANY part store, but they are found in almost every automobile made.  They are not a high failure item though, thus not usually on the sales floor. Ask for them at the parts counter just as you would for o-rings, snap rings, hose by the foot, etc.

Somethings wrong.

Reply #9 –
I looked under the hood this morning and the yellow wire appears to be the color of the fuse links. From the connector I have one yellow and a black wire going through the fuse and it comes out only one black wire on the other side, another yellow wire go through a fuse link and come out black on the other side and a there is a black wire that goes through a fuse link and comes out black. Only one other wire, a red with white or blue (hard to tell) goes to the key position on my starter relay. All the black wires connect together as one (ground is my guess). The black wires connect to two more fuse links, one that come out as black/ orange stripe and the other yellow. It appears those two go into the passenger side of the firewall. well now it's time for me to try to make some sense out of this. Thanks!

Somethings wrong.

Reply #10 –
On my schematic it looks like the red/ light blue wire goes to my neutral switch, and I know being my shifter is all out of whack it is not working right. I need to go see what happened to my shift linkage. I don't have a "click" between shifts, but I can't see how that would create a short.

Somethings wrong.

Reply #11 –
Here you go. Use a maxi fuse or just use a regular piece of wire that is 2-3 sizes smaller than the size wire you want to protect. Normally i protect a number 10 wire with a 14.


.
I spend money I don't have, To build  cars I don't need, To impress people I don't know

HAVE YOU DRIVEN A FORD LATELY!!

Somethings wrong.

Reply #12 –
Today, I cut the two fuse links out of my harness that I thought were bad and when I cut them open they were still soldered together. Maybe the voltage was too low to do a complete melt down and only smoked?? My friend said he saw only about 2-3 volts going through one wire (short in ground).

Somethings wrong.

Reply #13 –
Quote from: 86cougar;402313
Today, I cut the two fuse links out of my harness that I thought were bad and when I cut them open they were still soldered together. Maybe the voltage was too low to do a complete melt down and only smoked?? My friend said he saw only about 2-3 volts going through one wire (short in ground).

 Not following this one bit????????????????
I spend money I don't have, To build  cars I don't need, To impress people I don't know

HAVE YOU DRIVEN A FORD LATELY!!

Somethings wrong.

Reply #14 –
I had two fuse links that I thought were bad. So I took them out of the harness and cut them open (little black boxes). The wires were still soldered together. I'm trying to figure out where the smoke I saw came from. I wondering if the voltage going through a ground cable was low enough to cause the solder to smoke and not actually burn the wire?