1980 model fuse panel smoking
03-01-2009, 01:42 PM
#1
Drifting
Thread Starter
1980 model fuse panel smoking
My son's 80 model has one electrical problem I really don't know where to start with. I replaced a badly rusted fuse panel with a good used one and that corrected all the dash issues the car had...but did nothing to correct this issue. So..I can assume the panel is not the problem. The problem is and has been when you turn the A/C or heat on the fuse panel at the a/c fuse starts to smoke from behind the panel. The fuse never blows. Where would you start to look??? Could this be a ground? The only thing I feel I can eliminate is the fuse panel itself.
03-01-2009, 06:16 PM
#4
Team Owner
well since you didnt use up all of the smoke yet, I would disonnect the battery and find the smoker behind the CE panel, there are too many wires that can also give up their smoke once a hot one melts into its neighbor
03-03-2009, 04:57 PM
#5
Drifting
Thread Starter
Okay...I unplugged the fan at the firewall in motor compartment and NO smoke....When the fan is hooked up the top of the fan fuse #17 burns and smokes...NOT the wires in the back...the actual plastic part of the fuse its self. Also with the fan hooked up it only blows on defrost...no other setting. ???
03-03-2009, 08:33 PM
#6
Team Owner
remove the resistor pack and inspect it it may be shorted.
-+
The resistor pack will go bad/overheat if the blower motor is dirty( sticky bearings) and thus creating more resistance this equals more amps to run and then it makes the resistor pack run at a higher temperature.
The blower motor may need to have bearings cleaned and oiled.
Also you could have a short in the HVAC head unit i would suggest that you pull this part out and open and inspect it , clean the tracks inside with an eraser.
All work is done with battery disconnected
-+
The resistor pack will go bad/overheat if the blower motor is dirty( sticky bearings) and thus creating more resistance this equals more amps to run and then it makes the resistor pack run at a higher temperature.
The blower motor may need to have bearings cleaned and oiled.
Also you could have a short in the HVAC head unit i would suggest that you pull this part out and open and inspect it , clean the tracks inside with an eraser.
All work is done with battery disconnected
Last edited by Mrmerlin; 03-04-2009 at 01:04 AM.
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03-04-2009, 01:03 AM
#8
Team Owner
Ahh I meant resistor pack sorry , it is in the blower duct.
I fixed it in the above post
I fixed it in the above post
03-04-2009, 11:17 AM
#9
Rennlist Member
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In an electrical system, heat is a product of current flow thru a resistance. This sounds as if you have a high-resistance connection somewhere on the end of that fuse. The most likely problems are the ends of the fuse or the fuse holder spade connector on the back of the panel.
If the blower works only on defrost, the problem can be a faulty blower relay or the fuse circuit. If the blower works on only the highest speed, the problem is usually a broken resistor wire in the resistor pack hidden in the blower plenum under the hood.
Go to our web site, then to the + on Tips and Links, then the + on Wally's World, then the HVAC System.
If the blower works only on defrost, the problem can be a faulty blower relay or the fuse circuit. If the blower works on only the highest speed, the problem is usually a broken resistor wire in the resistor pack hidden in the blower plenum under the hood.
Go to our web site, then to the + on Tips and Links, then the + on Wally's World, then the HVAC System.
03-04-2009, 11:24 AM
#11
Team Owner
I have found more than a few resistor packs with broken wires and overheated coils. Then upon fan inspection found the fan to be hard to turn, after cleaning and lubrication the fan would spin more freely and the relay pack would not kick in to full speed operation due to overheating when the selected speed was zero or one
03-04-2009, 11:29 AM
#12
Electron Wrangler
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Wally called it - It is only the fuse holder in the panel - there is no other drama.
Dont bother with any other diagnostics it is 100% certain that if the fuse gets hot enough to melt/smoke and doesn't blow - the fuse & fuse holder need to be cleaned or replaced - preferably both replaced...
Find an old type panel to canibalise - or find someone who already has - swap the fuseholders (and any others that look less than pristine)
Alan
Dont bother with any other diagnostics it is 100% certain that if the fuse gets hot enough to melt/smoke and doesn't blow - the fuse & fuse holder need to be cleaned or replaced - preferably both replaced...
Find an old type panel to canibalise - or find someone who already has - swap the fuseholders (and any others that look less than pristine)
Alan
03-04-2009, 11:40 AM
#13
Drifting
Thread Starter
I will try that first ..I have the old panel out of the car. Surely I can pull one and get it clean enough to use. Will let you know by this evenning. Thanks.
03-04-2009, 12:02 PM
#14
Team Owner
since the OP stated that the fan only blows on defrost then it stands to reason that the resistor pack is damaged
03-04-2009, 12:11 PM
#15
Drifting
Thread Starter
Also I thought a bad resistor pack only let the fan run on high...so defrost only was strange to me....am I wrong?
Thanks for the feed back guys...I need it on this one big time.