AO

In case you haven't been following my '87 For Sale thread (see signature), I recently did a timing belt job and on it's maiden voyage, the car started to over heat.

At first I thought I might have left a paper towel in the radiator (to stop it from dripping on my head), but then when I got it on the highway, the temp came down, so I knew it was an airflow problem and not a circulation problem. Whew!

Looking at the fans, the driver side spun very slowly, and the passenger side didn't spin at all. Yesterday I dug into the fuse panel and checked the fuses for each fan. They're fine.

Next I checked the wiring at the 14-pin connector. All looks good.

Next I checked the fuse for the fan controller... BLOWN! Well actually, it looked like it was still just touching - probably enough for the driver fan to get a little juice. But here is where it gets crazy...

Last week or so, I blew the fuse for the radio by trying to run the air pump off the cigarette light socket to pump up my bicycle tires. I know it should be separate from the radio, but it's not... I installed a new fuse, but it still didn't work. ???? I thoguht maybe there was na in-line fuse or something... I didn't want to dig into it and I haven't looked in there to see how it's wired. But back to the fans...

The fuse for the radio is #3, the fan controller is #2. As I'm checking the fan controller fuse, I bump the radio fuse and it falls out! WTF!? I try to stick it back in... no love. It's all loosey goosey. Hmmmmm.....


I look at the fuse block, I see little strands of wire in the fuse block. It turns out some stereo installer used to 'ol "bend a piece of wire around the blade of a fuse to get power because I'm too lazy to do it right" trick. In the process they spread the contacts for the fuse. Then another stereo installer decided, "I'm in too much of a hurry to remove the wire, so I'll just cut it off" leaving a nub of wire stuck in the fuse block.

I can best surmise that when I blew the radio fuse and installed a new on, I must have shoved the remnant of the wire into the fuse block or dislodged it somehow. Allowing the little strands to roll around, shorting out the fan controller fuse.

So after about a half an hour, behind the fuse panel, taking the fuse block out, cleaning it, fixing the contacts, etc. All is well with the fans and stereo.

I did notice a little mouse nest behind the CE panel. One of the gray wires has been nibbled on, but seems okay. Need to monitor to see if it's a fresh nest or an old one. My guess is that it's old. Still need to get some poison to be safe.

Anyway, that's my story of how a stero installer can mess up your radiator fans! What are the odds on that one?

Sorry no pics... forgot my camera.

blown 87

Never, ever, let radio monkeys touch on your car.

Randy V

VehiGAZ

+ 928!!!! Not only will they be lazy and sloppy about their own work, they are sure to screw up something unrelated to the job as well. Yes, even the "reputable" shops. If they aren't charging you a grand for their install labor, you are going to get shoddy, lazy, get-it-out-of-the-bay work.

Benton

Man, isn't that the truth. Out of all the automotive professions, the stereo business seems to have the highest percentage of hack "professionals." Not to say there aren't some great ones out there, but do your research before you take your car to just anyone.

Ed Scherer

Tire shops rank right up there, too. Scratched wheels, lug nuts way over torqued with rattle guns, etc.

Maleficio

Shops like these are great if you don't care about your car.

blown 87

I had some one ask me about doing a remote radar detector install a couple of weeks ago, in a very nice car, late model BMW, I told them it would be some where between 700-1000 bucks.

They said they could get it done for 250, I said "What a deal", they left in a huff.

dr bob

Geeeze, Greg... Just use a couple Scotchlocks from the interior light wiring to a short piece of that small clear speaker wire. Run it out through the hole for the sunvisor clip, and mount the head with velcro to the headliner. Done carefully, the detector head hides the lump in the headlinere where the wire goes past the forward rib. No room for a fuse but who needs 'em; the interior light fuse is good enough.

Send me half of the $250 and we'll call it even.

blown 87

This was a remote unit with three laser heads and one radar head, plus a display, control unit, and interface.