fonetico

At the moment I'm contributing to another posting " Center Console Lighting Problem: Blowing Fuse" that I discovered after an endless search. I seem to have a similar problem to Manfred, the originator of the thread. I subsequently discovered an even more relevant thread started by Ryanperrella.

Unfortunately, in both instances, the thread stumbles at the final hurdle and there's no indication of the final outcome. And I've found this is fairly typical, so that someone like me, searching for a solution to a problem, is never quite sure which remedy was most applicable.

Could not members be encouraged to show a modicum of altruism and make the effort to post one final explanation of how the problem was eventually solved? Or is this unreasonable?

86'928S MeteorGrey

Fonetico,

Most of the time, resolutions are in the post. I've been put on track too many times to think otherwise. You may just have had the "luck" to have your problems be ones that were not resolved. On the occasion that you discover a problem and the original threads are non-conclusive, make a new post with your problem. Everyone here will probably jump in to help the solution to become evident.

Then, after fixing the problem, post the solution, and then go back and update the post that stumbled... It will help future "victims".

Recently, I had an issue with replacing the AC clutch relay in the AC head of an 84. No one had done it before. It had been done on 87 and up cars but not the 84. I took it to task by finding the correct wiring diagram and doing the legwork. Then posted the solution. The wiring pattern was much different and caused some headache, but I got it done. It's a hard thing to do, but fortunately we are blessed with some very detail oriented people here. I'm definitely not one of them... Dwayne is one that comes to mind and does GREAT write-ups, and offers detailed solutions in every post.

More than likely, in the center console blowing a fuse... It's am old wire shorting to ground... Simple as that. And unfortunately, going in and replacing the wire will be your solution.

Best regards,

Mike

Rob Edwards

Not unreasonable at all, the value of the technical discussion on RL is the solutions to the problems encountered. And FWIW I am having the same problem with the center console lighting in my GTS and have no idea what the problem is, so I'm interested in the answer as well!

Jadz928

Please follow-up on how this works out for you...

fonetico

Well Mike, I guess I've been unlucky.

I can't dispute the expertise available on this web site. I suspect Wally has resolved the majority of my issues. But I've often found I can't fathom the exact cause of problems. The info and suggestions are brilliant but the precise solution isn't always clear to me.

Maybe it's my relative inexperience with this piece of engineering complexity.

O that it were just "an old wire shorting to ground"!!! If only you knew the frustration detecting "that wire" is provoking!

fonetico

Rob, allow me to share the fruits of my labours so far.

I spent last weekend dismantling the central console to be greeted with a veritable rat's nest of wires. Trying to establish what went where proved to be a challenge beyond my mental capacity. It was obvious I had no idea what I was looking for and, unfortunately, I had to put the whole thing back together again as the car is my DD.

During the week I tried a search on RL and discovered the two threads from Manfred and Ryan Perrella that seemed relevant to my problem. I'd already tried most of the things they did with the same frustrating outcome. So I resurrected one of the threads to see if I could move it on.

So far I've understood the following:
The critical wire is black/blue.
Even though the dimmer rheostat was hot enough to melt, it probably isn't responsible.
The HVAC unit is a likely culprit. Pin 3 on the 15 pin connector is for illumination and should read 10 ohms. If zero, it's the short. There's a light bulb inside the unit that can be replaced.

Wally came up with an inspired suggestion of attaching a light bulb to the fuse terminals. As it's in series in the circuit it will glow brightly if there's a short and dimly if there isn't. So this weekend I'll take the whole thing apart again and try out this trick. Thanks to this site I feel a helluva lot better prepared compared to a week ago.

86'928S MeteorGrey

Fonetico,

I understand your frustration. I have been to the point where I up and sold everything I had...

Only to then long for another 928...

It's a curse really.

I'd suggest (If you're up for it) to get your cars wiring diagram. A good way to allow us to help you more is to also to put the year and make (US or EURO) of your car in your signature.

Alan is a known 928 electrical guru. There is an electrical primer available (which he wrote I believe) that will teach you how to read the wiring diagram "coding". This will allow you to more clearly understand where the wires are going and what they do. Bear with it. The solution will be found... So you can deal with the next problem WHEN not IF it arises!

Good Luck! I'll keep an eye out and help any way I can.

fonetico

Mike,

I've heard from Manfred and Ryan Perrella, both of whom have never sorted out the problem. Apparently Ryan cut his losses and sold the car and Manfred (Dan) has given his to someone else to see what they can do.

I've noticed Alan appears to be expert on things electrical. Where can I find his primer?

I usually mention that the car's a "90 S4 Euro. Didn't this time because I thought I wasn't relevant to this thread.

It's comforting to know I'm not alone in this battle. But I don't want to surrender just yet.

Fogey1

Top google result for "Alan's 928 Electrical Primer:"
https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...al-primer.html

First line in that post:
http://www.928-electrics.com/

Always relevant. Maybe even particularly for wiring issues.

Randy V

Try to be less obtuse in the title of your threads for future searches.

Now spend a few bucks and buy the WSM instead of complaining about your fruitless freeloading here.

Paid Members have access to much more detailed search criteria.

fonetico

Thanks Randy for the slap down.

In my defense, I'm relatively inexperienced in the etiquette of this site. I was introduced to it by a fellow local 928 owner who briefed me on how it works. Perhaps I was remiss in not bothering to explore in more detail and it wasn't until Mike reprimanded me for not supplying details of the car that I started to investigate. You may have noticed that I've acquired an avatar in the last 24 hours and my location is now displayed. I'd always wondered about that - duh!

My obtuse titles are probably a product of my British personality defect of always avoiding specifics. They are not intended to offend. I was under the impression searches are based on key words in both the text and the title.

My freeloading has never been fruitless. The inspired experts on this site have solved innumerable problems my local Porsche specialist had no idea about. For this, I'm eternally appreciative.

Until recently I had to rely on my local Porsche expert (sic) for almost all my repairs. It's only recently that I've resorted to my own devices and my foray is bound to stumble occasionally. The WSM is a whole new world to me.

I was unaware of the advantages of paid membership as my misguided friend suggested it was only relevant to US members. I shall however, look into and rectify this in the immediate future and remove the freeloading stigma.

Can I reiterate that any offense on my part was entirely unintended. However, somewhere deep down inside, I much prefer the British subtle suggestion to the insane Diego full frontal attack!

86'928S MeteorGrey

Haha! You're going to fit in perfectly here. As long as you are insane enough to keep one of these cars, we will be here to help!

Best Regards,

Mike

Fogey1

http://s287999742.e-shop.info/shop/a...ET-CD-Set.html
This $70 would be well spent. _Much_ more info than just the shop manuals. (Other vendors may carry this CD as well. My apologies for only a sole link.) It's an amazing compilation of printed material and has been often ripped off unattributed by ebay vendors. But Jim Morehouse gets the stars in his crown.

jpitman2

One tool I have found very useful in chasing wiring issues is something usually used by cabling people - a cable tracer. They are usually used to trace network cables , so have a socket known as RJ45 - one used for tracing phone wiring might have a 4 wire socket - RJ11. They also come with an inductive probe. One of either with a short lead with a plug on one end that will fit the tool can have the bare wire ends connected (alligator clip?) to a wire you wish to trace; set the tool to 'tone' option; the inductive probe, when on, should give you the tone being injected when in contact with the wire's outside. The tone can be induced in adjacent wires, but locating the wire with the loudest tone will usually be the right one. If the tone stops or drops a lot after a certain point, the conductor inside maybe broken....
here are some probes:-
http://www.valuetesters.com/lan-network/tone-probe.html
and on ebay
http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_nkw=cable+tracer

I used one of these when trying to find a fault in my headlight raising system.
hth
jp 83 Euro S AT 54k

Hilton

I use one of my multimeters which has a audible continuity tone on one of the resistance modes for similar purposes.

I've made up some test leads with little alligator clips on and recently used it to figure out there was a break in one of the two wires to the reverse-gear switch in the transmission on my '87.

The audible beep is easier to use when you're testing wires where one end is inside the car and the other is underneath or in the engine bay