72 replies to this topic

[WiredbyWilson]

There is a problem between the starter and those circuite, please try tracing them from were all the lives join in the starter, sounds like a broken wire or a blown Hypalon fuse.

Text me as off out now

Edited by Wilson1275, 31 January 2009 - 11:17 AM.

[Roo]

well i've given up...

I'm fed up with the damn thing.... I've wasted far too much money on it now...

Its tme to consider pulling it to pieces to sell.

[the.stroker]

dont give up mate,it will get sorted one way or another,leave it for a day or two then go back in!
im sure between us lot we can get to the bottom of the problem,i think we need to organise a fix it afternoon!!

[minicb]

well i've given up...

I'm fed up with the damn thing.... I've wasted far too much money on it now...

Its tme to consider pulling it to pieces to sell.

Do not consider doing that.

[Roo]

dont give up mate,it will get sorted one way or another,leave it for a day or two then go back in!
im sure between us lot we can get to the bottom of the problem,i think we need to organise a fix it afternoon!!

sorry dan but i've spent every evening this week trying to sort it and i've spend since 9 this morning testing parts and i can't find the problem.

my step dad is an electrician and he is baffled by it all too, hes even had the dash out!

[the.stroker]

hey matt,any chance if we could get it to your place your dad could take a look at it,on the old " mates rates "

[minicb]

yeah can do if there is a way of getting it here

[Sprocket]

Please listen!!

Yes the depiction in the Haynes manual is WRONG in many respects, but the wiring circuit is correct. the Oxygen sensor relay is not in the relay pack, but is a seperate Yellow Seimens relay on the bulkead next to the inertia switch. The manifold heater relay is in the relay pack. I digress.

Like I said, there is no wiring diagram for these looms, they were only used for around 18 months during production before they changed to the MPi looms, which are completely different!!

The body loom takes its power from the battery terminal on the starter. The engine loom takes its power also from the battery terminal on the starter. The engine loom has two Hypalon fuse links, one from the alternator and one to the relay pack. Forget these!! the two looms are completely seperate, but commoned at the battery terminal on the starter.If you remove the engine loom completely from the car, you will have no wiring from the alternator to the body loom. Its part of the engine loom.

The body loom has three Hypalon fuse links, each supplies the ignition switch and fuse box. If one has blown it could be the circuits you are having problems with. They are easy to identify. The ring terminal that connects to the battery terminal on the starter is the end of the three hypalon fuse links. It is protected by a rubber coated fibreglass sleave. You can pull this sleave back to see the fuse links, they have 'fuse' printed onto them. If there is any stretch in one of them, the link has blown.

[Roo]

where does the immobilser get its power from??

Its the one thing haynes does not have... even on the mpi section it has 'alarm not shown'...

I want this power feed..

Rover said not to look at the fuse links as they can be anywhere in the looms. The problem is power to the imobiliser/alarm apparently... i want to know where this gets it power from.

[Sprocket]

Forget what Rover said and trust me, the fuse links are where I said they are! Do I have to post a picture? is the description of where they are not enough?

If the alarm is not working it could well be on the exact same circuit you are having problems with. If you have no power on the live side of the fuse supplying the circuits you are having problems with, and those circuits are live with the ignition switch off, the fuse link is prime suspect, there is nothing else between the fuse box and the battery, just a length of wire and the fuse link.

Let me describe these fuse links again. The fuse link looks like a piece of wire. The insulation is made from a synthetic rubber called Hypalon. The word 'Fuse' is printed on them, they are brown in colour. all three are terminated together with a ring terminal and connects to the battery terminal on the starter. Each fuse link supplies a seperate circuit in the loom. One to the ignition switch, and two to the fuse box.

Please humour me and check these fuse links even if it is just to prove I am wrong

[minicooper1.3i]

Don't give up!

For somewhere around £50 you could probably pick up a working SPi loom on ebay. I bought a second hand MPi one for £60 not so long ago because my old one was starting to break down in parts and it's was easier just to rip it out and put the new one in rather than fault find all the time and repair the dodgy sections.

Have faith. We're all here to help!

[WiredbyWilson]

Sprocket - I have to agree with you that those hypalon fuse wires seem to be prime suspect,

Hopefully Roo will find some faith and find it in her heart be able to test these simply and quickly: find them on the starter and trace them back by prodding them with a circuit tester to find if/where the brake is. If they are maybe fit a new wire with an inline fuse ( i assume this is safe enough) and maybe the problem will be solved.

Roo: the haynes won't tell you where the alarm/immobiliser gets its power from otherwise it would render the immobiliser system redundant as people would know how to bypass it.

PLEASE look at those wires and humour me and Sprocket Roo, it would be a criminal and crying shame to see Phoenix broken up

[Sprocket]

Sprocket - I have to agree with you that those hypalon fuse wires seem to be prime suspect,

Hopefully Roo will find some faith and find it in her heart be able to test these simply and quickly: find them on the starter and trace them back by prodding them with a circuit tester to find if/where the brake is. If they are maybe fit a new wire with an inline fuse ( i assume this is safe enough) and maybe the problem will be solved.

Roo: the haynes won't tell you where the alarm/immobiliser gets its power from otherwise it would render the immobiliser system redundant as people would know how to bypass it.

PLEASE look at those wires and humour me and Sprocket Roo, it would be a criminal and crying shame to see Phoenix broken up

No need to probe them, if its blown the Hypalon insulation will stretch. Simply pull the fuse link, holding either end and if it stretches, its blown. I dont mean pull with all your might, I mean reasonable force

[minicooper1.3i]

Seconded Wilson

Take a look at this. Might be a bit pricey but no more than a couple of tyres, balancing and fitting which you might not think twice about

ebay item - not sure if it's the correct year

It's all thats on there at the moment, but you could always try the wanted section. I would advise against buying one new (because it'd cost several hundres quid), unless everything Sprocket and Wilson suggest fails and you can't find a second hand one.

Have a few bevvies, don't think about it for a while and get some shut eye. In the morning, have a decent brekkie (fry up?) and start testing again. From the begining. Use a decent sized needle / pin to probe into the wires you're testing at certain intervals to see if you can determine a break between the pin and the meter.

Recheck the supplies and earths from their most primary points and just go one step at a time eliminating each item as you go. I had a hell of a time with an intermittent fault on my MPi a few months ago when the fuel pump would intermittently cut out. Transpired that a pin in the between the engine and body loom had burnt out previously and been bypassed by a bit of bell wire. I say 'bypassed' but I mean bodged. The wire had been stuffed into each end if the connector then fallen out.

Hang in there. There's is a fault and it is fixable. It may seem inexplicable and seriously frustrating but it is fixable.

Keep us posted

[WiredbyWilson]

I saw that minicooper - firstthin i looked for after you mentioned it.

Roo - I know this sounds gay and im certain you will say no - but I will buy the loom for you as I can't bear to see you scrap Phoenix......