19 replies to this topic

[Jaydee88]

Hi guys...
I've come to the conclusion that my radio probably doesnt work because maybe a fuse has blown and thought that rhis may be why my reverse light also don't work. Would you be able to tell me how to check if a fuse has gone or not? and would it be under the bonnet for the reverse lights?
thanks guys!
xxxxxx

[Dan]

What Mini is it?

[Jaydee88]

its 1982 mini mayfair :) my dad has fit the wires for the stereo so one of the fuses is on the dash in the middle of a wire! so I dont know where the rest are! I know theres a box under the bonnet but don't know whats for what! and dad is up in heaven so its a bit difficult asking him haha
xxxxxx

[Willthewelder]

If a fuse has blown there will always be a good reason for it, It's there as a failsafe to protect the wiring from melting so it's the 'weakest link' if you like. The inline fuse will prob be on the main pos feed into the back of the stereo and about 10 amps most likely

[MRA]

If you have a Haynes manual look at the wiring diagram for roughly your year, find the reversing lamps and trace the wire back to a fuse (normally would be a no19) now do the same for the radio and compare for common areas, ie do they both come from the same fuse ? if it is a no 19 it will be the fuse box that is situated close to your clutch master cylinder on the engine side of the bulkhead. let us know what or which etc.

[Dan]

Fuses also fail simply because they are old, especially glass cartridge ones.

You can tell if they have blown in most cases simply by looking at them as when they fail the wire link inside tends to vaporise. The inside of the glass will look scorched and there will be a gap in the wire link. Sometimes however they just fracture and if they do that inside the metal end cap it can look like there is nothing wrong, so if you suspect a fuse failure but can't see one it's a good idea to test it with a meter.

The reverse lights should be on the top fuse which has white and green cables. It's the same fuse as the stop lamps, indicators and heated rear screen though so if these are working the fuse will be fine.

[KernowCooper]

How to test for a blown fuse is covered in my post on Continuity, its done exactly the same way as a length of wire, probe on each end "0" on meter fuse is ok, no reading = open circuit fuse is blown.

[Carlos W]

It may be worth checking the reverse light bulb and the inline fuse for the radio!

This is likely to be somewhere behind the radio, in some wiring your dad added!

[holmesy]

check the fuse's first, like said if you have glass fuses then check them yo see if the thin wire in the middle is in one piece, the ones in the box in the engine bay will easily twist round so you can check. next would be to check for the ones in a plastic tube about 4-5cm long, these simply twist apart to allow access to the fuse, they also corrode on the ends so check check that as well ( scrape will a small screwdriver to get a contact surface)

another thing to look out for are blade fuses, I suspect a few of our minis have been modified for the use of blade fuses, these are a bit harder to see but in the middle of the plastic part will be a zig zag peice of metal, check to see if its in one one piece.

There are hidden fuses behind the dash and and steering column. check the fuses and if one has gone then we can can point you in the right direction to solve the problem :)

[Tamworthbay]

If you own a Mini its worth investing in a multimeter. maplins do a reasonable one for a tenner and there are ones even cheaper on fleabay. It will quickly pay for itself on jobs like this. Don't pay a fortune for a fancy one as most of the time you will be using the continuity check or 20v setting.

[Carlos W]

The other thing it could be is the reverse light switch, as stated a multimeter wouldn't be a bad investment!

[Jaydee88]

my dad was a mechanic so I have a fancy old school multimeter. 'automotive meter' its called! ive putnit on the 'V' setting and touched the live and ground wires but theres nothing? and then touched the ignition live with the ground and put ignition on and still nothing? im stumped but really want to get this new stereo fitted! checked the fuses I can see behind my dash and they seem fine. some have little white bits on the metal but as far as I see they should still work. and ive swapped a couple around to see if that works but still nothing?! this is the radio ones im talking about. when I plug in the stereo it makes a noise so some sort of power is getting to it. its only a noise for a second... like a disc turning in it for a second. then nothing. xxxxxx

[Jaydee88]

ok so maybe my meter isnt working... tested it on my battery and it didnt pick anything up!! xxxx

[mini danny]

with a stereo you have ignition feed (powers up with the ignition on) then have another which is the constant live( on all the time) if the stereo sounds like it powers up for a sec on the back of the stereo should be a bunch of wires but you want the yellow and red one these sometimes the wrong way. there might be a bullet connector half way up both wires if there are chnage the wires around so the red wire from the stereo goes to the yellow wire coming from the car wiring loom


Dan

[holmesy]

ive got a load of fluke multimeters laying around, the proper job :) £250 if anyone wants? would cost you over 400 new