Q for electrical guys - no start / no power
 

New acquisition - 92 SVX 104K

Car ran "great" when parked 2 years ago. Tranny was blown (not an issue). Some mystery person had it up on jackstands to replace the tranny, but some sort of drama I wasn't paying attention to ensued, and the car sat with a brand new tranny uninstalled next to it for the next 18 months.

Symptom - no change in power from off - on - start with the ignition.

Car is in now in my barn, about 30min away and I haven't had a chance to start poking around with the multimeter.

The only two things that show any sign of life are the little red "security" light, and the hazards.

The battery is new. The battery terminals are new. The ground is attached, but I'm not sure of the quality of the connection. The hot has cables to the starter and .... elsewhere - guessing the interior fuse panel.

I thought initially that there was no power to the interior fuse block, but the hazards work....

What I'm curious to know about, is
A) Anyone got a place to start, or just work my way from the battery back with the mutimeter
B) Where the heck are the secondary fuse panel and Relay panels located? The one in the engine compartment is pretty obvious.
C) How exactly does the security system function? Is there a power-kill function built into it? From studying the wiring diagrams, it seems to have it's tendrils in the ignition wiring. Can I just disconnect the module to remove it from the equation?
d) What exactly is this "Fusable Link" I keep seeing in the diagrams?

Thanks

Re: Q for electrical guys - no start / no power
 

Welcome to the SVXWN.
:)


I would suggest checking to see if they unhooked any of the connections at the starter. That would be my first look.

Re: Q for electrical guys - no start / no power
 

Thanks for the welcome! Glad to be here.

I've been trolling for info here for a week or two. I come from the land of mid-80's vw's, and an internet support group actually factors in to a new car purchase :)

Re: Q for electrical guys - no start / no power
 

Giday Mate welcome to the site.
This a scan of the main electrical system. You can see the 'fusable link' in the main box marked 1.5. The other fuse box is under the dash near your left foot.
http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/atta...2&d=1238164070

Harvey.

Re: Q for electrical guys - no start / no power
 

Thanks for the thanks in anticipation, :)

A --- The hazard and security systems are supplied from fuses directly connected to the battery and do not involve the fusible link which is in circuit with most of the other electrical equipment. You could be on the right track in suspecting the link. Refer “D“ Below.

B ---The secondary fuse panel is located to the left side of the drivers side foot well, quite high up.

C -- The security system interrupts the starter solenoid circuit, but does not interrupt the general distribution system. You can disconnect the supply to the security system, by removing fuse No.18 in the secondary panel. Dead centre among the small fuses, last row away from the relay end. However a fault in the starter disrupt circuit, could still remain.

D --- The fusible link is located in the relay panel in the engine compartment and consists of a short piece of wire covered with heat resistant material and connected by push on ends. It is the last measure of defence within the distribution fuse network. Corrosion can be a problem.

Re: Q for electrical guys - no start / no power
 

Start poking around with he multimeter. Why should anyone think they can guess what this car needs?

Keith:cool:

Re: Q for electrical guys - no start / no power
 

That is awesome. The wiring diagrams I have found are not nearly that specific. Thank you!

Re: Q for electrical guys - no start / no power
 

Great. I was hoping that was the case.

I had a feeling there were individuals on here intimately familiar with the electronic guts of these beasties.

Thanks!

Re: Q for electrical guys - no start / no power
 

Yeah - I know. I was hoping someone had a little tidbit like Trevor did with the path bypass for hazards.

If the car was in my driveway, I would have already started, but it's a ways off and all my tools are currently spread out between 3 different houses. I really wanted to have a good plan of attack before I set out.

Nothing worse than driving a half hour to realize that you have to drive back and forth again because you forgot your spade connectors.

Like I said - I'm pretty familiar with mid-80's VW's, but the most complex electrical gadget in them is usually the intermittant wiper relay and a 20-pin ECU. There's a whole lot to the electronic management of the SVX.

Re: Q for electrical guys - no start / no power
 

And don't forget the starter interrupt switch which is located on the side of the transmission at the linkage.

Re: Q for electrical guys - no start / no power
 

It was the Fusable Link.

What a weird piece of componentry... I guess it makes sense to have some sort of quick-disconnect, but wouldn't you just disconnect the battery if you were going to do any sort of electrical maintenance?

Thanks for the help!

Re: Q for electrical guys - no start / no power
 

Logic is your word. :)

The fusible link is intended to, and does constitute a simple slow break fuse, even though it is just a piece of ordinary wire. A proper enclosed fuse and holder wound cost the manufacture more, but would save the user time, frustration and money. :rolleyes: Sorry you had to go there. ;)