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  #1  
Old 11-11-2007, 01:57 PM
Roo Roo is offline
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Blowing a fuse: 100A Main...

So, I'm back. I'm picking up a '92 Green SVX from the same woman I sold Svixen to ('94 FWD), and bringing it home.

The reason it's coming to me for free is because it has a short/grounding problem that is large enough to blow the 100A main fuse.

I'm going to check the main battery terminal connections and wires, look for grounding issues there, and from there check the alternator wiring, and check the coil on plug packs for any signs of arcing...

After that, I'm outta clues.

Anyone got any ideas?
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Old 11-11-2007, 03:24 PM
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Trevor Trevor is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Roo View Post
So, I'm back. I'm picking up a '92 Green SVX from the same woman I sold Svixen to ('94 FWD), and bringing it home.

The reason it's coming to me for free is because it has a short/grounding problem that is large enough to blow the 100A main fuse.

I'm going to check the main battery terminal connections and wires, look for grounding issues there, and from there check the alternator wiring, and check the coil on plug packs for any signs of arcing...

After that, I'm outta clues.

Anyone got any ideas?
You are on the right track. The alternator or associated wring is the likely culprit. The only other circuit not protected by separate fuses, involves the
head light relays mounted within the main fuse board and an unlikely cause.

No doubt you will have in mind the possibility of someone having added to, or messed with the original wiring, or substituted solid fuse links.
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Old 11-11-2007, 03:32 PM
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You could unplug all the fuses, and fusible links, then put them back in one by one until the fuse blows again. My guess, and this is just a guess, but Trevor may be onto something. I don't know how to check fusible links, but someone may have substitued a piece of wire for one.
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Old 11-11-2007, 05:22 PM
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I think I might have something...

Started the car using a nice piece of 10 ga. solid wire in place of fusible link, and car would run for about ten seconds, then die. In that time, it sounded like the alternator was whirring about in an unnatural sort of way. I have a replacement alternator, and now that I'm home from where it was, I have time to play with it.

I'm going to install a nice alternator out of one of my Foresters (XT) and see if that clears up the problem.

Thanks for the help, and I'll let you know how it goes. Pictures to follow.
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Old 11-12-2007, 12:05 AM
NiftySVX NiftySVX is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by crazyhorse View Post
You could unplug all the fuses, and fusible links, then put them back in one by one until the fuse blows again..
This is standard procedure for diagnosing a difficult to locate problem like this, but any problem in any of the other circuits would really fry some stuff if it was enough to blow one of the main fusible links. I would look for a wire that is shorted to ground, like one that had the insulation rubbed off or something like that. The alternator may be whirring like that because of the draw on it. They make a different noise when you really load them down, like when testing.
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