Can't fire up. Buzzing from the relay, lamps blinkin- HELP

[mrgud]

that is it... I am selling that hunk of garbage!

It's been 4 weeks now... Every friday and saturday evening I am in that shitwhole of the garage, freezing my ass off, unpluging and plugin wires, checking relays, fuses, schemes, trying every possible thing that crosses my mind and says in the manual...

That car already costed me enough...

Last thing I found out that some kind of a primitiv alarm system has been in there and some wires were conected on the conector that goes inside the car to the fuse box... those alarm wires were loose (no mass no +) and had some kind of a fuse on them that was blown (out of order)... The wire on the conector (that goes to the fuse box in the car) is conected to one of the pins of the EFI main fuse (probably the +)...

I blown the main fuse on the battery (30A) because I conected a wrong wire to the chassis. I found out:
- the + goes first to the fuse box in the car, that in the engine bay then to the relay then to efi... I don't know anymore... I am pissed off, broke, out of ideas and in debts... If something doesn't change financiali till monday- Of he goes...

[Mux213]

Damn, that sucks mate!

Real sorry to hear that Alarms suck... they really mess up electrics when they do a bodge job installing them

Take a brake, leave the car along, have fun over the weekend and do something totally different. Get some rest, then see how you feel. I hope your luck changes even if it means selling your hachi....

[Red]

Alarm installers in the US are infamous for doing a bad job, since most of them simply aren't paid enough to do the job carefully. Odds are what you found was part of the circuit to kill the starter or disable the engine, and if that was messed it sure it could blow anything.

I'd tell you to just remove it, but without some kind of schematic there's no easy way to tell if just cutting it all out would make things better, or worse. They might have rigged it so something is needed to make the car run. That's gonna be a peril on any old used car, with multiple owners and not in full running condition.

The good news is...you did make progress! Just being able to say "that shouldn't be there!" is a big step.

[meshin]

Did anybody ever checked ground on ECU (E, E1, E2, E01, E02), directly on pins of ECU compared with the body ground (plain ground of chasis of the car) ?? Results??


Did anybody have encouter blown Check engine light (the bulb) on the dashboard ?


My AE82 4AGE has wierd fuse just on 2 wires, deattached from everything else in engine compartment, and if disconnected everything looks OK, but engine wont start. It's located on the gearbox side, near the water sensor of the cold start injector.

Does AE86 4AGE have the same wierd fuse ??? (we looked but didn't find it, only 2 the same connector, but nothing was on them)

Pic of the wierd 10A fuse:

[Ivan141]

That is the type of connector that is used for the diagnostics too.

@mrqud: dont mean to sound harsh, but if you want to get rid of the car because of the problems your having now, then maybe a newer car might be better for you.
Have seen this happen over and over again...poorly maintained ae86's are PROBLEM cars... you have to have an iron will and determination to get things done. Even if you fix this now, be prepared for the next thing to break, and a while later the next...untill you have either replaced all worn parts, or decide to do a big restauration.

As for me, I would not spend days looking over the electrics on the car.. just take out the wiring loom and measure it through in the comfort of your home.
You'll find any problem there is, and it couldnt be easier to fix it when you find it.

[Red]

"poorly maintained ae86's are PROBLEM cars... "
A poorly maintained *anything* is a problem car.

Meshin, I don't know what you've got but since there is an aftermarket air filter on it, I'm guessing the PO disconnected something and the fuse you are looking at is a "PO Special". Only the Gods know why it is there or what he connected those wires to. One thing you can be sure of, no car manufacturer will ever leave a fuse "hanging in space" that way. Every electrical code and standard on this planet calls for fuses to be secured to something, even if that means just a clip holding them to the trim. Maybe the PO put it in as an antitheft kill switch.

"Did anybody ever checked ground on ECU... with the body ground " Not me, I've never had any reason to do that. Cars are usually very poorly built compared to electronics, there will be some resistance across body points. Unless there has been water damage or another problem, the factory grounds usually are good enough.

"Did anybody have encouter blown Check engine light (the bulb) on the dashboard ?" Well sure, that's why every light on the dash is supposed to light up when you turn the key in any car. So you can tell if they are burned out, because sometimes they do.

[meshin]

Red Wrote:Meshin, I don't know what you've got but since there is an aftermarket air filter on it, I'm guessing the PO disconnected something and the fuse you are looking at is a "PO Special". Only the Gods know why it is there or what he connected those wires to. One thing you can be sure of, no car manufacturer will ever leave a fuse "hanging in space" that way. Every electrical code and standard on this planet calls for fuses to be secured to something, even if that means just a clip holding them to the trim. Maybe the PO put it in as an antitheft kill switch.

That's why I'm asking... is it only "option" in my car or AE86 has something similiar.

Red Wrote:"Did anybody ever checked ground on ECU... with the body ground " Not me, I've never had any reason to do that. Cars are usually very poorly built compared to electronics, there will be some resistance across body points. Unless there has been water damage or another problem, the factory grounds usually are good enough.

There is a lot of resistance beetwen ECU ground and the body.

To be sure I've checked the ground of connector from ventilation, and it had no resistance to the body at all.

Red Wrote:"Did anybody have encouter blown Check engine light (the bulb) on the dashboard ?" Well sure, that's why every light on the dash is supposed to light up when you turn the key in any car. So you can tell if they are burned out, because sometimes they do.

I mean the bulb burned and the bulb doesn't work...

It wouldn't even get the signal if something is wrong... they wouldn't burn out.

[Red]

"That's why I'm asking... is it only "option" in my car or AE86 has something similiar. "
The AE86 has no fuses hanging on wires like that, and no fuses up by the air intake. There's a connection to the airflow sensor in the intake can, and other wiring, but offhand...I have no idea how that relates to an AE82.

"There is a lot of resistance beetwen ECU ground and the body. "
There shouldn't be. The ECU should be screwed/bolted to the body and effectively "at" ground.

"To be sure I've checked the ground of connector from ventilation, and it had no resistance to the body at all. " I take it you mean, from the fan motor to ground there is nearly no resistance, but from the ECU there is high resistance? That could screw up the ECU, sure. You would need to find out why that section of the body wasn't bonded properly, and probably run a ground braid (braided tinned flat ground cable) to the engine block or another good ground in the meantime.

"I mean the bulb burned and the bulb doesn't work... " Right. That happens with light bulbs sometimes, they blow out. That's why we are all supposed to look at the dashboard--every time we start the car--to see if any of the idiot lights have burned out.

"they wouldn't burn out. " Light bulbs burn out! Sometimes, even when they are fairly new. That's just what happens with delicate little wires bouncing around in a harsh environment, made by the cheapest bidder.

It just means you have to take out the instrument cluster and replace the bulb. And, considering how much effort it takes to get in there, I'd replace ALL the bulbs at the same time. They shouldn't "need" replacing, but after 20 years they just might, and who wants to pull that cluster a second time?<G>

[El_Camino]

My one is making this f***n buzzing noise and has problem to start, from time to time.

The noise sounds like shortcut, when i turn the lights on. Off and on again - noise is away for a month. Checked every single cable with the manual, but no idea whats happening.

The previous owners said its a rellay, but I changed them and it is still there. Also the igniter. The cables. The spark plugs. Now comes the distributor. Soon the car will be new.

[Ivan141]

Red Wrote:"poorly maintained ae86's are PROBLEM cars... "
A poorly maintained *anything* is a problem car.

that's also true, but a lot of people make the mistake of thinking it is a cheap car to maintain, which is only true if the general state of it is good.