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main relay, one of the wires is missing.help

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Old 07-19-12, 02:41 AM
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main relay, one of the wires is missing.help

I've been putting my wiring back in after it's paint job and re_hooked up the ignition switch (my friend cut out an alarm) I'm pretty sure I've got it right. I've got power at the fuses etc but nothing at the ign switch. so I suspected the main relay. went and had a look and one of the the wires to the four wire connector a missing/snapped off. I've got black green, black yellow, white blue. I think I'm looking for black white but can't find a snapped off wire. where is the mystery wires original source so I can run a new wire?
Old 07-19-12, 05:44 PM
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Old 07-19-12, 05:46 PM
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Have someone with same car come by and look at theirs to see where it goes, or check on a junkyard car.
Old 07-19-12, 05:49 PM
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You would never find one in a junkyard in lil nz. And they are not common in nz either. Plus I have no friends haha
Old 07-19-12, 06:12 PM
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The Main Relay does not supply power to the Ignition Switch. That is the role of the Main fuse in the Engine fuse box. The wire "leaving" the Main fuse (side closest to the windshield) drops downward by about a foot as it mates to the wire leading to the switch. The connector is Black. When disconnected the wire leading to the fuse has constant power while the other side of the Black connector would be powerless. Connect the two together and both sides should have constant voltage.

Your Main Relay should have two plugs and one plug features four wires. They are White/Red and White/Blue with both powered by the EGI fuse. The other two wires are B/W and B/Y.

Last edited by satch; 07-19-12 at 06:16 PM.
Old 07-19-12, 09:22 PM
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Thanks I'll have a look for the connector tonight. What's the main relays purpose and any idea where the black white to the main relay originate as I need to reconnect it regardless of it being my issue.
Old 07-19-12, 09:29 PM
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You ain't a been lookiing at the MAIN RELAY but something other than the MAIN RELAY.

Main Relay has two connectors going to it, one of which is what Satch described. Look in the free online wiring manual and you'll see the right colors of the MAIN RELAY.
Attached Thumbnails main relay, one of the wires is missing.help-mainrelay.jpg  
Old 07-19-12, 09:31 PM
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When the key is turned to on or start the relay closes and passes voltage from the wires powered by the EGI fuse to the B/Y and B/W wires. B/Y powers the injectors and coils. B/W powers the ECU and emission solenoids. The B/W wire is part of the front harness and it runs directly to the ECU but first stops off at the Green check connector located by the leading coil. The connector has three wires and besides the B/W wire the other two are Yellow and Y/B.
Old 07-20-12, 02:39 AM
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thanks Satch! haha I feel like an idiot. the main fuse. I hadn't attached the 2nd lead. so now all the ignition switch works but obviously the main relay doesn't click as I need to locate the missing wire. good to know id gotten the ignition switch wired up properly
Old 07-20-12, 09:01 AM
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The plug w/four wires doesn't make the relay click. The other plug w/two wires does. The B/W wire in this plug should have battery voltage w/key to on. If it doesn't then check the 15 amp Engine fuse. The other wire which is Black is a ground.
Old 08-23-12, 05:10 AM
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Originally Posted by satch
The plug w/four wires doesn't make the relay click. The other plug w/two wires does. The B/W wire in this plug should have battery voltage w/key to on. If it doesn't then check the 15 amp Engine fuse. The other wire which is Black is a ground.
the black white wire has no power with key to on but engine fuse is good. the main relay seems to not be in good order I have to squeeze the other plug to hear a click over by the air flow meter somewhere and get power at the b/w wire on the check connector. electrical nightmare I tell you
Old 08-23-12, 07:45 AM
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The B/W wire in the two wire relay plug does get its voltage from the 15 amp Engine fuse but this fuse is part of the IG1 fuses so the Ignitions switch Black/Yellow wire powers these fuses. The B/W wire of the Front harness would normally connect to this Ignition Switch wire and pass the voltage to the fuse box w/key to on. You want to make sure the B/Y wire always has voltage w/key to on and at start as well. If it does then you need to take it a step further and see if the wire that connects to the B/Y wire acts the very same. Then you need to make sure this wire is properly connected to the fuse box. And the other wire in the two wire relay plug is a ground required by the relay to work. It normally is grounded in a group of grounds found just below the trailing coil and against the fender well.
Old 08-24-12, 03:23 AM
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doesn't solve my problem but came to realisation these issues I'm trying to work through are probably why the previous owner had a fuel pump switch, push button starter and kill switch(or ignition power switch, I'm not sure)
Old 08-24-12, 09:09 PM
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actually rechecked the b/w wire of the two wire plug of the main relay. it does have power and it does click. I jumpered the inhibitor switch plug how derekcat said. turn the key to start still no crank. the clock dims and I hear a click from strangely the rear view mirror area.
Old 08-24-12, 09:38 PM
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That relay isn't used to crank the engine. Which wire do you have running to the starter solenoid? It should have voltage w/key to start. What wire did you connect to this wire? Which wire at the Ignition pigtail did you identify as having voltage w/key to start. Besides the wire that powers the switch, there should only be two wires from the pigtail w/voltage w/key to start. One powers the IG1 fuses of the interior fuse box, which the 15 amp Engine fuse is one of them and it powers the B/W wire at the Main Relay 2 wire plug, and the second wire w/voltage w/key to start would be the wire that leads to the starter solenoid.
Old 08-24-12, 10:54 PM
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I know the relay doesn't crank it but it allows the ignition switch to work? anyway the ign1 has power when key is turned to start as does the constant obviously, and no others do including start. so on the starter I have the massive wire that bolts down to it and the other small wire which clips on is coming from the jumpered inhibitor connector as per derekcats diagram. I'll need my wife to turn the key which I'll do tomorrow to test if there's power there. I'm gonna end up pulling out the dash again I'm sure of it and play follow the wire.lucky all the interconnecting looms are only about a quarter mile long.haha. just seems like I'm going round and round in circles finding everything is working except start and when you apply power to start on the switch directly the starter fires up. would apush button starter allow everything to work and start the car. ie if installed it applies power to start on the switch and when you pressed it would that fire up the fuel pump and power the coils or would those have to be on switches too. I should just pay a sparky to sort it properly .haha.

Last edited by ben.farnath; 08-24-12 at 11:10 PM.
Old 08-24-12, 11:22 PM
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The Main Relay doesn't allow the Ignition Switch to work. The switch is powered by the Main fuse in the engine fuse box. Theres something wrong w/your Ignition Switch if there aren't two wires w/power w/key to start besides the voltage wire to power the switch.

The coils , injectors and ECU are powered by the Main Relay.
Old 08-24-12, 11:38 PM
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Originally Posted by satch
The Main Relay doesn't allow the Ignition Switch to work. The switch is powered by the Main fuse in the engine fuse box. Theres something wrong w/your Ignition Switch if there aren't two wires w/power w/key to start besides the voltage wire to power the switch.

The coils , injectors and ECU are powered by the Main Relay.
yeah it's like it's just not completing for just start when turned to start like something broken down inside the switch because everything else on the switch behaves as it should. which is probably why previous owner had a push button start, which I don't mind doing as I should still have it somewhere. what I need to know is with the button installed when pushed and the key turned to start everything else will act as it should and the car will start? and with my situation is there an ideal way to wire the push button? I don't want to stuff anything? and as a point of interest with the key to start the fuel pump doesn't run but is that because the start on the switch is not powering up?
Old 08-24-12, 11:49 PM
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The wire that runs to the starter solenoid also runs to pin 3B of the ECU. It then finds its way to the Circuit Opening Relay.
Old 08-24-12, 11:57 PM
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???
Old 08-25-12, 12:00 AM
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There's a wire that runs to the starter solenoid. It also runs to pin 3B of the ECU. This is the "start signal." The wire then leaves pin 3B and runs to the Circuit Opening Relay. This relay powers the fuel pump on an NA or it powers the Fuel pump Relay and Resistor which powers the fuel pump on a Turbo.
Old 08-25-12, 12:44 AM
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I couldn't work out why you were telling me. but what you mean is with power at start the pump would turn on if everything is wired right because when the starter has power the ecu has power at 3b which carries power to the fuel pump relay. that what you mean? so if I hooked up a starter button everything would work with key to start and button pushed?
Old 08-25-12, 08:23 AM
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Originally Posted by ben.farnath
I couldn't work out why you were telling me. but what you mean is with power at start the pump would turn on if everything is wired right because when the starter has power the ecu has power at 3b which carries power to the fuel pump relay. that what you mean? so if I hooked up a starter button everything would work with key to start and button pushed?
If everything was wired properly then of course, yes.
Old 08-25-12, 04:22 PM
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thank you for helping me on my journey round and round the wiring loom ending back at the beginning, the ignition switch. I'm sure most people would have become frustrated and given up so I thank you for sharing your crazy vast knowledge of the fc's electrical workings.
Old 08-25-12, 08:41 PM
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push button installed, starter cranks. I installed it by just tapping into ign1 and start so it just acts like the ignition switch. don't need a relay right because the ignition switch already runs to one? and I have power a 3b on the ecu when cranking so should all be tickety boo.
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