mhot

I just bought a 1988 GTU and I have some kind of electrical problem. At first it would start right up, but it would not turn off. I would have to pull the ingecter fuse to kill the engine and and disconect the batery because the idiot lights would not turn off. I tested the switch and found that the ignition post was hot. I tryed to put the ignition switch from my 85 and now something is really wrong. I went ahead and bought a new switch (the right one) and now it won't even start and I keep blowing a 7.5 fuse every time I try. If anybody has any sugestions it would really help because I'm almost out of ideas.

HAILERS

Which 7.5 fuse? Describe the location on the fuse panel. Example: Forth row from the bottom, third fuse from the left.

Since you know how to install the ignition/key, go to the two wire connector,. Has one pure black wire and one that is black/white. Which wire has 12v on it when the key is off. ?

And please tell me this car does NOT have theft protection either factory or aftermarket. And that it has no aftermarket sound system that someone has cobbled together.

And tell me it does not have the auto adjusting suspension system.

Also, do all your idiot lights lite up when you turn the key to ON??? I said ON, not START.

Now that the engine does not start at all.......do you hear the main relay click when you turn the key to START???? Can you verify the fuel pump runs when you hold the key to START???? If your hearing is bad, have someone open the fuel tank cap and listen while you hold the key to START.

Now that the car won't start, have you checked to see if the 80 amp fuse in the engine bay is good. Does not pull out unless you unbolt it from the front and rear side.

You do have at least a cheap digital meter? Does not have to be some big buck *****. Just a twenty buck one from RadioShaq will do.

mhot

o.k. the fuse is in the first row starting from the firewall side or the third row from the left and the first row down ( there was another row above it but I think those are just extra fuses.
At first both the black wire and the black and white wire were hot (the battery wire, white with red stripe at the switch itself and the ign wire, black with yellow stripe) but now only the battery wire is hot. The starter cut relay (thats what my haines manual called it) clicked when I connected the battery but now clicks when I turn the key to the on position.
as far as the fuel pump I'm not sure and the 80 amp fuse seems to be ok but i did not know that it was bolted(which explains why i could not get it out)
I hope this helps a little and thank you for replying.

mhot

I forgot to answer some other questions. It has a factory sterio and the factory theft deterant divise and I don't think it has the auto adjusting suspention. What exactly does the theft deterant thing do?
Also the idiot lights stay on ven when the switch is turned to the "off" position and with the key out. Actually they stayed on when I had the switch un plugged form the harness.
I'm not sure what I did to get the relay to start working right (I hope its working right) because all that I did was try to trace the wires to see if there was a short.

HAILERS

So, I understand the idiot lights stay on with the key out of the ignition right now.

If you disconnect the two socket plug for the ignition, do the lights stay on???

IF they do stay on, what does your meter say when you see if there is voltage on the black/white wire of that connector?

If the black/white wire is still hot, then you've got to find out where that unauthorized voltage is coming from.

If that black/white wire is not hot, then its possible the relay in the CPU is broken. As in latched all the time when it should not be.

Or you can try this: Go to the fuse box. Count from the bottom, third row up, third fuse from the left as you look into the box. Pull that fuse. Did the idiot lights go out? In fact I'd try that first. If the light goes out, then there is voltage going to that fuse that should not be there, if the key is to the off position.

HAILERS

Look at this jpg https://www.rx7club.com/forum/attach...postid=1413106

What makes you idiot light come on, is the ALT WARNING LIGHT RELAY.

A ground is put on the relay by the alternator, and 12v is put on the relay. The ground will be there if the alternator is not running. The 12v will be there only if the key is to ON and the 7.5 amp fuse is in place.

So you say the lights are on when the key is OFF. Well, let's see what happens when the 7.5amp fuse is pulled under those conditions. Its called the METER FUSE. Here is a jpg to show you where the METER fuse is in the box.

https://www.rx7club.com/forum/attach...postid=1413155

You can follow the circuit by looking at the ignition switch, and looking at the BW wire. See how it goes to the 7.5 amp fuse and then the path goes out on a BY wire to the ALT WARNING LIGHT RELAY (in the CPU) which pulls the relay in and puts a ground on a wire that goes to the *CHARGE WARNING LIGHT(SECTION C).

HAILERS

Oh yes, the theft deterrent if it detects a problem, will energize the STARTER CUT RELAY. When that is done, it breaks the circuit for the starter, so the starter will not work.

This jpg https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...hreadid=150007

mhot

ok when I pull the fuse with the key in the off position the idiot lights go out. with the fuse in the lights stay on in the off, acc, on, and start positions. I can't remember which wire is hot now (B or BW) but only one wire is hot when the key is in the off position and both are hot when the key is in the on position which I think is the way it should be. when I take the 7.5 fuse out the lights go out and the front speakers of the radio go out. When I put it back in there is a click under the carpet on the drivers side of the consol kick panel. There are two 7.5 fuses both in the third row next to each other( above and below) when I first started to track everthing down i noticed that by removing and replacing them they both did the same thing, but I have not tried it again to see if it is still doing it.
oh yeah and yes even with the plugs disconnected where the switch plugs in the idiot lights stay on . and the wire that is hot (I'll have to look again to see which one) is 12v. I tried physically tracing the wires back to see iff there is a short but I could only go so far and could not find any. It seems to me that it has to be a short or cross somewhere.

mhot

I just now looked at the picture and the fuse I am blowing is the room fuse. I wish I had that cover plate before, mine is missing. I don't think Im blowing the meter fuse, and I'll double check but I know I'm blowing the room fuse.