Avoiding FUSEBOX "China Syndrome" MELTDOWN: Pre-emptive fix

Your advice to oliv928 is valid, except I disagree that the OEM circuitry will always fail. My board melted down, then was, by person unkonwn, cleverly resoldered and the melt site connectors inside that one white block modded to connect more firmly. I bought it that way, and the only thing I have ever done is to keep the white connectors sluiced down with DeOxit Shield. I have not had a bit of trouble with my chernobyl refugee oem fuse box. Not a bit. All my electricals work fine, even my windows.

 

In this case I hope I am wrong but after lengthy discussions with Dave Helms I am in the camp that it's not "if" but "when". Brian Crall has done the mods on many cars as well out of necessity.

There are under-engineered components in these boards. I had two printed circuits fail on mine along with the previously melted white connectors.

I like having the piece of mind knowing that all of the "what ifs" are PERMANENTLY eliminated. I can turn everything on at once in my TR and never have to worry about overloading circuits, high heat or melt downs.

Under performing circuits also affect how a car will run. I like eliminating all of the possibilities so I went with the modded board AND the Gold Connector kit. The car never ran better.

BUT
I guess for the non-believers, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

 

I'm making a fusebox for TR right now. With the experience I make with the use of normal wiring instead of those layers, my fusebox for my mondial worked out great.
For this TR box I'm using the pdf wiring diagram from Robert Hayden...thanks Robert. Its a great help.
I'm using 2 mm thick boards instead of the 1.5 mm original>
All pins (female as male) have 2 X 1.25 mm extensions.
Male pins are in plated silver brass 6.3 mm, female also plated silver brass 6.3 mm
The wiring is 2.5 mm2 copper VOB>those wires are spreading the heat better.
If someome is intrested...I have several boards from 2 mm thickness available. They are in the right dimensions...they can come with the holes also..pm me for more info.

Guido
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I hear you. No doubt, someday I will get the Dave Helms modded fusebox. It is a truly improved design, however right now it's low on my list, until mine melts again that is, or until everything else that really is broken is fixed.

As for the gold connectors, I have a better solution for that. A lot more work to implement, but much more reliable once done. The location of the rev counter connectors, 5 inches from the road, and unprotected, at least on my car with it's missing piece of sheet metal, is too exposed to road hazards. Also, a truly weatherproof connector with contact enhancer applied is even better than gold contacts.

 

a truly weatherproof connector with contact enhancer applied is even better than gold contacts.[/QUOTE]

I totally disagree.. but that ok.. With these cars you have to do what you can when you can.. I would move that fuse box higher up on the chain.. I cant say enough how the gold connector kit from Dave Helms tranformed my car.. Be well and drive on..

R

 

I think you're missing my main point. I am going to move the connectors to a safer location. Gold contacts won't do dip if the plastic housing in which they are encased gets smashed by a rock.

This is pretty high on my list as I have recently proved to myself that the old connectors were indeed the source of some of my CELs. I have a temporary solution that works just fine performance-wise but it won't last. The permanent solution is to move the connectors out of harm's way, and at that time, upgrade their contact reliability to duplicate the performance of my temporary solution but on a permanent basis.

Gold contacts work well because they do not tarnish, so no insulating film gets in between the two surfaces. However, they have one dependency and one vulnerability. They are dependent upon sufficient mechanical pressure, "spring", to make them touch each other. Also as sold by Dave they are still in the "splash resistant" oem housings. Those housings allow the entry of water and dust. Enough of either or both could theoretically contaminate the interface between the gold contacts, especially if they got less springy.

My solution is to use more modern weatherproof housings that completely block the entry of dust and water. Then, by relying on the contact enhancing properties of modern polymers such as stabilant or deoxit, loss of contact spring is greatly reduced as a failure mode, for the polymers flow to fill the thin gaps that result from loss of spring. Finally DeOxit Shield which is my automotive contact enhancer of choice also prevents contact tarnish, so no need for gold.

"Better?" I think so.

 

I am puzzled at your references to "rev counter" connectors being exposed to the road debris , possibly getting hit by rocks etc....where exactly are these located.

The connectors positioned lowest in my car are on either side of the bell housing half way down, far from the road and amply protected. Two O2 hook-ups and two flywheel sensors.

New boots are supplied with the Gold contacts to prevent water from entering from the back side of the connector as well as internal sealing rings (as needed) inside each plug to stop water from entering through the mating surfaces.

If water is getting into your connectors it is probably through failure of the two items above.

The contact pressure of the Gold contacts are enhanced by a 'U' shaped external spring that increases the clamping of the terminal, eliminating the poor contact pressure from the old OEM terminals that have been disconnected countless times during service.

 

The "flywheel" sensors are what I called rev counters. Sounds like the 348 connectors are in a different location from those on my t. On the t, the flywheel sensors are just in front of the bottom of the crank case, just below the toothed wheel that the sensors sense. There is supposed to be a piece of sheet metal that shields that area from road debris, but mine is long gone.

The boots are not perfect, that is why those connectors are rated as splash resistant. The newer weather proof connector styles have individual seals for each wire, instead of all the wires in a bundle, as well as a seal for the mating surfaces of the connectors.

Still, if my connectors were half way up the sides like you describe, I'd probably go with the gold too.

 

Crap! I hadn't realized you were working on a Mondial T. Now I get it.
From your description of the location I would be doing the same thing as you. Sleeve and seal.

What I am working on is a Testarossa.
Everything is different.











...

 

I don't know. I just looked at Ricambi's parts books. It looks like the 348 connectors are in the same location as mine. Do you have sheet metal covering that hole and protecting your connectors from debris? Or do you have a different car?

 

Testarossa! Well, that's different.

 

Now we're on the same page. LOL!

 

Lokks intresting is it avalibale for my mondial 8 ?. and what would be the app cost for a DIY kit +
articmondial

 

A lot of mis information based on assumptions yet stated as fact. Research is your friend.

Where the heck are you driving Randy?! I have yet to see the front crank sensors damaged even on race cars that spend time in the gravel traps.... my IMSA 348 being one of them. Ford, Jeep, Land Rover... all well suited for off road use, Ferrari's work better on pavement.

 

>> Where are you driving

I am just "lucky". That is why I am so talented at Q.A. - if there is a weakness, I will expose it for sure.

>> front crank sensors damaged

It wasn't the sensor that was damaged, but the plastic housing on the end of the harness. The lower-mounted one of the two, of course.

>> Ferrari's work better on pavement.

We'll see. If I go through with my Mini Monster Mondial nightmare, that may not be so!

 

"""The boots are not perfect, that is why those connectors are rated as splash resistant. The newer weather proof connector styles have individual seals for each wire, instead of all the wires in a bundle, as well as a seal for the mating surfaces of the connectors."""

In time you will find this statement incorrect, No seal is "Perfect" but we tested our boots with a power washer and a toaster oven. Hardly amounts to scientific lab testing but I consider it real world testing. Individual wire seals are good but quite prone to harness flex and distortion, they are just too small, too soft and difficult to install correctly.

"""Also as sold by Dave they are still in the "splash resistant" oem housings. Those housings allow the entry of water and dust. Enough of either or both could theoretically contaminate the interface between the gold contacts, especially if they got less springy."""

Same

"""My solution is to use more modern weatherproof housings that completely block the entry of dust and water. Then, by relying on the contact enhancing properties of modern polymers such as stabilant or deoxit, loss of contact spring is greatly reduced as a failure mode, for the polymers flow to fill the thin gaps that result from loss of spring. Finally DeOxit Shield which is my automotive contact enhancer of choice also prevents contact tarnish, so no need for gold. "Better?" I think so. """

Proven incorrect under a microscope, in the lab and on the car's. Been there, done that for many a year before the answer was found. The connectors on your car have a total design life span of 5 cycles, I have supporting data confirming that. Read, put it on is one, take it off is two... we exceeded the total life cycle design on these before the cars were out of warranty! The Mil-Spec Gold Connectors I use in the kits have a design life cycle of 100, it is not a "Forever" fix but it sure gives one a leg up on the OEM terminals, no "Mechanic in a Can" will bring those back. Believe me when I say for many years I thought your direction was correct, as did Ferrari when they were paying us a set amount of time to do exactly what you are for warranty repairs. Break out a 50-100 power microscope and do some close inspections of what you have, you will change your mind.

Most everything done in this field is an exercise in compromise, "what is good enough, what is long enough?" Each person needs to make their own decisions but I use two decades as my design target in all of our products, the engineers I work with think I am flat out nuts with that. Only time will tell if we are right but it is based on a team's debate on design's, not a singular thought.

 

Dave, I didn't know that your connectors are a different design than the OEM ones. It's hard to tell that they are different from your website - the site makes it sound as if you simply replaced the OEM contacts with gold ones. Obviously you have done a far more thorough job of re-engineering this critical part. Big kudos to you for that!

Besides the risk of physical damage, which I can take care of by fabbing a replacement for the missing sheet metal cover, my other problem is the job done by the incompetent mechanic in Phoenix who did the last belt change, and completely failed to seal the valve covers and etc. with the result that my engine is pretty much constantly awash in oil. That oil washes away the contact enhancer, and I start getting CELs. That why I went to Saran wrap and it does work.

So, should I assume that if I install your connectors, since they don't need contact enhancer, the oil will not affect them?

 

Frankly I do not know how to respond to that......

How about pulling the cam covers and resealing them as a starting point. There are plenty of Mondi's running around sans the rear shield. Save that effort for another day, pull and reseal the cam covers before it burns to the ground. A well sorted "T" is far too special to suffer that fate or require Saran Wrap as a required accessory item.

I have no want to try to convince anyone to try my system, it will stand on its own merit. I only want to correct mis-information written about it. I know exactly where you are with this. I was there myself for a very long time traveling the same road, it is quite frustrating at minimum.

 

>> reseal the cam covers

Can that be done with the engine still in the car? I'll drive it to Boulder tomorrow.

Seriously, I assumed that you needed the engine out to do that correctly. I couldn't justify it until the next belt change, as even though it sounds bad, it's not really that bad. If I can do it with the engine in, however, that is great news. What do you think - is that really possible?

 

Seriously? I would have you gas it up for a road trip if I wasnt worried about it burning on the way...

Cam covers are done ALL THE TIME on 348 engines, each evening on my race engines if pushed hard. With this being a T it is FAR easier with it mounted low in the chassis..... do them through the wheel wells and your back doesnt even get sore.

 

Thanks Dave. Now I have another project.

Do you have a writeup anywhere on how to seal those things so that they stay sealed? Should I buy some parts, or just a big tube of goo? What brand of goo? [/offtopic]

 

Again I find myself Speachless..... To quote an old friend, .... Oh heck, he will see this and respond himself.

 

On that note, I'm headed to the liquor store so I can go home and ponder the meaning of life.
May stop and buy some popcorn on the way.

Time to Saran Wrap the monitor and keyboard, a time tested way to seal them from spit out coffee and beer.

 

Have you guys considered "stand up " on the weekends?

 

I have. But I'm too 'politically incorrect' for this day and age.
Kind of a throwback to Andrew Dice Clay.