Help! Electrical Nightmare

Hi.
Re: My 1987 328 GTS

It started off with an intermittent problem with power delivery to the fuel pump. In the end I got a new-Rebuilt fuse panel from GT Car Parts Inc (great service) which was installed. The fuel delivery problem seems to be fixed but NOW the electrical system is so messed up it sounds like a bad joke without a punchline.

The power antenna switch does nothing. The headlights are stuck in the up position. There are no dash lights and the interior overhead light doesn't work. BUT WAIT..........

The turn signals don't work BUT they do IF you turn on the hazard flasher. But the flashers don't work when you do this, only the turn signals. To get the flashers to work you have to also turn on the fog light switch. Also when I start the car my dog barks like crazy....but this might not be related to the electrical issues.

I was wondering if someone familiar with this car knows if maybe some of the harnesses were attached to the wrong plugs on the fusebox.

Do I need and electrician or an Exorcist?


Thanks

 

Maybe take it back to your installer to fix? Also post a photo of the connections to the fuse block(s). Maybe we all can check the wires' color codes and see if anything jumps out at us.

 

did you install the new fuse box or was it installed by a dealer? It could be something as simple as a bad earth connection.

 

Sounds to me like some of the wires are on the wrong tabs -- check they are all in the right positions!

 

+1! Also check the main power wire feed from the battery to the fuse blocks. My 308's connection was showing signs of burning before I "rebuilt" the connection.
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FWIW, no major manufacturer uses solder connections on cars (or boats) and they haven't for years. Crimp connectors - with the PROPER tool - are more reliable due to vibration issues. Wires with soldered connections where vibration is present eventually break at the solder point. ABYC (marine) guidelines are that soldered wiring connections are not approved for marine use.

I suggest that when you remake old connections, you go to crimp connections using this sort of tool to make the crimp: http://www.shopping.com/Ancor-Marine-Ancor-701030-Marine-Grade-Electrical-Double-Crimp-Ratchet-Tool/info

 

Thanks to all who posted a reply.

I guess I was hoping that someone might recognize a basic problem like an incorrect replacement board (maybe from another year?) or connections being swapped.

I'm really not keen on having the same, er...."experts" have another go at it.

Thanks again.

 

That is it.

 

Mike,
I'm with you but could not find a local or on-line source then for that larger blade connector (do you know?). I wanted my car back on the road, thus the clean up repair. I'd like to find one and upgrade this fix ASAP.
BTW - I do not expect to use my car in the ocean or under any other under marine conditions.

 

" I do not expect to use my car in the ocean or under any other under marine conditions."

It's a vibration issue more than a ocean environment issue. Nobody uses solder anymore in any vehicle (land or sea) wiring application. I don't know about aircraft but I suspect the same is true.

As far as that particular connector - I'm not sure. I buy all connectors/wire from marine stores/suppliers. I would expect that you could find the appropriate connector there but perhaps not. Marine wire is tinned copper which is much better than plain copper for long-term reliability; it resists corrosion far better. Re that - t's a good practice to put some dielectric grease on each terminal before connecting them. It will virtually eliminate corrosion issues.

 

Well, once I find it I'm already tinned and ready to crimp!

 

But the solder "tinning" makes the wire brittle; manufactured tinned wire is not brittle and maintains the same flexibility as normal multiple strand wire. If you are going to use a crimp fitting on that connection, cut the wire back to get rid of all the solder, then strip the insulation/insert into the crimp connector and crimp.

 

If it's low voltage "solder it"! If vibration is an issue use a dampening coil. Old school yes!
In 60 years of repairing I have witnessed only solid wire cracking , soldered or not. No argument just good old experience. Lost

 

+1 on that. Have been soldering my connections for 30+ years now and that's the last time I've ever had to touch a (soldered) connection. My experience with crimping has been that eventually corrosion gets in there and deteriorates the conductivity and creates heat. Old skool, new skool, I don't know, I just know what has worked for me.

Just because manufacturers don't solder connections doesn't mean it's a less desirable means of connecting terminals - there's a little something called "cost" that generally dictates outcomes on the mass production assembly line...

 

+2 on that /// been doing it on ferraris for 35+ yrs and not one has returned with a solder failure....Back to the original issue on the 328 fusebox. I think you need to go backwards and put the old fuse panel back in and see if all the problems you have now are fixed... If they are, than I would assume the new/ used fusebox has its own set of problems. The other thing you can do is there are connectors under the passengers floor board and in the fwd center console that could be loose and I would check those.... If your original fusebox only has a fuel pump problem and you cant get a new one I would look at just rewiring the fuel pump externally of the fusebox 1 circuit with one relay and I would use an auto reset circuit breaker instead of a on it....Let me know if you need any more help.

Scott
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First time I saw this thread.

I can't tell how one can rebuild a fuse panel without removing the circuit boards and soldering in new wires (like in my RobzWorkz thread 6(66)a); you could replace the circuit sheets as a unit; this may have been what was done for yours, but with the incorrect sheets or incorrect/shorted soldered points; to properly rebuild, you need to be very precise and fully-committed to proper wiring and verify with Ohm-testing.

BTW, soldering is good if the connections themselves are rigid, like with the solid wiring of the relay board. If you crimp onto a soldered connector, it is possible that joints could loosen since crimping force is not evenly-distributed to the full wiring surface; it's best to crimp onto stranded wire alone and after twisting the multi-strands by hand. With my RobzWorkz 6(66)b, I removed crimped connections because there was much oxidation, and I soldered the refurbed joints. With RobzWorkz 6(66)c, I over-soldered the crimped connections directly to reinforce the connectivity and because the joints were clean enough not to remove altogether. Also, it is worthwhile to protect crimped wires with heat shrink and dielectric paste where available; this will minimize oxidation which would naturally cause metals to separate.

I recommend returning the board.

Welcome to the demons of Ferrari electronics!

Rob H.

 

Thanks for the info and the "x-rated" pics.
I can't return the new/rebuilt box-you have to send the old one in or pay a lot more without the exchange.
I think what I'm going to do is just do a systematic troubleshooting of all the affected circuits.
I'm going to make a little fused test box connected directly to both the +ve and -ve terminals right off the battery . You have to connect both because you don't know ahead of time if the problem is on the supply or ground side. Then I'm going to connect each item and make sure the circuit works in isolation at the shortest point then work back to the panel. In the end if it all works I will be happy - and if the board is maybe not the exact replacement due to model year variations I won't care. As long as the circuit is protected by the proper value fuse I'll just make note of the location and leave it at that.

Thanks again to all who responded.

 

I don't know about the 328 but is there a possibility that he did get the wrong fuse panels altogether? Were there different variants for different years? If that happened the board itself could be causing the problems.

If not I'd bet on wires being transferred wrong too. It wouldn't be hard to do with so many lugs to transfer.

 

It was suggested to take the car back to the persons who installed the new fuse panel. OP doesn't want to give them another go. A reminder to be very careful about who you allow to work on your car. Sounds like OP knows what the problem is, the installer was not competant to handle this task.

Or it's an incorrect part.

 

If you need a hand with your electrical problem give us a call. We are a ferrari only service shop here in Toronto. We have been in the business for 22 years.

Rocks automotive restoration.

 

I enjoy these challenges-I can't wait until I get my 308!

 

Hi,

I looked for you online and found 2 locations - one on Hymus and one on Gerrard, I don't know if it would violate any rules but could you please post your exact address, or maybe PM me, although I haven't used personal messaging before.

Thanks.

 

Why not disconnect the entire fusebox and then plug in one circuit at a time and make sure each works by itself then if you add another circuit make sure both work and so on.

 

Hello Tom

we are at 2543 gerrard street in Toronto
416 686 8700

Rocco