The electrics in my car have just started acting funny and any help would be greatly appreciated. The engine starts and runs completely normal. Headlights work. Radio and power antenna work. However, the turn signals, brake lights, reverse lights, interior lights, power windows, and wipers have all stopped working. Can anyone think of what may be causing this? The car does have a newer alpine security system. Many thanks.
Thanks for the tip. I know I may seem a bit naive, but I'm used to working on mopar and chevy musclecars so this ferrari thing is a bit intimidating. I'm looking forward to learning the ins and outs of this car. It can't be too complex. Thanks again.
If the fuses seem OK, try connecting a jumper wire from the A (azure = light blue) female wire terminal on the top of fuse #2 over to the GN (yellow/black) female wire terminal at the top of fuse #1 -- if the power windows then work (with the key "on") you have a problem in the fusebox itself (i.e., a problem in the riveted plate on the backside that is supposed to electrically connect all of the top terminals of fuses #1 and #2 together). PS What year/version 308QV? PPS The electrical schematic is in the back of your OM.
Thanks for the info. I'm probably going to upgrade the fuse block after reading many posts about electrical gremlins in the 308 on ferrarichat. It's an '83 US version. GTS, black/black High mileage for a Ferrari 70k, but runs like a champ. My first experience with ferrari ownership/maintenance. Just delivered last night. Thanks Again.
i second that, i just ordered 2 more sets from him, one for my dino and one for a friend. that 3 sets of his i have used ! ( my gtb has them too)
Hey Birdman. Can you send me a pic of the new block you have. I'd like to see how it differs. So far, mine is working fine with no problems and it's original. I'd like to know why new (Non OEM) are considered better. Might be a good idea to have one on hand just in case. Are they easy to install? You need to know that I have ZERO mechanical ability. Thanks.
Hey Gil, I'll post a pic when I'm back on my office computer. The problem with the stock fuseblocks are twofold: 1. Power is distributed to the fuses through "bus bars" on the back of the fuseblocks and these are connected to the fuse holders through rivets. The rivets get corroded over time, and start to develop resistance. Eventually the resistance gets high enough that it generates enough heat at the junction to melt the plastic of the fuseblock. Then you are all done. Nothing works right. The thing gets intermittant, flaky, and finally dies. 2. The OEM fuseblocks use a funky kind of fuse that is not only hard to find, but it has a conical end that is gripped by the fuseholders at the very tip, so there is very little contact area. It doesn't take much corrosion for the fuse to become intermittant. It's just the worst design you can imagine. These two critical factors make the OEM fuseblocks age poorly. They are fine for a while, but as these cars age, the fuseblocks get the corrosion and flakiness. You can replace them with OEM ones if you want to spend $500 on two fuseblocks that will be flaky again in 15 years. The replacement ones I make use standard modern glass fuses, they snap into the fuse holders firmly and are not flaky. They fit right into the OEM fuseblock locations with no alteration to the car. Simply mark the old wires, remove them from the old fuseblocks, unscrew the old fuseblocks, screw the new ones in, hook the wires back up, snap in the fuses and you are done. It takes 20 minutes, the car electrical system is 1000 times more reliable and you can easily put the stock ones back in if you ever wanted to, though I can't imagine why you would. No concourse judge is going to remove the dash to see if your fuseblocks are original! You would be surprised how much stuff works better with a decent fuseblock, but the real thing that is nice about these is once installed you can FORGET about dealing with electrical issues associated with the fuseblocks. I finally built a set when I had pulled the fusebox out for the 20th time to clean contacts. The issue I was having was the fuse on the radiator fans kept flaking out and the car would overheat in traffic. Haven't had a single issue since I did new fuseblocks. It gives me so much more confidence in the car because 90% of the electrical problems in a 308 can be traced to the crappy P.O.S. fusebox! Birdman
