fuse box blown?

[WONKABOY]

My heater blower did not come on, went to the fuse box has the correct fuse 25 amp but was not blown, but the clips inside the socket are black , maybe burnt? Also i broke the speedo today , is it hard to take out the cluster to look at the problem,as usally what is the problem, PLEASE HELP EVERYBODY!!

Thanks, RICK

 

[JOE BYRNE]

Rick,

Sounds like a short for the blower motor problem. I would think the fuse should have blown before anything else. 81's still have glass fuses?

 

[bill81vette]

81's still have glass fuses?

No '81's have the 'plugin' type of fuses and the are colored for the different amps.
Rick, how old is the fuse in the fuse box?I had one which read ok but the fuse itself was no good.It had corroded inside of the fuse.
after you check the fuse and it is ok,Check to see if you are getting power to the switch in the console,if all is well there,chek at the blower motor to see if you have power to it.

what is broke on the speedo????

 

[WONKABOY]

FUSE/SPEEDO

No '81's have the 'plugin' type of fuses and the are colored for the different amps.
Rick, how old is the fuse in the fuse box?I had one which read ok but the fuse itself was no good.It had corroded inside of the fuse.
after you check the fuse and it is ok,Check to see if you are getting power to the switch in the console,if all is well there,chek at the blower motor to see if you have power to it.

what is broke on the speedo????

Thanks for the info , yes i'm going to buy a test light for the fuse problem, fuse is new!! as far as the speedo , i was on the highway and i caught the needle jumping up and down and then watch it fall to 0 mph!! 2 problems one day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[JJS]

No '81's have the 'plugin' type of fuses and the are colored for the different amps.
Rick, how old is the fuse in the fuse box?I had one which read ok but the fuse itself was no good.It had corroded inside of the fuse.

what is broke on the speedo????

Are you saying you Ohmed out the fuse and had continuity but the fuse was bad? If so, it sounds more like you might have had a little bit of oxidation on one of the contacts that was probably cleaned up by removing/inserting the fuse. -John

 

[Nut]

Thanks for the info , yes i'm going to buy a test light for the fuse problem, fuse is new!! as far as the speedo , i was on the highway and i caught the needle jumping up and down and then watch it fall to 0 mph!! 2 problems one day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WONKABOY..... welcome to the world of broken speedo cables. Likely you have a cruise option car and the cruise control transducer is broken. This will often add a considerable stress to the (transducer to tranny) cable and the insert cable brakes. This happened so many times to my '81 that I finally ripped out the transducer (I never used the cruise anyway) and just ran a single cable from the speedo to the tranny. That was 6 yeats ago and I haven't had a needle bounce since. Just an option to keep replacing the transducer and the cable every couple years.

Good Luck.................. nut

 

[Nut]

As for your fuse problem...... try replacing with a couple 25amp fuses. Sometimes they will blow at the leg and not in the middle (visible) part of the fuse. A meter will work also and aid in tracing any other shorts or opens in your circuits.

Good luck (again)............. nut

 

[WONKABOY]

FUSE

Are you saying you Ohmed out the fuse and had continuity but the fuse was bad? If so, it sounds more like you might have had a little bit of oxidation on one of the contacts that was probably cleaned up by removing/inserting the fuse. -John

WHAT I'M SAYING THE FUSE IS BRAND NEW , BUT THE CLIPS INSIDE THE FUSE BOX SOCKET LOOK BLACK/BURNT

 

[WONKABOY]

SPEEDO

WONKABOY..... welcome to the world of broken speedo cables. Likely you have a cruise option car and the cruise control transducer is broken. This will often add a considerable stress to the (transducer to tranny) cable and the insert cable brakes. This happened so many times to my '81 that I finally ripped out the transducer (I never used the cruise anyway) and just ran a single cable from the speedo to the tranny. That was 6 yeats ago and I haven't had a needle bounce since. Just an option to keep replacing the transducer and the cable every couple years.

Good Luck.................. nut

Thanks again for infor, it was moving slightly again today , now it's dead, can you tell me how i can optain the correct cable part # that will work. Is the cluster hard to take out, looks easy with the allen heads expsosed, how about unhooking the back of the cluster, hard? and how do you get the cable in the firewall with the big thig of migig on the end(s)

Thanks rick

 

[WONKABOY]

As for your fuse problem...... try replacing with a couple 25amp fuses. Sometimes they will blow at the leg and not in the middle (visible) part of the fuse. A meter will work also and aid in tracing any other shorts or opens in your circuits.

Good luck (again)............. nut

Hi, i did not notice that area being black before ,well i had a flashlight this time, but before i had the same trouble and i removed all the fuses one by one and put back and the heater had come back on, where would i test the first spot , at the fuse box clip? do i turn on the inigtion? if i got power go first to and where? I guess the switch would be last? if i don't have power at the clip, i guess i'm in big MONEY TROUBLES??

Thanks rick

 

[bill81vette]

where would i test the first spot , at the fuse box clip? do i turn on the inigtion? if i got power go first to and where?

Thanks rick

1st pull the fuse and check for power on one side or the other,also look with your flash light for signs of 'green',if you have 'green'you have corrosion and it must be removed first.(if you don't see green don't worry about it!!!)
2nd replace the fuse,and see if you have power form one side to the other.
3rd check to see if you have power at the switch in the console.
4th If you have power to the switch then check the lead to the blower motor in the engine compt.


bill.........

 

[JJS]

WHAT I'M SAYING THE FUSE IS BRAND NEW , BUT THE CLIPS INSIDE THE FUSE BOX SOCKET LOOK BLACK/BURNT

Sorry if you took my inquiry/response the wrong way. -John

 

[WONKABOY]

not wrong way

Sorry if you took my inquiry/response the wrong way. -John

No it was not the wrong way!!

 

[WONKABOY]

fuse check

1st pull the fuse and check for power on one side or the other,also look with your flash light for signs of 'green',if you have 'green'you have corrosion and it must be removed first.(if you don't see green don't worry about it!!!)
2nd replace the fuse,and see if you have power form one side to the other.
3rd check to see if you have power at the switch in the console.
4th If you have power to the switch then check the lead to the blower motor in the engine compt.


bill.........

Ok i will have to wait till a warmer day it is still chilly / windy here in Connecticut, thanks for the responce

 

[JJS]

I thought you might have been upset by the "all caps" reply. No big deal. I hope you get your car up and running soon. Good luck, and let us know how it turns out.

-John

 

[Nut]

Thanks again for infor, it was moving slightly again today , now it's dead, can you tell me how i can optain the correct cable part # that will work. Is the cluster hard to take out, looks easy with the allen heads expsosed, how about unhooking the back of the cluster, hard? and how do you get the cable in the firewall with the big thig of migig on the end(s)

Thanks rick

WONK.... the cluster is relatively easy to remove BUT....... you will have to unscrew the short cable from the transducer module first. You will also have to go under the dashboard and loosen the two large bolts holding the steering column in place. It is going to have to drop down 3-4 inches minimum to get the cluster to come forward and/or out in your hands. Not a bad time to clean the plastic bezel and gauge faces. BE CAREFUL not to scratch the plastic face with a paper towel!!! Use cloth or a soft wipe.

Once that has been accomplished remove the pin-ring that holds the cable in place. The replacement cable (I don't have a stock number handy), but you just order a cable for a "non-cruise control" 1981 and you will get the right cable. Probably still available from GM too.

Remove the longer cable from the tranny to the transducer module. Keep the metal cable guards from the old cable as you will want to reuse them on the new cable in the same place. At this point I attached the new (longer) cable to the back of the speedo. Reinstall the gauge cluster being sure NOT to torque the screws down too hard or you'll snap the aged plastic bezel. Reconnect the steering column and tighten those bolts down good. Now..... I also removed my transducer to have more room for the speedo cable. You may have to do this. I never tried rerouting the cable and leaving it in. Anyway..... (carefully) bend, pull and shape the cable to fit and reattach to the tranny. This part is not easy as you will need to get the car up in the air and have smaller hands. I had a VERY tough time reattaching my cable as I have rather larger hands.

You should be good to go. Be sure to add a little graphite lube in the new cable too.

Good Luck............ nut

 

[WONKABOY]

HI

I thought you might have been upset by the "all caps" reply. No big deal. I hope you get your car up and running soon. Good luck, and let us know how it turns out.

-John

I USE CAPS ALL THE TIME, AND PEOPLE SAY I'M YELLING , GOOD !!!!!!!

 

[WONKABOY]

CLUSTER REMOVAL

WONK.... the cluster is relatively easy to remove BUT....... you will have to unscrew the short cable from the transducer module first. You will also have to go under the dashboard and loosen the two large bolts holding the steering column in place. It is going to have to drop down 3-4 inches minimum to get the cluster to come forward and/or out in your hands. Not a bad time to clean the plastic bezel and gauge faces. BE CAREFUL not to scratch the plastic face with a paper towel!!! Use cloth or a soft wipe.

Once that has been accomplished remove the pin-ring that holds the cable in place. The replacement cable (I don't have a stock number handy), but you just order a cable for a "non-cruise control" 1981 and you will get the right cable. Probably still available from GM too.

Remove the longer cable from the tranny to the transducer module. Keep the metal cable guards from the old cable as you will want to reuse them on the new cable in the same place. At this point I attached the new (longer) cable to the back of the speedo. Reinstall the gauge cluster being sure NOT to torque the screws down too hard or you'll snap the aged plastic bezel. Reconnect the steering column and tighten those bolts down good. Now..... I also removed my transducer to have more room for the speedo cable. You may have to do this. I never tried rerouting the cable and leaving it in. Anyway..... (carefully) bend, pull and shape the cable to fit and reattach to the tranny. This part is not easy as you will need to get the car up in the air and have smaller hands. I had a VERY tough time reattaching my cable as I have rather larger hands.

You should be good to go. Be sure to add a little graphite lube in the new cable too.

Good Luck............ nut

Thank you for all the infor, i'm printing this out for the future ( warmer day)

RICK

 

[JOE BYRNE]

NO PROBLEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

otfl :L

 

[JJS]

I USE CAPS ALL THE TIME, AND PEOPLE SAY I'M YELLING , GOOD !!!!!!!

EXACTLY!