Fulvia Fuse Layout & instrument panel lighting

[chugga boom]

another common fault while I remember and again easily solved is corrosion between the rivits in the fuse box that pass through the plastic and  connect the spade end to the fuse end, if you clean the ends of the rivit up and solder them a good connection in the fuse box is restored

[blueboxer]

I now have working dash lights together with all of the other warning lamps, etc on the dash.
Next job is to sort out my main beam and indicators. Both work fine until I have main beam on and want to indicate. The main beam knocks the indicators out. I've done a test and know that it is not related to the instrument panel as the same issue occurs when I bypass the instruments. I took the indicator/headlamp stalk apart but got stymied not being able to undo the small chrome nut on the indicator. This mean't I couldn't take the control unit out of the housing. There seems very little space inside and I can see a few bare wires so think it is the likely culprit. I might try some heat on the nut to try and loosen but have already tried gripping it in a vice, etc.
I'm likely to do it some damage so want to source another stalk so if anyone has one, please let me know.

Also spent plenty of time cleaning up all connections & the fuse board/rivets (as suggested) using a miniature wire brush on a dremel so getting confident that my earth issues will soon becoming to an end!

[chugga boom]

this is what I was on about with the soldering of the rivits on the fuse box , well worth while doing

[DavidLaver]

When I first got the B20 I ignored all the obvious "to-do" items and had every last wire stripped out by John Savage who then did a rewire.   For sure the car still broke down but they were "proper ones" not some dumb wire buried someplace awkward.   

Am I alone being tolerant of mechanical failure but profoundly irritated by electrical maladies?

David

[stanley sweet]

No - but my reason is not having any understanding of electrics apart from the very basics like fitting a switch, fuses, or spotting a loose wire. Usually you can see or hear a mechanical fault and if you're lucky can rig up a get-you-home fix. The world of electrics is mysterious and silent and I envy those who can easily go through and trace faults. No doubt there are people who find electrics the most straight forward and the mechanics unecessarily time consuming. I will be following Chugga's advice in the future though of cleaning and soldering the rivets.

[chugga boom]

to set the record straight....I HATE ELECTRICS!!!!, however if I do them and do them right 1st time fingers crossed I don't have to do it again!! 

[DavidLaver]

When I got someone else to do it right first time I then had no issues.  Clutch in an out all day long for fun, mystery flat battery not fun.

Something I've done on a number of cars is a battery isolator switch - improves the chances of there being juice in the jar.  An Anderson socket under the dash for a booster battery is another favourite.

David

[SanRemo78]

Hi guys, I'm just about to start a COMPLETE rewire of the Stratos replica including the Bosch Motronic loom. That's the easy bit. The difficult bit, for me, is that I'm making the original Group 4 fusebox that's been in the car functional and not decorative. Whilst I want everything to be as reliable as possible one of the weak looking points is the fusebox contacts that are kinda dirty. The problem is how to clean them up, I can't remove them from the plastic of the fusebox so I'm hoping someone might have an idea of a solution I can drop the whole assembly into that will clean the contact without damaging the plastic...

The fusebox looks just like the one in this thread. Except it's 16 fuses long.....

Cheers

Guy

[chugga boom]

I used scotch bright and a rotary wire wheel (brass) in a small air drill, brass wire brush works well too as it doesn't seam to damage the plastic

[Dilambdaman]

I always have a can of electrical switch cleaner to hand. Works well on all electrical contacts. Used it today to clean up very grubby rear bulb holders on the Fulvia Berlina.

Lots to choose from on Ebay etc.

Robin.

[simonandjuliet]

Similar to Chugga - I use a small brass-wired brush on a Dremel

[SanRemo78]

Thanks for the hints! I'll have to go and get some little brass brushed and try that method and also the electrical contact cleaner. I've also tried vinegar (not very effective) and brown sauce but with limited results! It works quite well on coins and contacts I can remove easily from the fusebox but for some reason, not so well on contacts in the plastic fusebox... Fortunately it comes off easily enough in the dish washer!

Ta

Guy

[davidwheeler]

Baker's Soldering Fluid.

[chugga boom]

Baker's Soldering Fluid.

just use a kettle of boiling water over it afterwards to neutralise the acid or it corrodes even worse!! we use it for lead loading, great stuff but terrible in the same sence if not cleaned off properly