Electrical Problems

[harvir93]

Hi All, I am new to the forum and fulvia ownership. Since buying my car I have had a few gremlins which I have been resolving slowly but surely.
The latest however has stumped me...
I removed the battery overnight to charge it and when I put it in the next day the electrical systems of the car have completely stopped working!
I have 12V at the battery and to the starter motor, the car turns over no problem. I have no spark, no lights or anything else. I have checked the earth connection and that all appears to be ok. The fuses in the cabin are all intact. When I removed and reconnected the battery I did this in the correct order. I have a original manual which came with the car and I have been going through the electrical diagrams, I cannont spot anywhere in the circuit which could be the issue.
I would be grateful for your help and advice. Thanks. 

[davidwheeler]

At least you do not have to worry about electronics so it does not matter in which order you connect the terminals.   The fuse box is notorious for poor connections, many people solder the terminals for example.  Also the switches are very dodgy.   As a first trial, hot wire it by connecting the battery direct to the coil positive to see if that will give you a spark but a total lack of electrics suggests the main feed wire into the fuse box is where the problem lies.

[harvir93]

Thanks for the response David. I will check the main feed wire as you suggest. Are there any fuses in the engine bay… I was looking for anything next to the starter motor but couldn’t see anything.

[davidwheeler]

Certainly none in my car, only in the fuse box.

[lancialulu]

Thanks for the response David. I will check the main feed wire as you suggest. Are there any fuses in the engine bay… I was looking for anything next to the starter motor but couldn’t see anything.

S2 has a fuse for the electric fan but this would not cause your problems.

[Jaydub]

The fact you can crank it suggests you have feed to the Fuse box- Fuse 7, which is the main input to the fuse box from the starter motor. Check there are 3 Red wires connected to the starter terminal where the Battery positive bolts on. Check the connector block on the back of the ignition switch. It should have Red, Blue/Black, Brown and a thin Black . Make sure they are all good and the connection is good because the Black wire feeds Fuse 8 for the lights and the Brown feeds Fuse 7 for Coil and Lights.

[harvir93]

Thanks for all of your suggestions. The ignition circuit remains the only problem now. The dashboard isnt working either, including the indicators. I tried Davids trick of hot wiring the positive side of the coil which resolved the problem.
Based on this I think I have either a dodgey wire or connection. I was trying to find out what each fuse controls but failed to find anything online. My manuel is in italian so if it is in there I havent been able to work it out. Does anyone have a link to a post with this information? I will check the connections as you have suggested Jay. My car is a series 3 LHD.

[lancialulu]

You should equip your self with S2 manual and technical data on cd. These can be purchased on a commercial dutch website vivalancia.com.

[harvir93]

Again many thanks for all for your help… I’ve checked the various connections and cleaned up the main earth and connections to the starter motor. This hasn’t made a difference…
I’ve found if I turn the ignition on and short fuses 8 & 9 at in the fuse box the car turns on and I can then start it using the key.
Does this mean my ignition barrel has gone bad? Am I right in thinking by touching the two circuits together when the ignition switch is on I’m making the three circuits connect?

[davidwheeler]

Wiring diagrams for series 2 coupe and sport posted in technical information thread.

[harvir93]

Hi all. Thought I would just give a quick update. In the end it was a faulty ignition switch. It coincided with me taking the battery out so this is why I thought it was an electrical issue.
I’m back to resolving the fuelling issue I’m having. The root cause I think is a very corroded fuel tank which has blocked up the fuel line. The car drives fit around 10 mins but the line between the two carbs runs dry and the engine stalls out. Anyone have a rough cost estimate for replacing the tank, sender, fuel line, filter and pump. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[fay66]

Hi all. Thought I would just give a quick update. In the end it was a faulty ignition switch. It coincided with me taking the battery out so this is why I thought it was an electrical issue.
I’m back to resolving the fuelling issue I’m having. The root cause I think is a very corroded fuel tank which has blocked up the fuel line. The car drives fit around 10 mins but the line between the two carbs runs dry and the engine stalls out. Anyone have a rough cost estimate for replacing the tank, sender, fuel line, filter and pump. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Try fitting a filter king unit, I had a similar problem years ago with my 2c Berlina, the filter king solved the problem, hopefully you'll be as lucky.
Brian
8227

[Neil]

if the tank is not perforated you could try applying a tank sealant after thorough cleaning and replacing the filters (including the tank filter gauze) might be a lot cheaper than a new tank. Clean the fuel lines and you might be able to get going again

[harvir93]

That’s great advice Neil - I have had a quick look online and Por-15 fuel tank restoration kit seems to be the way to go. Let me know if you think otherwise. The tank doesn’t have any pin holes so this solution seems a good way to go for about a tenth of the price of a new tank.

Brian - thanks as well for the filter king suggestion. I noticed that it comes highly recommended on the forum. There seems to be two sizes 42 and 48mm diameter. Is there a particular one that fits the fulvia best.

I think I can blow the fuel lines out with compressed air to get rid of any junk in there.

[neil-yaj396]

I bought the 67mm Filter King, but I think that this measurement relates to the depth?