If you have time for a read I'd really appreciate your help.

[Clawhammer]

My car keeps popping the green 30a fusible link for the IGNITION SWITCH in the fusebox under the hood. It's a SOHC chasis with an S13 SR and 5spd swap.

This is a long read so I don't expect much help, but it's worth a shot. I’ve really tried helping myself as much I can, but I really need other brains thinking about it, maybe I’m missing something simple. I’m ready to set this thing on fire.

Things I have done:
-I have ALL the FSM's. I probably know the wiring diagrams better than most (def. not all).
-I've redone all the SR swap connections on the harness.
-Traced every inch of the lower engine harness AND all the wires under the fuse box.
-Ruled out the ignition switch
-Ruled out my alarm system
-Went to town for a few days with a DMM
-Run a fresh wire straight from the IGN SW to the starter
-Every ground I can find is solid
-More I can’t think of at the moment

The wires I’ve boxed here:

are warm/mildly hot at time of failure. I didn’t discover this until the after it died once I got it back to Gainesville. I’m not sure if the heat is a result of the amount of juice going through these, or if it’s shorting. I need to get a DMM and check it out. Can anyone tell me where these wires go? The FSM’s aren’t very explicit.

I’m thinking about cutting the power wire off the back of the ignition switch and running a new one for it (fused of course)…here’s a diagram I’ve come up with:


People have suggested the alternator is on its way out and causing this. I have a hard time believing that the alt is going bad and blowing only one of the like 20 fuses connected to it. Regardless I plan on pulling it and having it tested, however futile it may be (especially considering my problem seems to be intermittent).

So current theories are the Main Ignition power wires shown in the FRsport wiring tutorial, running a new wire for the IGN power, and the alt.

Short background:

2nd week of March she stalls on me at a light.

Tow her home, find out it's the IGN SW fuse. Put the one from the P/W in and drive it to the autoparts store to buy a new one. Pop it in, drive 5 minutes down the road, pop it again. Put in an extra I bought, drive 20 feet and pop that too.

Tow her home again. Go through the entire lower engine harness, replace the igntion switch with a brand new one which was also alarm free (ruling out both the switch and the alarm). I come to the conclusion that the inhibitor switch line is grounding somewhere so I cut it off the ignition switch and run a brand new wire straight to the starter (bypassing wherever the short is). Works! Drove it all around Clearwater and then back to Gainesville that, drove it around the next day. Third day I get in to go to work, drive 2 buildings down in my apartment complex and blow the fuse.

Now towing this time since it was walking distance from my place I just pushed it into a parking spot. Unloomed the connections in the engine bay for the SR harness and spread them out. Didn't work. Taped them all up. Still didn't work. Loomed them all back up...it worked??? Been fine for the last two is weeks after that magical fixing of itself.

Two nights ago I go for a drive to get a feel for my new clutch. Pops the fuse on me again. I picked up the magical wires just inspecting, put them down and then jumped the fuse. It was working so I put the P/W fuse in and started it up, it was running, so it was time to try to get it home. Pulled a u-turn and it blew the fuse. Played with the wires again, and it was working again, but I had no more fusible links.

Went to Walmart to get a tow strap, had to the idea to get a spade fuse terminal and crimp some disconnects on it. A box of 5 30a spade fuses costs $1.50, 1 fusible link is $3. Do the math! (besides where was I gonna find fusible links at 1am on a Friday night) Got back to the car, put my new fuse setup in and started it up. Drove it almost all the way home, and blew the fuse again. This time no amount of wire wiggling could get it working again so;

I towed it home again.

[ichibans13]

Your "magic wire wiggle" sounds like a broken wire in there. When you wiggle it, it could make a steady enough connection that will allow your car to work. Then, for example, when you made your U-turn it could have broke that connection, and then the two broken pieces of wire could have come close enough together to arch and blow the fuse.

Just a guess though. I'd have to be there to really see the problem to give you a better answer. My suggestion, if you can narrow it down to a harness, build a new one.

[ichibans13]

Did you figure anything out? I'm dying to know what was wrong.

[Clawhammer]

Well it turns out that the Blue and Red wire I was asking about goes to the coilpacks so I took off the cover and found this:





So I just ordered a new coilpack harness form West Covina.

I got the car running and while it was running I wiggled the wires on that plug all together and couldn't get it to blow the fuse. That cylinder would drop out but that's it. So I don't know, but it's getting fixed anyway. A lot of people are sure that's what it is but I don't know...I've thought I figured this out before too...The crimped on disconnects are so wide they actually touch each other inside when they're on the terminals.

When the new harness comes I'll pull the spark plug and make sure there's no damage to it from this.

[Sileighty_85]

Ive had somewhat a similar issue, drivin one day and My PFC shutoff and the car (Thank God I didnt Fry the PFC) but looked over my harness and saw that the wires that are loomed over the fuel rail close to the the #4 injector had rubbed through on the fuel rail and grounded some wires out and poped a few fuses. re wrapped and chaff wraped the bundel, never had a problem again.
so check for unwanted grounds around the bends in the harness
Or if your car is slammed make sure your tires didnt rubb through the harness in the fender wells
G/L