89 245 keeps blowing fuse #1

[Volvo_240_Atari_2600]

Hi,

1989 volvo 245
automatic
non turbo
224,000 miles
Florida, USA

I seem to keep blowing fuse #1 for no aparent reason.
A few weeks ago I noticed a burning smell, almost like rotten fish. Did not know what it was, but then the radio went dead.
(fuse 1 is the radio, cigarette lighter and the rear washer pump) pump stopped working ages ago but I did notice the stereo go dead, but I thought it was the deck. So I assume the radio is fried.

So I bought a new one.

So I install the new one today to find out it to was not working as well, so now I checked the fuse and there it was... I tested the old radio (both aftermarkets) and the old one a JVC CD player that I had installed a little over four years ago came back on. So it was not the stereo.

Short after I tested the older JVC the fish smel comes back and gone...

so I replace the fuse and there it goes again.

I put in the new stereo (an older sony tape deck) and it worked for 10-15 minutes and gone again with the fish smell.

When this first happened a few weeks aho I did nothing to cause this. No installations of anything... I was happy with my old cd player and out of the blue, I keep blowing fuse one.

Can someone tell me what I should be looking at to correct this problem?

Keep in mind... I never installed any accessories in the past four years, nor do I run an amp for the stereo.

One thing that I did was leave my cel phone charger pluged into the cigarette lighter for a very long time. Also... The lighter sleve is a little loose. Could that be a part of my problem? A loose connection that is causing a short?

Thank you in advance
Eric

[billofdurham]

The lighter sleve is a little loose. Could that be a part of my problem? A loose connection that is causing a short?

That is a good starting point as nothing electrical should be loose. The cigarette lighter is easy to tighten. Get a firm hold on the outer casing and turn the inner part. Usually one finger inserted where the actual 'hot' bit goes is sufficient. Then try your radio.

The "rotten fish" burning smell puzzles me as this may indicate a breakdown of insulation somewhere, but try the lighter first and let us know if that fixes it.

Bill.

[Volvo_240_Atari_2600]

Bill,

Thank you for your help as always but no luck this time.

I tried what you told me. Without removing the black pace plate, I rotated the lighter sleeve clockwise with my finger until it was tight.

I then rep[laced the fuse and it burned instantly.

Now I am stumpled without knowing what is happening here.

Any thoughts of where to look next?

Thanks

[billofdurham]

Have a good look under the dash to see if you can find any wires that look as though they have lost insulation and could be shorting out. This is easier than it sounds as all the wires coming from fuse #1 are yellow/black so that is all you need to look for.

If that reveals nothing you will need to eliminate all the units running from fuse #1. Unfortunately you are going to need a good supply of fuses.

On my wiring diagram I see that power mirrors are also on that fuse. Do you have power mirrors?

When the fuse first blew were you using any of the units, apart from the radio, running on fuse #1?

Bill.

[Volvo_240_Atari_2600]

Bill,
Thanks again.
OK... You are correct about the power mirrors on that fuse and no... My car has no such option. Now... I was running the cell phone charger in that socket for the lighter... It was almost a permanent installation, meaning I never removed it.

The other option listed is the wiper/washer motor pump I believe... No problems there, however the rear never worked since I boght the car almost 5 years ago. This summer I replaced the rear (hatch) harness, knowing wires were severed in the hinges... Back then when I replaced the harness, the rear hatch power doorlocks worked again as well as the brakelight. It doesnt snow in Florida so I cant say the rear defroster works, but I would imagine so with new wires... The rear motor is dead so I reconected it when I found one in the junk yard that also proved to be deceased. But as far as I recall, all my wires in the rear were reconnected.

As the lighter socket loosened over time, the charger remained plugged in.

So just the radio and the cell charger/lighter. That's it

I'll look into the wires coming from that fose socket like you mentioned and see if it can lead me to a problem.

But if anything else comes to mind, please let me know.

[wojeepster]

some component is either shorted out or a wire has worn through the insulation. If you have an idea where the 'fish smell" was coming from that would be a good place to start. You can purchase short finders on fleabay that will help you locate the bad wire or you can just follow wire to those components looks for worn through, frayed, burnt, etc insulation.

[Volvo_240_Atari_2600]

wojeepster.
Thank you for your input.
I forgot to mention to Bill about the fish smell.
It was actually coming from the burning of the fuse. The older and I guess better fuses for that car if I am not mistaken were ceremic with the exposed metal element??? Sound right?

the ones I have were purchased at Autozone and are ?made in China" plastic and I guess that plastic has that foul odor when the metal burns into it.

I could litteraly see the smoldering, or I guess the little wavy haze of smoke coming from the fuse when it burned right in front of my eyes.

Think I inhaled melamine?

I will do the wire by wire search to see if anything looks out of the norm.

Thanks again!
Eric

[Volvo_240_Atari_2600]

Bill,

I will direct this series of questions and comments to you.
First of all... Thank you for all of your help.

OK...
1.I dismantled the whode dash, removing the instrument cluster as well to see if I could follow the wired from fuse #1

I found nothing on that yellow and black wire, except for a red wire that someone at some point ran as a jumper to fuse one... It was capped off, but I pulled it.

2.Before I pulled it, I did some trial and errors since I had the day ahead of me. I went and pulled the yellow and black wire and I ran it to the fuse that controls the blower motor as a test. But I was afraid that I would do damage, so I ran it back to fuse 1. However, without finding the cause, I kept blowing fuses, so now I installed a 25 amp fuse in its place. With the key in the on position but w/o the engine running... The radio had been on for a while and I was enjoying the music, but when I turned the key, (before the 25 amp fuse) that's when they would all blow.

So now I am excited that I think the problem is solved, no red wire, 25 amp fuse and now everything seems fine. (false hope) as it gets worse.

Remember I said I removed my instrument cluster. I should have shot a phot before pulling the wires.

Lets just say I ended up with spare wires with no where to plug them back.

Here is what I pluged in which was obvious.
1. The black round multi pin plug (left side of cluster when you are facing the back of the cluster)
2. the half circular multi pin plug (left side of cluster when you are facing the back of the cluster)
3. I cannot rememeber this one well, but on that same left side on the lower left corner is an electrical prong and I believe the yellow wire with a red stripe was there, so that is the one I believe I plugged in there.
4.On the right side (facing the back of the cluster) close to the center right is a "U" shaped three prong conector, so I plugged back that black three prong plug.

Now for the spare wires... There is a small white plug (45 degree angle) with three wires and I pulled out from the back of the cluster and I could not find out where it went

Then there was the one lone wire (I believe it's a light gray with a stripe anc I can recall if is a red or green stripe.) I could not find a place that this was plugged in.

Does anyone have a good photo showing where these wires should go?

Now here are my symptoms as of tonight.

Remember I was listening to music for a long time w/ the engine off (stupid) I know... When I closed everything, glove box, cluster etc... The car won't start nor will the battery take charge from a jump. So I buy a new batery tonight.

1. (fuse #1) the 25 amp started to cook while I was driving to fill my car up for tomorrow. I started to smell burning plastic. It was that 25 amp fuse... Melted away. Funny thing is it did not do that before the battery died, as I tested the starting of the engine several times until I thought "problem solved." WRONG... Seems like it happens after I start the car and drive.

2. I have all my dummy lights working, high beam etc... light on the dash comes on like normal, turn signals blink in the cluster, even the hazards.

3. Fuel guage, temperature guage, speedometer, tachometer, odometer are DEAD... So it's obvious that the hanging wires are deeded somewhere that I just could not find where to plug them into.

4. My power windows stopped working (this was on the way to the gas station) The fuse, I think # 10 was fine.... Actually, all my fuses are fine except for 1.

5. My back up lamps also stopped working after this.

6. Also... When I start my car now after leaving these wires unplugged, the arrow for the overdrive comes on and stays on. I have to press the button on the shifter to take get out of the arow mode.

What should I do?
Right now, I know that getting my instruments, reverse light, windows working are more of a priority than the stereo, but if anyone has any suggestions as to how I can get the stereo to come back, would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Eric

[billofdurham]

Eric,

You committed the cardinal sin of replacing an 8 amp fuse with a 25 amp fuse. That is a real big no, no. When you have a fault blowing any fuse and don't know what it is, the higher rated fuse will eventually blow unless the car catches fire first.

I don't have a photo of the rear of the instrument cluster but I do have a wiring diagram. This does not show the colours of the plugs, but that is immaterial as plugs can be changed.

If the white plug with 3 wires has blue; black and red/black wires then it is the plug for the speedo. It plugs in to three prongs, obviously, which are at the opposite end of the cluster to the round and half round plugs. Also next to these prongs there should be a single blue wire which goes to the fuel injection ECU.

The red/black of those wires is the feed to the cluster from the ignition switch which, if disconnected, would take out the speedo, temp gauge, fuel gauge, odometer, and tachometer.

The yellow/red wire is the feed to the overdrive light (arrow) and also relies on the red/black wire for its power.

Back up lights, power window lifts relay, air con and the rear window demist switch are on fuse #12, 8 amp, so check that to see if it is the problem.

To check the radio, without dismantling the rear axle (sorry, my sense of humour is of the warped variety) you could run a wire from the battery positive direct to the radio. If you do try that put an in-line 8 amp fuse on the wire. If that blows it is definitely a bad radio as nothing else, including the ignition, needs to be switched on.

Keep us informed of your prgress.

Bill.

[Volvo_240_Atari_2600]

Bill,

Thank you for your time!
I read on other boards and I believe somewhere on Matthews, that crossing wires on the back of an instrument cluster may cause great damage...

ie: frying the spedometer motor? on an 89 240? is that possible?
somewhere else I read that this grave error can cause a distrubutor to go bad. Is that possible?

On the three prong white plug, you are right.... It has a blue wire, and a blacl wire and whatever else you stated. On the two single wires, one is in as I found that metal conector easy, the other one not so easy to find, but I think I will need to do that with a little more time and focus on that only. I guess that's why the OD comes on everytime I start the car.

The power windo worked this morning and went dead, of course with the window down. My luck of course.

Fuel guage: The only item in the cluster show a sign of life is the fuel guage showing less than 1/4 tank being I filled it up yesterday.

Thanks