[brewtech]

Brakes were bled last week, and I did disconnect the brake sensor wire on the front driver side, but it was reconnected. 2 dash lights flashed at me whenever I would depress the brakes as I drove away after bleeding them last week, but it quit doing it and everything was fine. I just returned from a trip to LA and Now I get 2 red brake related lights flashing every time I depress the brakes, and I noticed that I don't have brake lights. Where should I start? Every time I return from my visits to LA something is up with my 164L :cursing::cursing::cursing::cursing:

 

[brewtech]

Okay, checked out the switch at the pedal. The nuts that fasten it to the car had gotten loose and the switch got disconnected from the harness. Put it all back together, but still no BRAKE LIGHTS. So I checked the fuse and found it to have melted into the plastic fuse box. I don't think I can replace it with another fuse. I think I have to pull the fuse box down and check the wires behind it. I hope this can be fixed.

Pic is blurry but you can see the melted blue fuse at the top left.

 

[jc96]

irregardless of what we/you think, what they look like and all that other stuff, change the bulbs in the back and clean the sockets. Not so much so on these but I can't count the number of times old bulbs have caused this kinda thing. That harness can be fixed if the need arises. Major PITA but can be done. Best o'luck, ciao, jc

 

[brewtech]

:chris:

irregardless of what we/you think, what they look like and all that other stuff, change the bulbs in the back and clean the sockets. Not so much so on these but I can't count the number of times old bulbs have caused this kinda thing. That harness can be fixed if the need arises. Major PITA but can be done. Best o'luck, ciao, jc

Thanks for your encouragement. How many amps should the fuse be? I'm asking because there was a 15amp fuse in there. I hope the PO didn't put a higher amp fuse:chris:

 

[pinino]

15a is correct one.

 

[Del]

We assume you have the owners manual. There is a chart in the middle which shows all fuse values.

 

[brewtech]

We assume you have the owners manual. There is a chart in the middle which shows all fuse values.

I do have the manual, but it's in California. LOL! I took it out to read it a few days before leaving to Seattle, then managed to forget it. I'll have to retrieve it next time I go home.

Okay Glad it is a 15amp fuse. I'll open it up tomorrow and view the damage. I'll take a better pic in sunlight.:thumbup:

 

[Del]

It is weird that instead of just failing in the normal fashion as we've all seen, as they are supposed to, it went nuclear. I've never seen a fuse do that in all my years.

The manual is also shown in it's entirety in the 164 Digest web site, which by the way is a wonderful source of almost everything you would want to know about the 164, including many pages of earlier discussions and repairs from the first years of the 164 in the USA.

Many owners, after all, are relative latecomers to the 164, and are not familiar with this great site. Unfortunately, it is rarely visited today as far as I can tell. Used to be a great deal of correspondence on it, but it shifted over to the BB, which I think is a shame. I still use it to find out what people did in the early 90's when the car first came out.

 

[brewtech]

Thanks. I'll definitely give it a quick look. I'm also surprised, but I'm starting to put some things together. I remember for a week before this happened, I was smelling something burning inside the car whenever I would be at a light holding the brake pedal down, but I thought it was the blower motor since I was using it in the mornings. So the fuse had been overheating for sometime now. But why? Old bulbs? Or was the loose switch causing it to short? Also, I think that the constant pumping of the pedal while bleeding the brakes led to the switch becoming dislodged from its position.

 

[Del]

Still, the fuse shouldn't have gone nuclear unless there was such a high charge arcing across the melted tabs. Wow. The wiring should have gone up in smoke as well if that was the case. Hopefully you will be very lucky.

 

[brewtech]

Oh boy...

 

[Richard2]

I had one do the same thing and had to replace the whole fuse box. It was also burnt on the back side if I remember right.

 

[jc96]

not gonna know where you are at until you get a look at the backside of the fuse block. I have a sense this will be fine. A PITA but fine. ciao, chris

 

[Del]

There are spare fuse panels available from wrecked 164's if needed. Ralliround on the east side of Lake Union has/had parts from a 91S stored in their attic. I bought a couple of parts from it. They might have the fuse panel from it yet.

Hopefully, though, the backside might be ok, and you can jury rig a new fuse holder even if it has to be remote from the fuse panel.

 

[Richard2]

My back side ( the one on the fuse box) was also burnt badly, thus replaced it. The other one get burnt occasional also

 

[Del]

Sounds as if that 15A fuse should be 10A to allow it to blow before further damage is done.

 

[Alfisto Steve]

Sounds as if that 15A fuse should be 10A to allow it to blow before further damage is done.

Worth a try to see if it will hold when all 5 bulbs on a L model or even more on a S are light up.

Probably kicking the switch loose and having power to relay and bulbs for a long time didn't help matters.

 

[Del]

Still, that darn fuse is supposed to protect the circuit if even that happened, ie, "break" the current carrying circuit. Modern wiring schemes are so interconnected, with circuits sharing wires, who the heck knows what could happen depending on which component was shorted or grounded. Not simple like they used to be.

I do kinda long for the simple days. I see that Ford, in it's wisdom, is dropping the dash touchscreen in the next version of the Fusion, stating that their surveys show that, actually, most customers just don't want them. They want easy to use, not distracting, knobs, etc. That's certainly what we thought when we rented a Ford. Miserable to try to figure out that car in the dark.

I did read that the Feds are studying banning these indash screens, studies showing that they are as distracting as using cell phones, even hands free.

 

[brewtech]

Well I tried to install a new fuse in there but got nothing. I think one of the spades inside the fuse box is completely shot. So I removed a couple of the harnesses that belong to the stop light fuse from behind the fuse box and the wiring looks okay. The back of the fuse box looks fine, and unburnt, it appears that heat was concentrated on the front of the fuse box so I think I'm going to be okay. My fuse box has to be replaced though. Anyone have a good one lying around? Will the S fuse box work? Are there new ones available?

 

[Alfisto Steve]

Did you test both sides of F15 fuse holder in fuse box to see if you have 12v power at one of them? If so run a power wire from 12v hot one with an inline 15A fuse to white wire at brake light switch and see if brake lights work.

If no power at either F15 fuse legs find a 12v power source and run new wire with 15A fuse to same white wire.

Report your findings.