S4 Gauges stopped working

1089 Views 17 Replies 5 Participants Last post by autobroker, Oct 29, 2020

chinocapuchino

Discussion Starter · Oct 23, 2020

dear friends,

I drove my spider yesterday and all of a sudden all of my gauges stopped working!

I drove it back home to check on it thoroughly, and am confused. Can't seem to find any electrical problem...

Has anybody had this happen before?

your input will be greatly appreciated!

best regards,

1 - 18 of 18 Posts

spiderserie4

· #2 · Oct 23, 2020

properly check fuses #7, #8 and #10....
(fuses are numbered, counting from left)

see if that helps.....??

Do you have one of the improved coloured wiring diagrams for your S4?

chinocapuchino

Discussion Starter · #3 · Oct 23, 2020

spiderserie4 said:
properly check fuses #7, #8 and #10....
(fuses are numbered, counting from left)

see if that helps.....??

Do you have one of the improved coloured wiring diagrams for your S4?

Thanks for the feedback,

Checked all the fuses and used contact cleaner on all, also checked the AlfaBB, there's plenty of posts but only with certain gauges.
These all just quit at the same time!!

Gubi

· #4 · Oct 23, 2020

Double check fuse 8, that powers the cluster. Sometimes it's hard to see if it's blown or not.

spiderserie4

· #5 · Oct 23, 2020

Is it just the gauges? So speedo, rev counter, battery, oil, water etc?
Or warning lights and illumination lights are out too?
Up near the steering wheel column are two big plugs..... but the chance they both came apart at the same time is like nil!!

chinocapuchino

Discussion Starter · #6 · Oct 23, 2020

spiderserie4 said:
Is it just the gauges? So speedo, rev counter, battery, oil, water etc?
Or warning lights and illumination lights are out too?

Yes, all of them just went out, the lights work no problem...

I'll check # 8 again just in case....

Reactions: 1

chinocapuchino

Discussion Starter · #7 · Oct 23, 2020

Actually, #7 and #8 seem fine, but it's hard to tell if they're not blown....
I'll check again tmrw by replacing them

spiderserie4

· #8 · Oct 23, 2020

Just try one of the other fuseS in it’s Place and Turn the key to on
Don’t even have to start, battery gauge should work

Bjorn S

· #9 · Oct 23, 2020

I had that happen 2 years ago....also, Gen light came on at same time.... a rubbing wire had grounded out , rubbed off plastic wrap...

chinocapuchino

Discussion Starter · #10 · Oct 23, 2020

Bjorn S said:
I had that happen 2 years ago....also, Gen light came on at same time.... a rubbing wire had grounded out , rubbed off plastic wrap...

HI Bjorn,
That's exactly what happened and then they all went out...

Do I need to pull out the pod? Would the wire be in one of the sets above the pedals?
Fuse # 4 has been giving me problems lately....

Bjorn S

· #11 · Oct 24, 2020 (Edited)

chinocapuchino said:
HI Bjorn,
That's exactly what happened and then they all went out...

Do I need to pull out the pod? Would the wire be in one of the sets above the pedals?
Fuse # 4 has been giving me problems lately....

I really dont know, I didnt fix it, took it to my Alfa mechanic who found it, its just what he told me...so, sorry dont know which wire, color or location...he didnt say If he took the pod out...it happened for me 5 hrs away from the house...first thought I lost the fan best...so mostly worried about battery,..But kept driving as it was a bit from towns , later a local shop which didnt know anything about Alfas looked at it, I had them just check to see If it was charging...since it did...I later drove it back home 6 hrs without gauges...Took it to the mechanic.

spiderserie4

· #12 · Oct 24, 2020 (Edited)

2

OK, let's presume the fuses are good as you say.

Pull the left knee pad section down, unclip that big metal 'thing' from the small white clip and slide it out, and then remove that section of the knee pad (remove two tiny screws on one of the hinges, then it should slip out the other hinge - you can leave it dangling/supported without removing anything else)
Photo shows 2 parts removed, but here it's enough to remove the left part only.
The bonnet pull remains, its just the pad. (that extra switch you see inside mine if for the factory headlight tilt. No USA cars had that and only some EU cars had it, my guess is your Spanish car won't have it)

Vehicle Auto part Technology Automotive exterior Car

Unclip the fusebox (the left hinge just unclips and the right hinge is inserted through a hole....just pull it out)
turn it over

Cable management Electrical wiring Wire Electronics Electrical network

see the brown connector with the pink wires just to the right of the yellow connector?...one of those pinks feeds the speedo/tach/fuel gauge/temp gauge etc
check they are all in place.

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Reactions: 4

chinocapuchino

Discussion Starter · #13 · Oct 24, 2020

Thank you Spiderseries4 for the detailed write-up!!

will check that now and get back with the results....

chinocapuchino

Discussion Starter · #14 · Oct 24, 2020

Dear friends,

I checked switching the fuses again and fuse #8 was blown!!
Everything works now, it was great to be able to drive it again!!

Thank you all for your valuable help again,

have a great Alfa weekend!

Reactions: 4

spiderserie4

· #15 · Oct 24, 2020

Great news.
Enjoy the drive and stay safe

Gubi

· #16 · Oct 24, 2020

That's good, but if it blew the fuse something got shorted and it may blow again.

One thing to check is up under the dash near the steering column. There's a place where a big bundle of wires passes sideways through an opening in one of the metal braces there. I know at least one or two folks who have had that rub through the wires and cause a short.

I don't have a photo but if you look around the steering column you should see it.

Reactions: 4

chinocapuchino

Discussion Starter · #17 · Oct 24, 2020

Gubi said:
That's good, but if it blew the fuse something got shorted and it may blow again.

One thing to check is up under the dash near the steering column. There's a place where a big bundle of wires passes sideways through an opening in one of the metal braces there. I know at least one or two folks who have had that rub through the wires and cause a short.

I don't have a photo but if you look around the steering column you should see it.

thanks for the tip, I'll check again tomorrow for that bundle, I know my cowl hose was leaking around that area recently...

autobroker

· #18 · Oct 29, 2020

chinocapuchino said:
Dear friends,

I checked switching the fuses again and fuse #8 was blown!!
Everything works now, it was great to be able to drive it again!!

Thank you all for your valuable help again,

have a great Alfa weekend!

Keep an extra spare fuse in the car - better yet, keep a box of them.

Same thing happened to me a few months ago and sure enough, fuse #8! It blew twice on me, then I cleared the mess of wires under the ash tray (pushed them to the side, so the ash tray wasn't sitting on them). No problems since.

Reactions: 2

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