Lovely day to blow a fuse

[john 4d]

I changed my new choke cable for a newer one the other night, after one of the wires came adrift from the knob end, en-route to Prescott last weekend.
This meant pulling out the console. As that's the only change that's taken place over the last few days, there has to have been something I've done that will allow me to drive a friend's house and find that the engine dies suddenly.
Deciding that it must be an electrical fault I first check the fuses to find that the number 2 fuse has blown, hmmmm. Fortunately I carry a spare in the lid and am quickly up and running again, as if nothing had happened. Slightly worried as to what would have caused the fuse to blow I return home, on my drive way the engine cuts out again. Checking the fuse box once more I find the same fuse has blown again.
Bearing in mind the console move I could understand fuse 1 blowing as this relates to all things electrical in that vicinity. Number 2 is associated with the dash and steering column.
There got to be some explanation other than the distance between my house and my friend's.
Suggestions please, its too nice a day to be scared to go out.
John4D

[AlanD]

watching this John, i moved mine laying new carpet, same here blew a fuse, replaced it and now i have no side lights on the nearside front or rear and instrument lights at all
i'm stuck also,

Alan

[john 4d]

Alan,
Thankfully Alan, I'm not stuck, when I replace the fuse everything works fine... on the 27th I reversed 2 feet out of my garage and the fuse blew. Replaced it, all worked fine. Yesterday drove to Chepstow, Dewstow hidden gardens actually, great place by the way. Parked up, toured the grounds for a couple of hours, back at the car, started, fuse blew again. Replaced once more, thank goodness for Halford's big box of fuses, and the car ran like a dream, up the Wye to Monmouth, on to Symonds Yat, stopping for a pint at the Old Ferrie Inn and then back home to Gloucester via the Forest of Dean, trouble free.
Explain that!
John4d

[PhilG]

I reversed 2 feet out of my garage and the fuse blew.

John,
Looking at the wiring diagram that fuse also does the reversing lights. Is the switch on the base of the gear stick just below the console? Just a thought.
Not sure why that fuse should stop the engine running though.

Phil

[V Mad]

Hi John. I would think it is worth investigating why your engine cuts when the fuse blows. There must be some non-standard wiring in the ignition circuit which should be direct from the ignition switch and not fused. Imagine the fuse blows in the fast lane of the motorway at 70mph!

[Staggard]

Hi john, brown wire from the battery goes to the ign switch then from the ign switch a white wire goes to the ign fuse the live coil wire which is also white then changes to pink and white resister wire comes off of the SAME side of the fuse terminal. I recon what could have happened is the coil wire has been connected to the wrong side of the fuse thus putting the fuse in the coil line. Hopes this helps. Graham

[V Mad]

Yes, probably as Graham says, plus the fuse may be blowing due to the extra load of the ignition circuit (4 amps).

[john 4d]

Thanks for all your responses,
Having gone through countless fuses now, a pattern has emerged. Reversing! or at least attempting to. I guess it was intermittent at first, as I was able to diagnose that the reversing lights worked again once I had replaced the fuse on several occasions. Yesterday, while re-running Rupert Kaliber's Prescott Cotswold run, I had occasion to reverse into a parking space from a reasonably busy road and promptly blew a fuse. Replaced it and retried, it blew again. Ok, by this time traffic wasn't exactly backing up behind me but enough for me to replace the fuse and decide to go forwards instead, with no problem, ta'da. I guess it's kind of a result. Parking some where else nose first, I blew a few more fuses repeating the reversing manoeuvre, just to confirm the findings. After being pushed out of the parking space by a few local volunteers (and not doing the Stag reputation much good in the process) I found it amazing how easy one can spend driving forward, even after taking a wrong turn, having to continue until a one point turn make it'self available. Back home and up on the ramps (good job I didn't need to reverse up) I checked the wiring around the gear stick in the car and could find no obvious fault, then the underside expecting to find the reversing switch wire run melted by the exhaust or something, no, the wire was fine. Then I checked the switch itself and wondered whether the terminal tabs and the wire connectors were fitted correctly, they appeared to be OK, they're bent back flat towards the switch housing away from line of sight (or course), I wondered if perhaps one of the connector insulators had broken down and the terminal was now in contact with the housing causing a short. It was just a guess, but bending the tabs clear I tried the reverse once more and the fuse remained intact. Yippee!
Now I've got to drive the dammed thing around again just to prove the fix. What a shame.
Hopefully I've proved that I wasn't ham fisted in my original console move. We'll see.
John4D.

[PhilG]

John,
Well that seems to be good news but doesn't explain the ignition cutting out. Fuse 2 shouldn't have anything to do with the ignition.
Can you start the engine with the fuse removed? if not, you seem to have non standard wiring, possibly as suggested by Graham.
Phil

[Staggard]

Hi John, glad you sorted the reverse lights, personally I would be much more worried about having a fuse in line of the ign circuit as Chris says that could cause a terrible accident. So take out the parcel shelf and check where that white wire from the coil is connected, if its connected to the fused side of 3 & 4 its wrong connect it to the feed side of 3 & 4 or 19 & 20 and don't drive it anymore until this is fixed. ( I'am not being rude ) but there's not enough Stag owners around so we don't want to loose any. Graham

[john 4d]

Graham,
Just checked all is wired correctly, except and I don't know why, the red wire from my Lumenition unit is wired to the fused side (3) of the second fuse!. This will now be relocated to the + terminal of the coil as per Lumenition instructions. This explains the ignition cut out doesn't it.
Well done everyone and thanks, once again my bacon has been saved by this Forum!
John4D

[john 4d]

Done!
Engine runs with number 2 fuse out!
Safe to go at 70 ish MPH?
John4d

[Staggard]

Done!
Engine runs with number 2 fuse out!
Safe to go at 70 ish MPH?
John4d

Good news, be careful out there, and now you've got it fixed don't go and blow it up