 | Wiring
Harness - The wiring harnesses are covered with a heavy plastic cover
and held in place with metal tabs welded in strategic places. The
metal tabs have sharp edges that can over time wear through the plastic
cover and cause shorts. The most vulnerable area is the cable that
goes to the warning system control unit under the dead pedal. The
tab at the top inside of the firewall where the cable makes a sharp bent
has a tendency to wear and cause phantom warnings.
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| Door
Locks - The fuses for the electric door locks are not located on
the fuse panel. They are located on the top of the panel in two
black fuse holders that are clipped to the back of the panel. If one
of these fuses blows then the door locks will not synchronize.
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| Alarm
System - The alarm system is activated and de-activated by grounding
the control wires. These wires run to each door lock and the hatch
lock. They are installed on the older cars in a separate
harness. Water and wear can cause these wires to contact ground
randomly activating the alarm system. Since the alarm system when
activated disables the ignition false alarm activations can cause the car
to get stranded. The most common point for shorts is the area around
the rear hatch.
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| Blinkers
- While installing the pod I accidentally shorted the contacts on the
hazard warning switch on the pod. After checking the all of
the fuses on the main panel I finally tracked the problem to the switch
itself. The fuse protection to the hazard warning and directional
lights is located in the switch.
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| Battery
Draw Down - It is not uncommon for the battery to be drained over time
if the car sits. The draw normally should be very low and not affect
the charge, but various accessories can fail and add to the load.
The one I tracked down was the rear window defroster relay. It was
sticking on and draining the battery.
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