Help with FLU419 electrics, please

[wetandmuddy]

Hello everyone and greetings from the UK ,

I really hope that you can point me in the right direction to troubleshoot an awkward electrical problem with a 1989 FLU SEE that has been standing for 10+ years. It's got 150 hours on it and 2,200 miles.

After a bit of fresh fuel, some new lube and a handful of filters the machine runs and drives fine, but I am struggling to get all of the dashboard functions working again.

I've repaired all of the visible issues (there was a bit of rodent damage behind the dash, etc), I've cleaned all junction blocks, replaced all fuses with new ones and tested and replaced as necessary all of the relays. All of the earth connections are good and everything now looks just right.

The issue is as follows: some of the dashboard warning lights / functions work and some don't... for example the charge warning light works but the main beam warning light does not (both bulbs are good - I've swapped them round). The turn signal warning light works but none of the 5 warning lights beneath the inclinometer work, nor does the fuel gauge. In contrast, all of the exterior lights work, as do the horn, the wipers, the temp gauge, the voltmeter, the interior light, the hazards, the turn signals, the BO lights, etc, etc. So it's clearly a bit of a mixed bag...

I've got the simplified version of the wiring diagram but this is not detailed enough for me to do a proper troubleshoot.

On the other hand, the troubleshooting sections of the maintenance and technical manuals deal with very specific individual faults (eg a single warning light does not work) whereas my issue is something more simple and more general than that (eg none of the 5 warning lights below the inclinometer work, although all of the bulbs are good and the shared earth is intact).

So, does anyone happen to know where I can get a full wiring diagram? Does anyone know precisely which relay corresponds to which one on the simplified wiring diagram? Does anyone know precisely which wire in each D-connector on the fuse board corresponds to which wire on the simplified diagram? (Why doesn't the simplified wiring diagram show the relays and D-connectors in schematic form so that the reader can identify which wire is which??!!) .

Very few of my wires are labelled with numbers, and of course they are all black!

Please, can anyone tell me where I should start with this problem?

Your help is very much appreciated!

Andrew.

 

[Mullaney]

Hello everyone and greetings from the UK ,

I really hope that you can point me in the right direction to troubleshoot an awkward electrical problem with a 1989 FLU SEE that has been standing for 10+ years. It's got 150 hours on it and 2,200 miles.

After a bit of fresh fuel, some new lube and a handful of filters the machine runs and drives fine, but I am struggling to get all of the dashboard functions working again.

I've repaired all of the visible issues (there was a bit of rodent damage behind the dash, etc), I've cleaned all junction blocks, replaced all fuses with new ones and tested and replaced as necessary all of the relays. All of the earth connections are good and everything now looks just right.

The issue is as follows: some of the dashboard warning lights / functions work and some don't... for example the charge warning light works but the main beam warning light does not (both bulbs are good - I've swapped them round). The turn signal warning light works but none of the 5 warning lights beneath the inclinometer work, nor does the fuel gauge. In contrast, all of the exterior lights work, as do the horn, the wipers, the temp gauge, the voltmeter, the interior light, the hazards, the turn signals, the BO lights, etc, etc. So it's clearly a bit of a mixed bag...

I've got the simplified version of the wiring diagram but this is not detailed enough for me to do a proper troubleshoot.

On the other hand, the troubleshooting sections of the maintenance and technical manuals deal with very specific individual faults (eg a single warning light does not work) whereas my issue is something more simple and more general than that (eg none of the 5 warning lights below the inclinometer work, although all of the bulbs are good and the shared earth is intact).

So, does anyone happen to know where I can get a full wiring diagram? Does anyone know precisely which relay corresponds to which one on the simplified wiring diagram? Does anyone know precisely which wire in each D-connector on the fuse board corresponds to which wire on the simplified diagram? (Why doesn't the simplified wiring diagram show the relays and D-connectors in schematic form so that the reader can identify which wire is which??!!) .

Very few of my wires are labelled with numbers, and of course they are all black!

Please, can anyone tell me where I should start with this problem?

Your help is very much appreciated!

Andrew.

.
Have you seen the Basic Wiring Diagram? 419-540-00-00
I can see circuit numbers on my sheet...

 

[wetandmuddy]

.
Have you seen the Basic Wiring Diagram? 419-540-00-00
I can see circuit numbers on my sheet...

Hello Mullaney,

Yes - many thanks for this - the drawing you sent is the version that I am working from.

To be clear, it's not the simplified wiring diagram that has no numbers - it's the wires on my Mog that have no numbers!

And you see the main connectors that are in parallel with the fuse boxes on the diagram, well the diagram shows then as inline connectors with all of the connections in a row, whereas in reality they are a D-style connector with (say) 4 connections in the upper row and 4 connections in the lower row... But how do you make the precise correlation between reality and the simplified drawing... Which wire is which in the D-connector???

Hope you see what I mean!

Cheers,

Andrew.

 

[Mullaney]

Hello Mullaney,

Yes - many thanks for this - the drawing you sent is the version that I am working from.

To be clear, it's not the simplified wiring diagram that has no numbers - it's the wires on my Mog that have no numbers!

And you see the main connectors that are in parallel with the fuse boxes on the diagram, well the diagram shows then as inline connectors with all of the connections in a row, whereas in reality they are a D-style connector with (say) 4 connections in the upper row and 4 connections in the lower row... But how do you make the precise correlation between reality and the simplified drawing... Which wire is which in the D-connector???

Hope you see what I mean!

Cheers,

Andrew.

.
Thanks Andrew.

I have poked around and not found the magic so far. I was sure I had some sort of TM but nothing yet.
I sent a message to one of our guys who seems to be a wizard with TM's.
Maybe he can help get more and better info.


Tim Mullaney

 

[wetandmuddy]

.
Thanks Andrew.

I have poked around and not found the magic so far. I was sure I had some sort of TM but nothing yet.
I sent a message to one of our guys who seems to be a wizard with TM's.
Maybe he can help get more and better info.


Tim Mullaney

Thanks Tim,

That would be fantastic if you can find some more info.

Cheers,

Andrew.

 

[glcaines]

I feel your pain! When I first got my FLU419, a lot of the lights didn't work. I didn't have any damage from mice, fortunately. Cleaning the contacts in the fuse boxes and replacing 100% of the fuses fixed many of the problems. It is hard to believe that anybody would design a wiring harness with all black wires and not many labels. I had to trace each individual wire, including through the connectors to determine the problem. In my case the problems were almost always caused by a poor connection or an unplugged connector. For the lights under the inclinometer some of my problem was with the light control switch for the lights. I switched the switch off and on repeatedly, which I believe cleaned the internal contacts somewhat. It now functions reliably. Good luck.

 

[wetandmuddy]

I feel your pain! When I first got my FLU419, a lot of the lights didn't work. I didn't have any damage from mice, fortunately. Cleaning the contacts in the fuse boxes and replacing 100% of the fuses fixed many of the problems. It is hard to believe that anybody would design a wiring harness with all black wires and not many labels. I had to trace each individual wire, including through the connectors to determine the problem. In my case the problems were almost always caused by a poor connection or an unplugged connector. For the lights under the inclinometer some of my problem was with the light control switch for the lights. I switched the switch off and on repeatedly, which I believe cleaned the internal contacts somewhat. It now functions reliably. Good luck.

Thanks Gary!

I've just spent a happy 15mins repeatedly switching the main light control switch between all of its positions; unfortunately it didn't make any difference to my remaining faults, but it was a cathartic experience for me!

Mainly for the benefit of others, my findings and fixes so far have been as follows:

Your point about connectors is absolutely right - I've gone from almost no electrical device working to almost every device now working properly, and all I've done to achieve this is to open each and every connector block (at least 2 dozen of them) and squirt it with WD40 and then wriggle it back into place... This probably made the overall largest step forwards.

I've also found that a couple of the spade terminals inside some of the connector blocks had been pushed back out of the connector block whilst it was being fitted at some previous time. This was because the little tab on the back of the spade that keeps it in place within the shroud wasn't sufficiently proud to engage inside the connector. A tweak with a screwdriver and they now remain where they should be when the connector is pushed together, and hence they now make contact properly.

One final thing to mention is that I found a thin film of oxidation on the spring fingers that hold the fuses. I took all of the fuses out, cleaned all of the spring fingers with electrical contact cleaner (they came up shiny bright, compared to the dull oxidation that was previously present) and then I put all new fuses in (despite the fact that none of them looked to have blown).

I'll keep the forum informed as I continue to beat my electrical gremlins one by one, in the hope that someone benefits from my learning curve!

Kind regards,

Andrew.

 

[Mullaney]

Thanks Gary!

I've just spent a happy 15mins repeatedly switching the main light control switch between all of its positions; unfortunately it didn't make any difference to my remaining faults, but it was a cathartic experience for me!

Mainly for the benefit of others, my findings and fixes so far have been as follows:

Your point about connectors is absolutely right - I've gone from almost no electrical device working to almost every device now working properly, and all I've done to achieve this is to open each and every connector block (at least 2 dozen of them) and squirt it with WD40 and then wriggle it back into place... This probably made the overall largest step forwards.

I've also found that a couple of the spade terminals inside some of the connector blocks had been pushed back out of the connector block whilst it was being fitted at some previous time. This was because the little tab on the back of the spade that keeps it in place within the shroud wasn't sufficiently proud to engage inside the connector. A tweak with a screwdriver and they now remain where they should be when the connector is pushed together, and hence they now make contact properly.

One final thing to mention is that I found a thin film of oxidation on the spring fingers that hold the fuses. I took all of the fuses out, cleaned all of the spring fingers with electrical contact cleaner (they came up shiny bright, compared to the dull oxidation that was previously present) and then I put all new fuses in (despite the fact that none of them looked to have blown).

I'll keep the forum informed as I continue to beat my electrical gremlins one by one, in the hope that someone benefits from my learning curve!

Kind regards,

Andrew.

.
Wow Andrew!

Happy to hear that you are making good progress.



Tim

 

[glcaines]

Thanks Gary!

I've just spent a happy 15mins repeatedly switching the main light control switch between all of its positions; unfortunately it didn't make any difference to my remaining faults, but it was a cathartic experience for me!

Mainly for the benefit of others, my findings and fixes so far have been as follows:

Your point about connectors is absolutely right - I've gone from almost no electrical device working to almost every device now working properly, and all I've done to achieve this is to open each and every connector block (at least 2 dozen of them) and squirt it with WD40 and then wriggle it back into place... This probably made the overall largest step forwards.

I've also found that a couple of the spade terminals inside some of the connector blocks had been pushed back out of the connector block whilst it was being fitted at some previous time. This was because the little tab on the back of the spade that keeps it in place within the shroud wasn't sufficiently proud to engage inside the connector. A tweak with a screwdriver and they now remain where they should be when the connector is pushed together, and hence they now make contact properly.

One final thing to mention is that I found a thin film of oxidation on the spring fingers that hold the fuses. I took all of the fuses out, cleaned all of the spring fingers with electrical contact cleaner (they came up shiny bright, compared to the dull oxidation that was previously present) and then I put all new fuses in (despite the fact that none of them looked to have blown).

I'll keep the forum informed as I continue to beat my electrical gremlins one by one, in the hope that someone benefits from my learning curve!

Kind regards,

Andrew.

Andrew,
When I cleaned the contacts on my fuse blocks, I first cleaned them with contact cleaner. I then took a dremel tool with a small circular brass wire brush and cleaned them. I then coated the contacts with dielectric grease, as well as the fuse ends.

 

[wetandmuddy]

Andrew,
When I cleaned the contacts on my fuse blocks, I first cleaned them with contact cleaner. I then took a dremel tool with a small circular brass wire brush and cleaned them. I then coated the contacts with dielectric grease, as well as the fuse ends.

Evening Gary,

That's really good advice - thank you - my fuse holders came up well just with contact cleaner (I had no need for abrasives) and I coated them in Vaseline (petroleum jelly) to prevent any further corrosion. I now have <0.15 Ohms across each fuse.

Cheers,

Andrew.

 

[wetandmuddy]

.
Wow Andrew!

Happy to hear that you are making good progress.



Tim

Thanks Tim!

I'm getting there, albeit it slowly!!

It will soon be time to fit the new clutch master and slave cylinders, and the new brake master cylinder (dual circuit disk brakes), all of which I purchased a couple of weeks back.

The original ones have each got a bit of bore corrosion and I found a couple of eBay sellers in Germany and Austria who were selling new OEM replacements for a fraction of the usual price, so I splashed out and it's "Happy Birthday FLU SEE"!!

Cheers,

Andrew.

 

[peakbagger]

Long ago I posted my hand drawn sketches of the electrical connectors off the fuse rail. Definitely not complete or ready for publication but they did have the numbering. I got to repair my harness from rat damage behind the dash without access to the wire diagram as one of our members didnt buy the pallet of the diagrams until after I went through my repairs.

 

[Guyfang]

Evening Gary,

That's really good advice - thank you - my fuse holders came up well just with contact cleaner (I had no need for abrasives) and I coated them in Vaseline (petroleum jelly) to prevent any further corrosion. I now have <0.15 Ohms across each fuse.

Cheers,

Andrew.

I will jump in here. The fuse holder is about the biggest problem area to the CEE. Had you said you were going to get one from Germany, I would have tried to find one and send it to you. Its small enough and light enough, I could have put it in the APO. It would have been a bit cheaper on postage. I will look at my junk and see if I have a better wire diagram.

 

[Guyfang]

What TM's do you have? Please list them.