Electrical Problem... Please help

[Supercar]

I have a 92 NSX, Jap Spec, automatic. Except for air intake, I have no other mods. I have tried the search function but couldn't find an answer.

This is what happened. I started the engine and it came to life as normal. However after a few minutes, I can smell something like a soldering iron burning. I checked for burnt fuse and sure enough I found a couple of burnt fuses. Cond fan in the main fuse box (under hood) and two fuses in the fuse box at the passenger's side (all 10 amp fuses).

Here are the symptoms:

1) Smell of burning soldering iron
2) Power window won't go up (Main swithced to on)
3) Clock died out (clock fuse ok)
4) Burnt cond fan fuse
5) Burnt fuses no 2 and no 6 (if u count the fuses from front to back of the fuse box in the passeneger's footwell). Kept on burning even after changing the fuses.
6) The beeping sound that's suppose to go out after we start the engine kept on sounding even when the engine is running.
7) Gear won't shift from the 'P' position even after depressing the brake pedals.

My car is now in our open garage with the driver window down.

Please help. Any suggestion is appreciated. I thought I can wait until tomorrow before sending it to an electrician but now I can't go to sleep.

HELPPPPP:frown:

 

[Supercar]

Anyone? The NSX is still parked with the windows down. I need to get some ideas on what is causing the problem before calling in a car electrician. So that I'll know where to look first. There aren't many NSX experts here in Brunei.... I tried looking at the manual but.... :frown:

 

[Hugh]

Fuse 2 (15A) is for the A/T control unit. Is the "D" indicator light in the instrument cluster flashing? The number of flashes correspond to fault codes which you can refererence in the online service manual begining in section 14-52.

When you say fuse 6 are counting the actual number of fuses or the spaces for them? I ask because the slot for fuse 3 is not used. There should be a clear plastic over over the fuses indicating the proper fuse number. Check that and report back. Fuse 6 (7.5A) is for the wipers, are yours working?

 

[Malibu Rapper]

I think fuse #29 in the under hood fuse box is burned. It's the big 50 amp fuse, 2nd from the top of the large fuses. That would cause the clock and the windows not to function and probably cause the car to continue to beep as it is the ignition switch. Probably is also keeping the car from getting out of park.

Question is why that fuse burned out and why the other fuses. The condenser fan fuses could have blown out before, these are known to blow out.

 

[NSXR2]

Not for nothing, but check the battery terminals and make sure they are free of debris, and that there is no short between the terminals directly. For all this to happen at once, and if Malibu is right about the 50A fuse blowing out, that smell your describing could be a very serious short between the battery terminals.

-Joe

 

[Supercar]

Thank you very much for the feedback. Headlights, radio all working properly. The car even starts normally. There is no flashing of 'D' is observed. Will check the 50 amp fuse tomorrow and see whether my wipers are working. Will try to get a pic of the in car fuse box to explain which fuses are blown.

Btw, I have a voltage stabiliser installed which is connected to the terminals of the battery and my HID is kinda 'hotwired' to make it work properly. It's connected to the under hood fuse box. It's working though. Could these be a problem? I got both installed months ago with no problems.

 

[Malibu Rapper]

Btw, I have a voltage stabiliser installed which is connected to the terminals of the battery and my HID is kinda 'hotwired' to make it work properly. It's connected to the under hood fuse box. It's working though. Could these be a problem? I got both installed months ago with no problems.

This sounds troubling. I don't like those snake oil voltage stabilizers to begin with so you should probably start by removing that and checking it for any signs of being fried. Sniff that box. Do your HIDs still work?

The thing that really has me stumped about this all is that you have the 2 fuses that keep frying in the under dash fuse box. Yet they should be powered through fuse 29 if they are the wipers. If fuse 29 is blown, why do those two fuses continue to blow? Can you check on what fuses are blowing under the dash via the chart that Hugh referred to? It's on the other side of the fuse panel cover.

Also, there are only 2 10 amp fuses in the under dash fuse box according to my 95 manual. They are in position 1 and 8 for the stereo and SRS. May be different for your car if it doesn't have the dual airbags.

The condenser fuse problem is probably not related, just wanted to link you to a thread that discusses this.

Good luck!

 

[Supercar]

Yes, my wipers and HIDs are still working normally. Below is the pic of fuses that keeps on blowin (attached). I have inserted arrows to show them.

Please note that the car is a RHD, hence, the fuse box is to the left.

I have checked the 50 amp fuse and it looks fine. In fact I have checked all other fuses, and they look okay. However, these two are the ones that keeps on blowin.

I have tried to use the owner's manual (online) but could not find the description of these two fuses.

Thanks

 

[Malibu Rapper]

I have tried to use the owner's manual (online) but could not find the description of these two fuses.

Supercar, do you not have the triangle piece that covers the fuse panel? That has a diagram on the back that tells you what these fuses are for.

It makes more sense a little bit that fuse 29 is still OK and your interior fuses are burning.

Page 1210 of the online manual shows the clcok is powered off fuse #5 in the dash fuse box. It shows a 15A fuse.

Page 1246 of the manual shows that the power windows are connected to the Integrated Control Unit which is also powered off fuse #5 of the dash fuse box yet it lists it as a 10A fuse, not a 15A fuse like page 1210 indicates.

Page 1039 shows Shift lock solenoid and clock work off of the same fuse, number 5 10A. That explains the 2 issues of the shift lock and the clock not working. That fuse according to page 1039 goes to:

1. Integrated control unit
2. Backup lights
3. Shift lock solenoid
4. Gauges and indicator lights
5. TCS Switch
6. EPS Control unit (IG1)
7. Fuel pump relay
8. TCS Control unit (IG1)
9. TCS fail-safe relay
10. Security control unit
11. Clock (IG1)

Here's where it gets confusing. You should be counting the fuses from left to right. You can see the numbers on the bottom of the fuse panel. Fuse #2 is supposed to be a 15A circuit. Fuse #5 is suppose be the fuse that's burning out. So The only way for that to be true is that you are missing fuse #1 which may be OK since this is an SRS fuse and your car is not a US spec car. Fuse #6 & #7 would then be 7.5A and according to your picture that all looks good, so you are definitely missing fuse #1.

Now that's settle, we need to figure out what fuse #8 is since it's burning. I left my 95 manual at my other residence this week but the 95 manual shows what each fuse is for and might give us a clue. Fuse #5 has a lot of suspects and it's hard to say which one it is and finding out what fuse #8 does might lend us a hand.

Right now it sounds like you have a short or faulty piece of equipment somewhere burning your fuses. The NSX is usually pretty good at not shorting its own wires. Did you have any underdash work done like an aftermarket alarm install or stereo work? Maybe peek underneath the dash and wiggle some harnesses around to see if that will help. Then try putting a single fuse back in for fuse #5. I think you'll need to buy a family pack of 10 amp fuses.

 

[Supercar]

Thanks bro for that information. Actually I have the triangle cover for the dash fuse box but the description is not there... maybe the previous owner did something to it

And yes, I do have a Viper alarm system installed. Will try to wiggle the wires tomorrow and see what happens. Oh and I think I will need that family pack of 10amp fuses :smile:

Thanks bro

 

[Supercar]

Malibu Rapper, this afternonn, after work, I went straight down to look at my NSX. As you suggested, I did wiggle on the wiring harnesses of my aftermarket alarm system. In fact I 'wiggled and jingled' every wire that is visible under the steering and under the glove compartment. After doing enough wiggling and jiggling I decided to put back all the burnt fuses. With a clutch of fuses in hand I began to replace the burnt 10 amp fuses, fingers crossed and all.

And guess what... The fuses did not burn again and I proceed to replace the cond fan fuse under the hood. The windows now works, clock lights up again and the auto gear can now be moved from the 'P' position.

I haven't really figured out what happened that night (when the fuses decided to blow) but the wiggling really did help. Thanks bros for all your help. This is a great community.

 

[Malibu Rapper]

And guess what... The fuses did not burn again and I proceed to replace the cond fan fuse under the hood. The windows now works, clock lights up again and the auto gear can now be moved from the 'P' position.

I haven't really figured out what happened that night (when the fuses decided to blow) but the wiggling really did help. Thanks bros for all your help. This is a great community.

Hey Supercar, glad to know it helped. Only problem is now that you had some kind of a short in the car. Those harnesses will most likely over time work back into a position to short the same wire(s) again.

Some shorts have wires that rub themself against a sharp metal object like a bracket or screw and they eventually rub through the wire jacket and short out. The wiggling probably moved the shorted wire out of the shorted position. I'd try to find out what that fuse #8 is, I'll look at my manual when I get to it this weekend to see if it says. Bottom line is you will want to keep the wires from shorting out again. If there are any harnesses that run across anything sharp under the dash, you might want to protect it with some split loom tubing. A car alarm shop should be able to help you out with that. With really good installs, you don't see a bunch of wires criss-crossing under the dash...

Glad I could help and good luck!

 

[slamstrom]

For a peace of mind, you may want to check all your fuses to make sure the correct ampere fuse was installed in the correct fuse position. Worst thing that can happen is a high amperage fuse in a lower amperage position. It may fry you wiring, and it would be a nightmare to trace. Glad to hear your NSX is working again.