Birdman Fusebox #2 keeps popping

The Birdman fuse box doesn't change anything electrically. It removes those awful European plastic fuses and replaces them with glass Buss fuses. None of the circuits are changed, the wiring diagram is unaffected.

Based on your description of this mechanic's services I wouldn't take my car there.

 

I'm assuming the problems you identified did not occur prior to the work done to repair the turn signals. If so, clearly whatever the mech did to "repair" the turn signals caused the problem - perhaps indirectly. I am not personally familiar with the Birdman fuse box but everything I have read about is as Brian pointed out - it simply replaces the OEM setup with an excellent box that accepts glass fuses so there is no difference in system wiring...ASSUMING it was wired as the original.

Of course, it is possible that the installer of the Birdman box wired something differently for whatever reason and perhaps that's what caused your mech's confusion/subsequent problem. However, I would expect that your mechanic, being 'confused' with the setup would explain that to you and then, with your approval, troubleshoot the fusebox installation to verify it was correct and re-wire if needed. So. ultimately, I agree with Brian re the mechanic.

 

Break out the wiring diagram, identify the circuit, and start tracing with a circuit tester - hours of fun!

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Fuses pop because there's too much current draw. You need to get a meter on the circuit, and determine where a load is drawing more power than it should.

I don't believe the long-staying power of the indicator light is blowing the fuse; normally you'd see a load blow the fuse almost immediately, not after an extended time. But it's a Ferrari - weird things do happen.

 

Nope. The thermostat looks after itself. The WUR richens the mixture when cold, and under acceleration in some models. Nothing to do with each other.

 

Pictures of the car on another thread suggest it was neglected for a long time, like many have been. Sometimes it takes of number of trips to get things right. Did you use the same guy or another? I've never used him and simply curious given the high praise from others on this site. If not the same guy, you might want to take it back to him. A competent mechanic (not wrench turner) knows it can take a while to get all the bugs worked out.

 

I'll echo earlier posters - if the Birdman unit was properly installed, it has zero negative impact on circuit behavior, nor circuit paths.

If an alert wasn't on, and is on now - it's not the fuse block.

 

The WUR is a mechanical device. If it gets power or not, it still works the same really. It has a little heater in it, but for what's going on here it doesn't matter. You could unplug it and the car will run the same. And it's not involved with the dashboard light at all.

The dash light is driven from a thermoswitch on the side of the coolant expansion tank. It provides power to a vacuum electro valve that switches the air pump air from the heads when cold to the cats when hot and closes the cold start air valve. This should be on a diagram on the left side of the engine compartment.

 

I don’t have my diagram handy but I’m pretty sure the thermo-switch controls the aux air valve because when the light goes out the rpm drops off of the cold start fast idle. Check the wires to that switch on the tank, make sure they didn’t just disconnect them and leave them laying against the frame or something.

 

The aux air valve (AAV) is the Bosch K-Jet fast idle device. It is actuated by a bimetallic strip that closes off a hole as it gets warm. There's a heater in there to help it along. It raises the idle by a couple of hundred RPM or so when it's cold. All K-Jet cars have this. It just gives a little extra air to overcome drag from a cold engine.
The cold start air valve is vacuum operated and isn't a K-Jet specific part, it is an emissions device. It lets air around the throttle plate for a fast cold idle. Unreasonably fast in my opinion, but warming those cats up is the goal. It is controlled by a vacuum line that runs through a vacuum electro valve. It should be the one at the right front of the intake manifold.
So the thermo switch that runs the light also runs the vacuum electro valves. So when the light goes out the electrovalve is activated and it sends vacuum to close the cold start valve.

 

I run a Birdman fuse box in my '83. No problems. Perhaps the mechanic jumpered a high-draw device off #2 because he had issues with where it was originally connected. Just a guess.

 

Agree with all that's written before on Birdman's fuse block -- the block itself is not the issue. Could be a number of other things from mis-wiring, additional load added to the original wiring on circuit #2, or one of your existing loads is unhappy and drawing too much current.

In an 83 QV, that circuit has a lower amp rating than the other ones on that block (the left hand one) at only 8A (all the others on that block are 16A). So if add'l load were added to it, it's the least likely to be happy about it.

I would start by disconnecting loads at the fuse block to see what works and what doesn't. Since you were specifically attempting to fix the turn indicators, I'd suspect them first.

A quick description of the loads coming off the first two circuits (L1 and L2) and wire colors to help identify them -- hopefully your wiring is still stock and has the same coloring:
L1 (left block, first circuit):
- Connector #1 (blue wire w/black stripes) - windscreen washer supply
- Connector #2 (red wire) brake light + (yellow wire w/black stripes) hazard&turn indicators

L2 (left block, 2nd circuit):
- Connector #1 (red wire) electrovalve & seatbelt relays + (2 x green wires) instrument gauges supply & cold engine/slowdown lights
- Connector #2 (2 x red wires w/black stripes) reverse light + electrovalve supply

NOTE: these connectors all come off the bottom of the fuse block. For the Birdman fuse block, there should be a splitter on both L1 and L2 and then these connectors come off that splitter. Also, the factory is known for not always following the documented coloring scheme...grrr.

First thing, with the vehicle off, I'd disconnect the following, then turn the vehicle "on" but not started (these are all ignition-switched circuits) to test, and then off again before reconnecting:
- Disconnect L1 - Connector #1 --> verify the windscreen washer don't work no mo --> reconnect
- Disconnect L1 - Connector #2 --> verify the turn indicators and hazard don't work no mo --> reconnect
- Disconnect L2 - Connector #1 --> verify gauges don't work no mo --> reconnect
- Disconnect L2 - Connector #2 --> verify your reverse light doesn't come on when you put it in reverse --> reconnect

If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say that L1-Conn#2 wiring was accidentally swapped with L2-Conn#2. Or, perhaps, L1-Conn#2 was just *added* to the L2 load (altho you'd need an add'l splitter to make that work).

Since both of these circuits (L1 and L2) are supplied with the same supply (switched ignition), you wouldn't notice until you blew a fuse.

If you want to post a snapshot of the wiring at the fuse block, that might also be enough to troubleshoot if the wiring was messed up *at* the fuse block.

 

Those awful European torpedo style plastic fuses are awful, because they are not European but cheap China made copies of the original ceramic torpedo fuses. The quality ceramic versions are still available. But one has to look around a bit.
I soldered all of the rivet connections on my original fuse blocks, cleaned the contacts and made sure, that there's enough tension on the contacts. And I use those original ceramic fuses. No problems.

Best from Germany
Martin

 

Prashant,
Can you get a closer shot of the left most side (first 3 circuits)? And push those "fly-overs" out of the way. It's hard to see the wire colors coming off those first two connectors on the bottom.

From the limited visibility, the L1 and L2 circuits are not "factory". The lower L1 connection seems to be a yellow/black + red wire--that would be correct (brake light + hazard/turn). The upper L1 connection seems to be a single red wire -- no idea what that would be (factory doesn't have this). The upper connector on L2 has two red wires coming off of it and looks like it was rewired (lighter gauge than normal) - again no idea what that would be (factory doesn't have this). And the lower connector on L2 looks like it's a single green wire -- again no idea as the factory doesn't have such a connection.

For the connections L3 -9 on the bottom (left block), the wire colors all look correct, with a couple exceptions (which I don't think will matter):
- The two connections to L6 are the right color, but they look like they've been rewired / recrimped. In the factory schematic, each one of those connectors has a single red and a single gray wire. In your wiring, you've got two reds into one connector and two grays into the other. Just looks like a PO decided to be creative when they fixed those connections
- L8 (blue w/black) and L9 (white w/black) are swapped. The blue w/black should be on L9 and the white w/black should be on L8. It doesn't really matter, as they both feed from the window relay. BTW, if your car was a Euro spec, I think your existing ordering would be correct.

All the wires at the top seem correct, altho also evidence of some recrimping & lighter gauge wiring than factory -- plus some "additions" (radio? alarm?)

Also, all the wiring on the right block looks factory correct.

 

Completely agree with this - noticed it immediately. Also wondering about the hack on L5. The upper connection on L6 looks suspect, and the connector looks burned.

 

The first thing i would suggest is trace those aftermarket wiring additions, and determine exactly where they go.

I had some window motor wiring hacks in mine, and it made things a lot easier to remove them, return the circuit to stock, then proceed with diag. And aftermarket stereo wiring always makes things more interesting.