Help in getting my 78 Lotus Esprit Started.....
Discussion
I have currently a starting problem, wondering if anybody could help...
2 weeks ago, my car refused to start. I got Road assistance out, and after a lengthy time, we discovered once we touched the wiring in the front compartment (which has 2 relays attached), the car started. Tuesday, I drove the car to the service station, to pump the tyres, just to be let down once again by refusing to start. The same Road assistance guy came out - we cleaned the terminals of the 2 relays, swapped them over with some of the 4 relays (which I presume is for the lights), but no go. Eventually he managed to find out that we loose power going to the fuse box. By shorting a wire across the 2 fuse boxes, we got the ignition lights to show up, and by shorting across with a screwdriver we got the ignition to kick over and start the engine. I drove it home, parked it, and removed the wire between the 2 fuse boxes to turn the engine off.
Currently I am unable to start the engine. If you turn the ignition, no dashboard lights come up - no wipers working, no radio, no turning the engine..
So the question that I have is - what or where do I need to look if I loose power between the battery and the fusebox. If anybody could help or give me any direction where to look , I would much appreciate it.
Cheers
Andre
2 weeks ago, my car refused to start. I got Road assistance out, and after a lengthy time, we discovered once we touched the wiring in the front compartment (which has 2 relays attached), the car started. Tuesday, I drove the car to the service station, to pump the tyres, just to be let down once again by refusing to start. The same Road assistance guy came out - we cleaned the terminals of the 2 relays, swapped them over with some of the 4 relays (which I presume is for the lights), but no go. Eventually he managed to find out that we loose power going to the fuse box. By shorting a wire across the 2 fuse boxes, we got the ignition lights to show up, and by shorting across with a screwdriver we got the ignition to kick over and start the engine. I drove it home, parked it, and removed the wire between the 2 fuse boxes to turn the engine off.
Currently I am unable to start the engine. If you turn the ignition, no dashboard lights come up - no wipers working, no radio, no turning the engine..
So the question that I have is - what or where do I need to look if I loose power between the battery and the fusebox. If anybody could help or give me any direction where to look , I would much appreciate it.
Cheers
Andre
Just a thought... but there is a wire (in my case red and white - 1988) that runs up from the starter sloinoid into a bullit type of connector in the area where all the wires hook up below/behind the ignition box. Anyway, follow the wires up from the starter solinoid and you will hit the bullit connector. Beyond the bullit connector the red and white wire continues to the ignition switch and the fuse box...
This bullit connector gets corroded up a bit over time and will cause the EXACT problem you describe. Pull it and sand both points and run a steel or brass bush through the connector part a few times. A 22. caliber bore brush works great. Hook it back and give the started switch a go... If the issue is not corrected, at least the connector is clean! and only took a few minutes.
I had this issue last year... or I would not even have this bit to offer. I rubbed a bit of white grease over the connector once sanded and I now check it every so often to keep it clean.
Drive topless!!!
Cameron
This bullit connector gets corroded up a bit over time and will cause the EXACT problem you describe. Pull it and sand both points and run a steel or brass bush through the connector part a few times. A 22. caliber bore brush works great. Hook it back and give the started switch a go... If the issue is not corrected, at least the connector is clean! and only took a few minutes.
I had this issue last year... or I would not even have this bit to offer. I rubbed a bit of white grease over the connector once sanded and I now check it every so often to keep it clean.
Drive topless!!!
Cameron
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