15 replies to this topic

[ChrisDowning]

I’ve read the great sticky about fuse box identification but I have to admit I’m a little confused between which 4x fuse box I have. Wether it’s an earlier type of later type.

The car started its life as an 87 Mayfair but looks like it’s had a fair few “tinkerers” involved.

Could some kind person please let me know if I have the earlier or later type?

I know this sounds like a noob question but I really want to be certain. I want to replace it.... hopefully with a blade type... but that’s not that important right now. I just want to replace it, clean off , sort out and tidy up the existing inputs so I can start afresh.

I’ve attached a photo of the mess...... of not just for comedic reasons.

I’ve asked in another post about adding 2 auxiliary fuse boxes / panels to 1. House a switched supply 2. House a hot supply.

Seeing as I want to tap into the switch supply I want to make sure that the existing fuse box is at least credible and trustworthy.

Thank you in advance for any help you can offer, it really is appreciated and I can’t wait to be able to help out in other areas where I’ve got the experience and knowledge to do so ?

I’ve spent the whole day yesterday learning about mini electrics. to be honest it’s fun but mind blowing at the same time....... all part and parcel of owning a Mini I guess. Looking at what’s in front of me with my head in my hands and my wallet wide open ?

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Edited by ChrisDowning, 28 October 2019 - 12:05 PM.

[KTS]

the early type took continental fuses, so that looks like it would fall under the 'later' type category..

 

for comedy value i think we'd need to see what's lurking under the insulating tape 

 

edit :  just spotted what look suspiciously like 13amp mains fuses top and bottom !?!?

 

most of the problems, if they exist, are likely to do with corrosion of the connectors and terminals of the fuse box.  clean up and replace where necessary 

Edited by KTS, 28 October 2019 - 12:42 PM.

[ChrisDowning]

Cheers for that bud ? Appreciated. I’ll take some photos when I undo it however if the engine loom was anything to go by it’s not going to be much of a surprise ??

I found at least 6 of these in the engine bay...... I replaced the dash and there was much of the same behind there too.......

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Edited by ChrisDowning, 28 October 2019 - 12:13 PM.

[ChrisDowning]

oops

Edited by ChrisDowning, 28 October 2019 - 12:11 PM.

[Lucas1988]

personally the best thing i did was replace the entire loom for new best decision i ever made, not sure if your wallet can stretch to that but best investment to do if the wiring loom is in that state and in process really easy to swap in to blade type fuse box

[cal844]

That fuse box doesn't look to bad, remove it and give it a good clean, use some electrical grease on the spade connection rivets (on the back of the box).

You then want to replace the household fuses, they work for a temporary fix to keep you running but they are rated too high for automotive use.

The only times I have blew fuses is if there is an issue somewhere.


As for the twist joins in wiring you can just use crimp bullet connectors to join it, that way if you need to remove the component you can easily
HTH

Edited by cal844, 28 October 2019 - 12:27 PM.

[ChrisDowning]

personally the best thing i did was replace the entire loom for new best decision i ever made, not sure if your wallet can stretch to that but best investment to do if the wiring loom is in that state and in process really easy to swap in to blade type fuse box

You know what, you read my mind. I was actually thinking of doing just that

[Lucas1988]

 

personally the best thing i did was replace the entire loom for new best decision i ever made, not sure if your wallet can stretch to that but best investment to do if the wiring loom is in that state and in process really easy to swap in to blade type fuse box

You know what, you read my mind. I was actually thinking of doing just that

 

 i can get some photos for you in a bit, i also added a few extras and converted away from ballast ignition as well

[ChrisDowning]

That fuse box doesn't look to bad, remove it and give it a good clean, use some electrical grease on the spade connection rivets (on the back of the box).

You then want to replace the household fuses, they work for a temporary fix to keep you running but they are rated too high for automotive use.

The only times I have blew fuses is if there is an issue somewhere.


As for the twist joins in wiring you can just use crimp bullet connectors to join it, that way if you need to remove the component you can easily
HTH

Yeah, it doesn’t look so bad I guess as a plastic unit. But for £15 I’ve just ordered a new one anyway and got some automotive fuses at the same time. Totally agree

I managed to sort out the twisties by jointing them properly and shrink sealing them up. I tidied the whole engine bay wiring and wrapped in loom tape just to get some kind of order and cable management going as much as to help keep water out of the joints etc. Replaced bear spade ends with shrouded ones etc

I think when the good weather comes back I may well go down the route of a new harness too. Hell expensive but I guess it’s fairly “easy” to do if I do it bit by bit. 32 years of people adding bits to it, splicing, chopping off, using whatever cable they had handy to repair has taken its toll on this thing.

I just need to get my head around the basics of automotive wiring and circuits. It’s all a learning curve and good fun.... if not a little frustrating at times

Appreciate all the help guys

[cal844]

That fuse box doesn't look to bad, remove it and give it a good clean, use some electrical grease on the spade connection rivets (on the back of the box).

You then want to replace the household fuses, they work for a temporary fix to keep you running but they are rated too high for automotive use.

The only times I have blew fuses is if there is an issue somewhere.


As for the twist joins in wiring you can just use crimp bullet connectors to join it, that way if you need to remove the component you can easily
HTH

Yeah, it doesn’t look so bad I guess as a plastic unit. But for £15 I’ve just ordered a new one anyway and got some automotive fuses at the same time. Totally agree

I managed to sort out the twisties by jointing them properly and shrink sealing them up. I tidied the whole engine bay wiring and wrapped in loom tape just to get some kind of order and cable management going as much as to help keep water out of the joints etc. Replaced bear spade ends with shrouded ones etc

I think when the good weather comes back I may well go down the route of a new harness too. Hell expensive but I guess it’s fairly “easy” to do if I do it bit by bit. 32 years of people adding bits to it, splicing, chopping off, using whatever cable they had handy to repair has taken its toll on this thing.

I just need to get my head around the basics of automotive wiring and circuits. It’s all a learning curve and good fun.... if not a little frustrating at times

Appreciate all the help guys

It's quite a big job but as you say easy but a little fiddly. You will need to remove the headlining if the loom goes up along the roof rail where the interior light sits.

The loom splits at the A post, then goes up the pillar, along the roof and down behind the petrol tank so you'll need the rear quarter window removed to get the headlining down.... you can use the old loom to pull the new one through

Hope this helps when the time comes

[KTS]

bear in mind the loom comes in two parts; front and rear, so you have the option of replacing the front loom if that's where the bulk of the issues are without having to do the rear loom at the same time

[ChrisDowning]

Cheers guys! Great advice and appreciated.

Was planning on doing headliner at some point probably in the new year when it warms up a bit as it’s had a sunroof and whoever fitted the original wasn’t great with the scissors. Plus when they sprayed the car they didn’t cover it too well, so there’s bits of Kawasaki green all over it. Plus the rear post panels are goosed.
Gonna replace it with a black one to suit the new interior.... looks kinda grubby anyway..... but then that means I can replace the front and rear window seals anyway........ but probably knock on to a bigger job as the front screen is scratched and the rear has pit marks which I think look like scorch marks from welding!
Plus the front window frame looks to have a bubble at the top which will need sorting.......

Talk about small jobs leading to bigger ones.... perhaps it might be ready for Stanford Hall 2020

The cars come a long way already to be fair from when I got it.

[cal844]

Cheers guys! Great advice and appreciated.

Was planning on doing headliner at some point probably in the new year when it warms up a bit as it’s had a sunroof and whoever fitted the original wasn’t great with the scissors. Plus when they sprayed the car they didn’t cover it too well, so there’s bits of Kawasaki green all over it. Plus the rear post panels are goosed.
Gonna replace it with a black one to suit the new interior.... looks kinda grubby anyway..... but then that means I can replace the front and rear window seals anyway........ but probably knock on to a bigger job as the front screen is scratched and the rear has pit marks which I think look like scorch marks from welding!
Plus the front window frame looks to have a bubble at the top which will need sorting.......

Talk about small jobs leading to bigger ones.... perhaps it might be ready for Stanford Hall 2020

The cars come a long way already to be fair from when I got it.

I'd say to strip the car as much as you need to, if theres any rust cut it out and weld in new metal.

With the headliner youd be best to attach it at the front, then pull it toward the back so the rods go tight then any cuts make sure you measure twice cut once

Edited by cal844, 28 October 2019 - 04:40 PM.

[jonsharman]

That fuse box doesn't look to bad, remove it and give it a good clean, use some electrical grease on the spade connection rivets (on the back of the box).

You then want to replace the household fuses, they work for a temporary fix to keep you running but they are rated too high for automotive use.

The only times I have blew fuses is if there is an issue somewhere.


As for the twist joins in wiring you can just use crimp bullet connectors to join it, that way if you need to remove the component you can easily
HTH

Yeah, it doesn’t look so bad I guess as a plastic unit. But for £15 I’ve just ordered a new one anyway and got some automotive fuses at the same time. Totally agree

I managed to sort out the twisties by jointing them properly and shrink sealing them up. I tidied the whole engine bay wiring and wrapped in loom tape just to get some kind of order and cable management going as much as to help keep water out of the joints etc. Replaced bear spade ends with shrouded ones etc

I think when the good weather comes back I may well go down the route of a new harness too. Hell expensive but I guess it’s fairly “easy” to do if I do it bit by bit. 32 years of people adding bits to it, splicing, chopping off, using whatever cable they had handy to repair has taken its toll on this thing.

I just need to get my head around the basics of automotive wiring and circuits. It’s all a learning curve and good fun.... if not a little frustrating at times

Appreciate all the help guys

I've just gone through the same thing with wiring opting to repair the existing and take the opportunity to utilise the process as a learning curve. First step was to label everything as it sat in the car and I took plenty of pictures with it in situ. I then loosly tied small cable ties around the areas where the loom split so as to keep the basic routing and structure in place for 'on the bench'.

The wiring diagrams on here are a great resource - I printed the one for my vehicle on two sides of A3 paper and laminated them so they were robust. Then, with the front section of the loom out of the car, set about removing the bodges, repairing the broken bits and adding in my own new wiring for spot lights, individually fused headlights and cabin instruments etc. The rear section was untouched so I left that in the car - don't go looking for trouble!

Autosparks provided almost all the connectors and wires with the correct colours and traces and the bill came to about £80 for everything I needed. The crimp and cutting tools and connectors / shrink all came from Amazon for about £35. The tools are pretty robust and plenty solid for doing routine maintenance.

Without a shadow of a doubt a daunting task with only a 25 year old GCSE in electronics and yet hugely rewarding when completed! Probably not much cheaper overall than buying a new front section but worthwhile in my view.









Hope it goes well for you! ?

Edited by jonsharman, 28 October 2019 - 08:19 PM.

[ChrisDowning]

Jon Sharman That looks bloody awesome! Nice job fella!


I’d love to do something like that with mine but I’m trying to use it as a daily too ☹



The only good thing the cars got going for it is that it’s solid with very little if at all rot.
Yup there’s one bubble on the windscreen, but to be fair it’s manageable. I’ve had the dash out totally and can’t see any issues on scuttles.


Great tips on the roof liner Cal, thanks mate much appreciated.

Love this group! Loads of friendly help