w124 electrical problem,keeps blowing fuses

[marshie001]

my 200 te keeps blowing fuses just lately, the stereo keeps going off,when i replace the fuse it lasts about a week then blows again,also the indicators blowing aswell, could anyone clarify if this is the same circuit or not and what amp fuse should be where? if anyone could e mail the relevent pages from a haynes manual or something that would be great.

 

[turnipsock]

Fuse 9?

According to Haynes it's the same circuit.

The only other thing that you may notice is the clock stopping.

The hazards are in there as well.

My guess would be the combination switch in the steering colum. There is a bit of movement in there.

8 amp fuse.

 

[pascal]

According to the manual.

Fuse #9 : 8A (white)
Diagnostic Terminal 6
Hazard warning
Clock
Dome lamp, front
Electronic radio
Vanity mirror light
Relay for comfort circuitry
Terminal 86.

Marshie,
If the Radio was upgraded at some stage to a more powerful one, it should have been put on a newly created circuit. This is recomended by Blaukpunt etc.

Pascal

 

[marshie001]

According to the manual.

Fuse #9 : 8A (white)
Diagnostic Terminal 6
Hazard warning
Clock
Dome lamp, front
Electronic radio
Vanity mirror light
Relay for comfort circuitry
Terminal 86.

Marshie,
If the Radio was upgraded at some stage to a more powerful one, it should have been put on a newly created circuit. This is recomended by Blaukpunt etc.

Pascal

that could explain it then,thanks pascal/turnipsock,any idea's where i could run an ignition live from that would handle the new stereo?

 

[pascal]

On my old 230E I ran it from main positive feed. Cannot remember if from under fusebox or battery lead. Used a heavy gauge (2.5mm CS) wire with inline 15A fuse as recomended by Blaupunkt. This pernament live. A new earth is also required. The ignition live (switching) is ok the way it is.
Do a very tidy job, as its under the engine bay.

What is the Radio/cd you got?

If you want a diagram from Blaupunkt, give me a shout.

pascal

 

[marshie001]

What is the Radio/cd you got?


pascal

its just your everyday jvc single slot cd player, but i have noticed sometimes its a bit tempramental, if i try to skip a track it will be spend ages looking for it!
my speakers are nothing to write home about either!!
so i think a new stereo/speakers and wiring is due then......great!!
thanks for your help again pascal! i never even noticed my indicators werent working! ;-)

 

[pascal]

Em

Indicators are on a different circuit (fuse #6 8Amp) than hazard, so they should continue to work.

The input of a head unit plus (or even without) CD changer is what takes up the extra power.
Original radios had pretty low input, so there was no problem. The output (watts RMS or max watts) will give a good idea of imput. Some original radios had max outputs as low as 5W per channel with only two channels used. Even a basic Blaupunkt now has 20w max per channel x 4 channels.

Having said all this Marshie, I suspect the problem is related to less than perfect wiring behind the unit, causing a short. But if the fuse blows while under high load (usually when volume turned up to near max).

Pascal

 

[marshie001]

Em

Indicators are on a different circuit (fuse #6 8Amp) than hazard, so they should continue to work.

Pascal

well my indicators went off aswell....ive just replaced the #9 fuse and everything is working again, including indicators so now im thinking something more sinister is going on....the last fuse i put in was a 16amp cos id run out of 10's and it blew that just as easily!

 

[pascal]

the last fuse i put in was a 16amp cos id run out of 10's

..... Naughty boy.

Sounds like a short to me Marshie. Regards the indicators not working. Not sure, but I'm thinking... thinking.... thinking.

Well the indicators only work when the ignition is on, right. But if there's a problem with......... em....... Marshie I dont have a wiring diagram.

See will indicators work with fuse #9 removed. I'm thinking still. thinking, estate model different, I'm also thinking model year. I know that MB did some changes to original fuse layout early in the life of the W124. But that was got to do with air conditioning models and consisted of an extra (auxiliary) fuse box being added with 30amp fuse and recomendation that all existing 25amp fuses be changed to ones with solder tips. Have you a trailer wiring harness.


Pascal

 

[marshie001]

yes it has got a towbar....and yes the indicators do stop when fuse 9 is removed....hhmmmm

turnipsock said earlier that it WAS the same circuit! perhaps they do differ then from model to model, mine is a very early one!

 

[turnipsock]

According to one manual there is a host of stuff that could be on that circuit.


Radio and Hazard warning system are in there. The indicators aren't mentioned though. There was a thread that said the flasher unit was the same for the hazards and the indicators.

It sounds like it is a short somewhere.

It's risky using the wrong ampage fuse. Even though the fuse will blow, the wiring will be getting hot and will start to degrade/melt. You could be heading for a major problem.

Just to complicate things, there is some weird things in the official manual...

For instance, the RB Switch (whatever that is (brake lights maybe)) crops up on F9 and F5.

Why do mercs have a 'Cigar' lighter instead of a 'cigarette' lighter?

 

[marshie001]

lol, ive got a 10 amp in there now i only put the 16 in to get me home as i never had a 10 in the car, but i got lazy and just left it till it blew.


i think its my stereo you know.....it keeps ending tracks when it shouldn't and not finding tracks when it should......

anyone got a half decent cd player for sale?