Failed my state inspection... need some ideas

Ics19 said:
I may of misunderstood where you've tested, but the sprung contacts of the column stalk assembly sometimes don't quite touch the steering wheel ring/switch - it's not uncommon for the stalk clamp to be loose and so the stalks move down the column slightly 😲 Did you try shorting the contacts when the wheel was off?
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22 or 23 years ago, when I replaced the wheel with the Grant wheel, I had to replace the steering wheel hub as well. The ring in the grant wheel is built into the wheel. That grounds to the hub. The other wire comes up through the hub. Yes, I sorted the contacts. :)
 
Have a look for Craig Sheppard on You Tube. He has some good videos and covers the fuse block change over well.

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I replaced my '74 X fuse block with the Lada block. It solved some odd intermittent electrical issues I had. It worked so well I bought two more for my '75 X and '71 124 Coupe. For the price it can't be beat and as some others have mentioned, there are a lot of other bits from Ladapower that can be used on our cars and are so cheap it's worth it to buy them all at once to save on shipping.
 
twincam69 said:
I replaced my '74 X fuse block with the Lada block. It solved some odd intermittent electrical issues I had. It worked so well I bought two more for my '75 X and '71 124 Coupe. For the price it can't be beat and as some others have mentioned, there are a lot of other bits from Ladapower that can be used on our cars and are so cheap it's worth it to buy them all at once to save on shipping.
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Agree about Lada Power. Buy everything you might need (including a few spares) at one time to make the shipping worth it. There are a number of small Lada items that are the same as on the X, including some that are difficult to find. And the prices are amazing.
 
Gents- I decided to go the route of the inline fuse holders soldered in. If I don't like it, it's completely reversible. I've ordered ATM fuse holders (smaller than the standard blade fuse holders), and they will arrive on Monday. I'll report back after I've installed them.

I'll test the button on the brake fluid reservoir this weekend and report back.

Still stumped on the horn. Wondering if I have a broken wire somewhere. My next plan is to get someone to help me test power at the fuse... I'll have them push the button while I am holding one side of the multimeter on the fuse, and the other on a ground point. If that works, I'll need to figure out how those wires get to the horn, and trace forwards from there.
 
Doc said:
Gents- I decided to go the route of the inline fuse holders soldered in. If I don't like it, it's completely reversible. I've ordered ATM fuse holders (smaller than the standard blade fuse holders), and they will arrive on Monday. I'll report back after I've installed them.

I'll test the button on the brake fluid reservoir this weekend and report back.

Still stumped on the horn. Wondering if I have a broken wire somewhere. My next plan is to get someone to help me test power at the fuse... I'll have them push the button while I am holding one side of the multimeter on the fuse, and the other on a ground point. If that works, I'll need to figure out how those wires get to the horn, and trace forwards from there.
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What is unclear to me is how you are testing the 'switch' (Horn button?) - if you pull the column shroud, you should find the wire that comes from the horn wiring and grounds by way of the horn button through the contact ring. If you are not testing the horn button including the wheel hub and contact ring (that is part of the column stalk assembly) you are not testing the circuit....
 
lookforjoe said:
What is unclear to me is how you are testing the 'switch' (Horn button?) - if you pull the column shroud, you should find the wire that comes from the horn wiring and grounds by way of the horn button through the contact ring. If you are not testing the horn button including the wheel hub and contact ring (that is part of the column stalk assembly) you are not testing the circuit....
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Again, it's not a stock steering wheel. The horn button is built into the wheel. I can pull the 5 allen bolts holding the steering wheel to the hub, and test the button while still installed. I attached one side of my multimeter to the tab on the back of the horn button, and the other to one of the spokes on the steering wheel. Push the button, and the continuity tester buzzes. So the button is fine.

Wheel is something like this one: https://www.quadratec.com/products/96114_302.htm?msclkid=50c59d23b46e1af0f92efd86fd74e81f
 
Doc said:
Again, it's not a stock steering wheel. The horn button is built into the wheel. I can pull the 5 allen bolts holding the steering wheel to the hub, and test the button while still installed. I attached one side of my multimeter to the tab on the back of the horn button, and the other to one of the spokes on the steering wheel. Push the button, and the continuity tester buzzes. So the button is fine.

Wheel is something like this one: https://www.quadratec.com/products/96114_302.htm?msclkid=50c59d23b46e1af0f92efd86fd74e81f
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Right - but doing that is not testing the horn contacts in the column switch, that's my point :)

Here's a old column switch I have - you can see the contacts the wheel hub has to communicate with in order for the horn circuit to ground

IMG-20201213-140216.jpg
 
lookforjoe said:
Right - but doing that is not testing the horn contacts in the column switch, that's my point :)

Here's a old column switch I have - you can see the contacts the wheel hub has to communicate with in order for the horn circuit to ground
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AH! Ok, I did not understand your point before-- got it now. I'll have to borrow a puller from a buddy, and will look into this in more detail.
 
Update... one problem down!

It's like 90 here and humid. It doesn't usually get this hot in July, much less the middle of May, so we're all a little sweaty and irritable, and I didn't work outside for long. The emergency brake light is fixed! The blue button on top of the brake fluid reservoir was a little sticky, and the fluid just a touch low. I topped it off, and manipulated the switch a few times, and the light went off! Thank you for that tip- I never would have figured out that one on my own.

The bucking and stalling problem that I have detailed in past threads was back today. I'll deal with it another day, and I'm hoping it's as simply as the heat and humidity. :)

I plan to deal with the horn tomorrow. Still waiting for the parts for the mini fuse fix discussed elsewhere in this thread.
 
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Another update!

It took me longer to find my oversized socket set to pull the steering wheel than it did to bend the brass blade that was no longer making contact with the steering wheel hub... the horn is working.

Fuse box parts showed up a few minutes ago. I'll get to that in the next few days and report back.

Any thoughts on what would cause the car to start running really rough and want to stall as it warms up? The car starts fine when cold. It starts to stumble as the car begins to get warm, and when it occasionally stalls, it does NOT want to re-start. Let it cool down completely, and it will re-start with no difficulty.
 
Doc said:
Fuse box parts showed up a few minutes ago. I'll get to that in the next few days and report back.
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I've been rewiring one of my X's. The panel that holds all of the fuses (including the two little ones) is separate from the actual fuse box. It's a long narrow plastic piece, held on with two phillips screws - one at each end. If you unscrew them the panel can be easily lifted up away from the rest of the box a bit. From there you can see where all the wires connect to the little metal tabs that hold the fuses. Those are basic 1/4 push-on male connectors. So you could unplug the wires to the two little fuse holders and attach your new inline fuses directly to the wires - by using insulated female connectors. Let me know if that didn't make sense and I can try to get a pic.
 
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