various electrical problems 1979 X1/9

V

verdebiancorosso

Daily Driver
I had just bought this 1979 Fiat and it seems every time I drive it . It develops a new problem. Any help appreciated. Fan for carb stopped working today . Recently lost instrument illumination lights, brake light stays on in instrument cluster , fasten seat belt light stays on in cluster. Began to remove instrument cluster , did not . Fit it back in and lost the speedometer. Checked all the fuses , and they seem ok. John
 
Speedo is mechanical

Speedo is mechanical, so recheck to be sure that you hooked it up properly when you moved the cluster around.

For the electrical stuff, go through the car car cleaning connectors and grounds. A lot can get brittle and corroded in 30 years.

If they don't inspect it in your area, just disable the seat-belt light. Easiest way (not the best, but easiest) is to just pull the bulb from the console.

When Bob Brown speaks up in this thread, listen to him not me.
 
My X has been very good to me since I bought it and worked through it's issues. Tough it out, you'll love the car.
 
Well, the carb fan won't always come on. especially with the cooler weather we've had up here lately. Could also be something as simple as the fan relay going out. As for the dash problems, could be your switch not working correctly, or it could be just some wiring problems with the connection.

Shoot me a message. being in Bellevue, I'm not far from you and am willing to help out if you need it!

Rick
 
Not to worry

It takes a little while to get a 30+ year old car back to being reliable.

First, the speedometer. You probably have a two-piece cable and it's no longer attached at the joint. That is just below the driver side vent in front of the windshield. It's a white plastic joint with a sliding latch (likely sun-baked and brittle too). Oh, then removing the vent to get to it, there's also a 6mm? screw holding the vent from below.

The FIRST thing to do on the electrical is check the fuse HOLDERS. They tend to fatique so the fuse ends up loose. Rotate each fuse with your finger, if you don't feel any resistance to turning, remove the fuse and pinch the springs together so they'll hold the fuse again. Some people also take the time to polish the contacts with a Dremel tool while the fuse is out.
 
Electrical help

In addition to what's been suggested, drop the fuse panel and at the back/top edge, you'll find many female tabs attached. Carefully pull each one off and reinstall several times. Do this one tab at a time, so as not to mix up where they go. This cleans the connections, the left and right side get power from different sources. One side is direct from the battery and the other is switched via the ignition switch.

Under the driver's side dash there is a cluster of ground tabs. Do the same with them, as well as in each headlight well and in the engine bay on the left side. by the coolant tank.

Remember to do this kind of thing with the battery negative disconnected if you're unsure of your skills.
 
thanks

Thanks - Will do . I'll clean with some contact cleaner and make sure everything is tight . The car has less than 40k on it and sat for quite some time. I appreciate it . John
 
Thanks

Thanks . I'll keep a look out for you... I'm in Mt Vernon. reply:
Thanks - Will do . I'll clean with some contact cleaner and make sure everything is tight . The car has less than 40k on it and sat for quite some time. I appreciate it . John
 
Are there...

replacement fuse blocks with the newer type fuses available for the X? Anyone try to replace it?
 
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