jonathanc Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 Well, everything was going well today whilst trying to upgrade the ICE in my mondeo. I was following the instructions from here to channel live feed from battery to boot. However, instead of coming from the interior I decided to be a smart ass and poked the screwdriver from the engine bay grommet side (in my defense it was dark and almost impossible to locate the "entrance" from the interior). The rubber was pretty stiff so I decided to push a little bit harder. Suddenly sparks started flying - never in my life working on cars I've seen sparks like that! I tried starting the car and thank god it started. HOwever, few things not working such as the whole A/C system, heated seats and interior lights. The blower was going crazy as well blowing at full speed. I checked all interior fuses and everything related seemed ok. I had to take out the fuse that controls the blower. I never got around checking the fuses in the engine compartment as yet as its already too dark... My question is : a fuse is supposed to cut off protecting any important (and expensive) parts I suppose? I am hoping not having to replace the whole A/C unit! I think chances are I penetrated the wires though so the whole loom has to be changed? Anyone have any ideas? Have an appointment with my local mechanic tomorrow but I am really gutted and worried now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evinX Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 Fuses do cut of power, if there were sparks you touched positive and earth so probably hit some wires? check your fuses, and wires where the sparks were, might need to do some soldering and use some heat shrink, its possible you killed the ac unit but its still blowing...so i guess the fuse for the relay/control module have blown making it uncontrolable...thats my guess, but i find it hard to work with electrics during the day, should have never done it in the dark mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathanc Posted November 24, 2010 Author Share Posted November 24, 2010 Fuses do cut of power, if there were sparks you touched positive and earth so probably hit some wires? check your fuses, and wires where the sparks were, might need to do some soldering and use some heat shrink, its possible you killed the ac unit but its still blowing...so i guess the fuse for the relay/control module have blown making it uncontrolable...thats my guess, but i find it hard to work with electrics during the day, should have never done it in the dark mate. Thanks for the reply mate. Well I was working on the HU earlier on. Everything seemed to be working well so I thought why not try to route the power wire through the bulkhead. I've done same with my other Jap cars but I guess it's a little bit different here. I've checked most fuses in the passenger footwell and they are all ok but I could have missed some. I think I might agree with the relay blown theory. There's a relay in the engine compartment that controls WOT for A/C... It's pretty difficult getting to the wire as I think you would have to cut through. Here's the best pic I can find at the moment : http://www. I hope it's something easy and cheap to fix... well gutted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ugp Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 Hmmm, not the easiest to get to for repairing wires! May have to pull the loom out to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark newman Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 it will be fine . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathanc Posted November 24, 2010 Author Share Posted November 24, 2010 Well hopefully the fuse did cut off any damage to parts. As for the loom, I *think* taking out the braces should give better access. I haven't poked too deep so I hope the damage is only contained near the grommet. This in turn will mean cutting in the loom to locate any loose wires and after that resolder them and tape them up. I am no sparkie though... All cars should have batteries in the boot I should've just waited till tomorrow... /vbb/images/smilies/bbcode_sad.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evinX Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 All cars should have batteries in the boot Its a simple enough mod...to be done during the day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathanc Posted November 24, 2010 Author Share Posted November 24, 2010 Its a simple enough mod...to be done during the day! Not really...still have to figure a way to wire through bulkhead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathanc Posted November 25, 2010 Author Share Posted November 25, 2010 Right, had an update from the garage. He said he went through most of the fuses and relays and it al seemed ok. Only can find one blown 50a fuse in the engine compartment. He says he is going to check the wiring loom itself tomorrow and if that's not the case it will definitely be the ECU fried. It will cost me £1000 at least Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abz Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morpheus Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 Oh, that old chestnut! Unless I knew him well, I wouldn't trust a mechanic to tell me the time. That's why I do all of my own mechanical work. You were right to try and route through the bulkhead (though it can cause interference) but obviously not with a screwdriver. To be honest though, it sounds exactly the sort of thing I'd do! Get Ford to run diagnostics on it once the loom is checked and repaired, if they'll touch it. £60+ per hour but might be cheaper in the long run. Before buying a new ECU, look on ebay or phone some breakers, maybe search a Mondeo Forum. You could find that it still won't work normally and fry the new ECU if undetected wires are still shorting. You could buy an old Mondeo for a grand and use the ECU from that, model compatibility notwithstanding, of course. Better still, http://shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1311&_nkw=mondeo+ecu&_sacat=See-All-Categories Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathanc Posted November 25, 2010 Author Share Posted November 25, 2010 Oh, that old chestnut! Unless I knew him well, I wouldn't trust a mechanic to tell me the time. That's why I do all of my own mechanical work. You were right to try and route through the bulkhead (though it can cause interference) but obviously not with a screwdriver. To be honest though, it sounds exactly the sort of thing I'd do! Get Ford to run diagnostics on it once the loom is checked and repaired, if they'll touch it. £60+ per hour but might be cheaper in the long run. Before buying a new ECU, look on ebay or phone some breakers, maybe search a Mondeo Forum. You could find that it still won't work normally and fry the new ECU if undetected wires are still shorting. You could buy an old Mondeo for a grand and use the ECU from that, model compatibility notwithstanding, of course. Better still, http://shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1311&_nkw=mondeo+ecu&_sacat=See-All-Categories Thanks for the heads up mate The mechanic is going to have a look at the loom tomorrow. Visually there's just a wee mark on the grommet/loom area but the screwdriver might have penetrated some wires and caused some damage. What worried me the most if that he tried the snap on ECU tool and there seems to be no response at all from the ECU. He told me this really seemed like part of the ECU is fried. Apparently part of the ECU controls the engine and other controls the electrics. I *think* he also mentioned I need a specific type of "unlocked" ECU or something to fit my car? Apparently for MK3 Mondeos the ECU also "locks" with the ignition, alarm and immobiliser so I can't just chuck the ECU in. I would need to make sure everything is compatible. Oh well, hopefully I can get some good news tomorrow. To be fair he only spent 1-2 hours on the car today... I hope I can sleep tonight lol really like that car! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morpheus Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 Ooooh, I like your '98 NA wheels! What are they? My car looks the same, sans spoiler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathanc Posted November 25, 2010 Author Share Posted November 25, 2010 Ooooh, I like your '98 NA wheels! What are they? My car looks the same, sans spoiler. Those were Ultralites mate I sold my NA to a member here who in turn sold it to another member (I think). Was a lovely car, I missed it! edit: I think this is the link to them : http://www.ultralitewheels.com/speedstar.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morpheus Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 Thanks, will check them out. Good luck with your wiring and keep us updated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathanc Posted November 26, 2010 Author Share Posted November 26, 2010 Well lotsa people taking the mick at me for poking around with a screwdriver Anyone know a good Ford dealership around the East Midlands area? Preferbly near Northampton? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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