Somebody help identify this wire in SJB

[Feshdogg]

Somebody help identify this wire in Bussed Electrical Center (BEC)

I have this burnt wire connection in my BEC and would like to make sure I know exactly what it is before moving forward with my engine build. It looks to be a Light Green wire with a Red/Violet stripe. I think I know what it is based on the relays right above the wire, but I am doubting my wiring diagram reading skills. Also, the wire looks like it goes right in between 2 different relays, so I can't be sure just from looking at the relays

Everything on the car is functioning properly (as far as I can tell), but I think I might be overloading this one particular wire with something I have altered in the ECU. The shop doing the work thinks it's just arcing due to a loose connection. I'm not sure at this point.

See link for diagrams: iihs.net/fsm/?dir=40









Thanks!

Steve

 

[Feshdogg]

Image links weren't working. Now working

 

[michael.konor]

Image links still not working

 

[Feshdogg]

Damn, going to put them on photobucket instead.

 

[toorbeenee]

The link is working with me.

well this is not the SJB its the main fues box in the engine bay, the SJB is in the main cabin.

I think its your starter relay F1.3. i could be mistaking though

 

[toorbeenee]

if you want i can upload them for you

 

[crownaviation]

That is the BEC or "Bussed Electrical Center". This is the fuse box under the hood.

The SJB is inside the car pasenger side kick panel..

Can't tell much from the pics you posted other than it is a burnt wire...

EDIT Can't get an actual location of that harness or pin by the pics but appears to be a terminal off the Engine Cooling Fan Relay. Bet if you did a continuity test from the harness at the fan motor and that wire you will likely have your answer

1B24 off the BEC

http://iihs.net/fsm/?dir=40&viewfile=Cooling Fan.pdf


.

 

[crownaviation]

I buy the bad connection theory

 

[Feshdogg]

OK, photos should all be good now. Didn't have my computer with me, just my phone.

I don't know why I said SJB, wasn't thinking very clearly when I posted

So the 2 relays above the location where the wire connects are the high and low speed cooling fan relays. I was just trying to get some confirmation from someone else. Thanks @crownaviation!

On my SCT X3 handeld, I set the high and low speed fan settings to the lowest selectable temps. I also installed a 160 degree thermostat and Royal Purple 'Purple Ice.' I just wanted maximum cooling effect, so that is my rationale here.

Now to my questions:

1. Am I overloading anything, electrically, by running the fan more than normal? In other words, is it a bad idea doing what I did?

2. What are the odds that the connection is actually just loose and causing it to arc?

3. What is the best way to remedy this if we are concerned about a loose fitting connection and I don't want to be risking anything like fire, etc?

Basically my shop doesn't want to let my car leave their shop without making a secure connection. I agree with them, but I don't want to do anything half-assed and/or look like crap.

Thanks!

 

[Feshdogg]

Bet if you did a continuity test from the harness at the fan motor and that wire you will likely have your answer

1B24 off the BEC

http://iihs.net/fsm/?dir=40&viewfile=Cooling Fan.pdf


.

Good idea to test for continuity!

I think it reads 1824, not 1B24

 

[crownaviation]

Running the fan more increases wear naturally. If it is cycling on and off more frequently then sure you are generating a lot more heat in the circuit.

Not common on the S197 as far as I have seen for bad connections but that is all relative. Live in a corrosive environment? Corrosion/bad connections can certainly be a problem on any vehicle especially if you drive in harsh conditions etc.

Well, overloading the circuit "should" take care of itself before you started any kind of fire but I have seen all sorts of things.

Have them fix the connection (need to anyway) and keep an eye on it. I would also see what kind of draw the fan was putting on the system on start-up (fan). A failing motor can create excessive load on the circuit.

Yup.. 1824

 

[Feshdogg]

Not common on the S197 as far as I have seen for bad connections but that is all relative. Live in a corrosive environment? Corrosion/bad connections can certainly be a problem on any vehicle especially if you drive in harsh conditions etc.

I have parked it overnight by the ocean for months at a time. The fog and salt air definitely take their toll on certain unprotected component surfaces. However, I think there would be more than one wire connection that this happened to. I am leaning more towards the cooling fan kicking on and overheating things. Just too odd of a coincidence.

Have them fix the connection (need to anyway) and keep an eye on it. I would also see what kind of draw the fan was putting on the system on start-up (fan). A failing motor can create excessive load on the circuit.

What is the best way to 'fix' it? They were thinking about bypassing the normal connection point and doing a more permanent (i.e. less serviceable) method. I would rather remain as factory original as possible, for multiple reasons.

 

[obxdude018]

Pretty sure, I will have to look first, but I believe I have the same wire in mine and it is burnt up like that.

 

[Feshdogg]

Pretty sure, I will have to look first, but I believe I have the same wire in mine and it is burnt up like that.

Not to sound like a dick, but I hope yours is too, ha ha. That way we can figure out what could possibly be causing it.

I am picking up my car tonight. The shop re routed the wire temporarily, so that they felt better about the connection. I'll post new pics to show what they did.

Ideally I'd like to make it look factory again. But I might need to find some parts from a junker or something.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[crownaviation]

Not to sound like a dick, but I hope yours is too, ha ha. That way we can figure out what could possibly be causing it.

I am picking up my car tonight. The shop re routed the wire temporarily, so that they felt better about the connection. I'll post new pics to show what they did.

Ideally I'd like to make it look factory again. But I might need to find some parts from a junker or something.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

As long as their corrective action is good run it.

Taking all that apart and trying to replace the pin tray could result in more problems imo. Aging electrical compnents do not like to be messed with. Replacing that part of the BEC is going to entail a BUNCH of work and potential for errors. Not to mention possibility of MORE bad connections afterwards. Not to mention if you were paying a shop to do the wiring then the bill would likely be huge.

If their wiring is up to snuff I would keep an eye on it and be done. Some earlier Fords had a number of issues like that and we did just what your shop did.. bypassed that terminal on the BEC and called it a day.

Different story if it truely needs to be replaced but sounds like the shop would have already passed that by you if they felt it was necessary

 

[obxdude018]

Yea, I have a ghost wire problem in mine that I am still trying to find, it's not tied to this wire however. I believe this green/red wire controls the low speed fan control or something to do with it since I can never get my low speed to kick on. My other wire demon affects the O2 sensors and throws the codes P0010,P0020,P0135,P0155,P0443,P0446

 

[Feshdogg]

OK, got my car back and I took some pictures of what they did. They cut the end section of the wire and put a new wire and terminal connector on, just in case the old connector was not making good contact. While I don't know if this is actually going to 'fix' anything, I think it's pretty clean and am going to keep it as is. I am just going to keep an eye on it and see how it goes.

Thanks for all the help!

 

[Feshdogg]

Yea, I have a ghost wire problem in mine that I am still trying to find, it's not tied to this wire however. I believe this green/red wire controls the low speed fan control or something to do with it since I can never get my low speed to kick on. My other wire demon affects the O2 sensors and throws the codes P0010,P0020,P0135,P0155,P0443,P0446

I keep reading that random codes like this could be alternator related. Have you tried looking there?

 

[obxdude018]

I may have found that problem, (may have), yesterday I pulled the hole back half of the harness up from the motor and went back and redid my connections from where I extended the front O2 sensors. That didn't fix it, however today I pulled the BEC out and noticed that the fuse 47a holder is slightly scorched and the fuse itself on one side wobbles around. I'm guessing that it wasn't getting a good connection there and that was my short all along. Time will tell with it though, the codes haven't popped up yet so I will find out. However now I have to figure out why my one O2 sensor reads about 1 volt. It should be only reading between 0-1 volt.

Yep finally got a code for that O2, P2198 sensor stuck rich.

 

[toorbeenee]

Did you ever know which fues that was?