gsl-se addict

Well, if you don't have the fusible links plugged in, you are not going to get power anywhere. That is why I asked about the links. For the ground, think about it this way: You have that large wire that goes from the battery + straight to the starter, right? Well, the wire is large becuase the starter requires large amounts of current (like 200 amps). Once the current passes though the starter, it has to go back to the battery (battery (-) terminal). That is why you need a large ground wire that connects to the engine. Otherwise, all of the cuurent the starter requires has to pass through that 10 ga. wire. Well, that is not going to happen.



The rx-7 stock has the (-) battery cable attach to the driver strut tower and then goes to the engine/trans bolt just above the starter. I think that connecting a 4 ga. wire to where you attached to the chassis, and then run it to the engine, would probably work well.





Kent

Dysfnctnl85

The links were plugged in, I just unplugged them for that picture. How would go about replacing one? Do I just take that black box to Advance and say I need a new one? Or is it possible that the grounding issue is why I'm not getting any power?

gsl-se addict

So are you not getting power at all (dash lights, etc.) or is it just not cranking? The dash lights and such get grounded though the chassis (it appears that you have a good ground there), so I don't think it is a ground issue (if there is no power). If all of the fuses in the car are okay, I would suspect the main fusible link (the middle one). This link carries power to most of the car. I would just take the old link to Advance to see what connectors you need. The link material comes in units of sq (means area of the link in square mm, I think). The main link is 1.25 sq and the others are 0.35 sq, I think. I believe the fusible link comes in a roll that you buy by the foot. Once you have the material, you will need to attach connectors to it (I think that they are standard female spade terminals), Advance should have those too. What about your headlights? Do they work? They are on a different fusible link, so they should work if the problem is just with the link.



Good luck.



Kent

Dysfnctnl85

I originally thought all the starting sucked my battery dry, but it's fine. I have no power anywhere though...no clock, no lights, no nothing.



Well if the problem is with the main fusible link, I shouldn't have power ANYWHERE, correct?



Am I just supposed to cut those other wires? There's not really a way to pull out one link, unless I have to smash that plastic box or something...

gsl-se addict

I'm confused. What do you mean about not being able to pull one link out? You have all of the links removed in the pic. If the main link is bad, your headlights will still work (the top and bottom links are for the headlights and the headlight retractors). So if the headlights work, and nothing else does, then it likely is the main link that is the problem. What wires are you talking about cutting?



Kent

Dysfnctnl85

[quote name='gsl-se addict' date='Apr 9 2005, 12:42 AM']I'm confused. What do you mean about not being able to pull one link out? You have all of the links removed in the pic. If the main link is bad, your headlights will still work (the top and bottom links are for the headlights and the headlight retractors). So if the headlights work, and nothing else does, then it likely is the main link that is the problem. What wires are you talking about cutting?



Kent


[/quote]



If you look at the pic I took of the fusible link box, you'll notice a white/red wire that goes INTO the box. Is there a way to take this apart, or am I just supposed to cut the wire?

gsl-se addict

Why do you want to pull that wire out?

Dysfnctnl85

[quote name='gsl-se addict' date='Apr 9 2005, 04:20 PM']Why do you want to pull that wire out?


[/quote]



Okay I guess I'm really confused as to which part is actually blown. If it's something in that black box, the one that has the white/red wire attached to it, and that has the metal tab that the main power wire is attached to, I have no idea how to replace it.



Does that make sense?



If it was a normal fuse, I would no how to take the fuse out and replace it. In this case, since it's a "fusible link" I'm not really sure how or what (physically) to replace.

gsl-se addict

The part that blows is the link itself (the part that you pulled out). What happens is that material acts like the center portion of a fuse. When too much current flows through it, it blows apart. Sometimes they are hard to tell if they are blown or not because of the fabric type material that covers them. There is a wire in the center of the link which is the part that actually blows. You could check the continuity of the links (resistance) to see if they are blown. Sometimes they partially fail, so you will still have continuity, but they are unable to handle larger currents.



Basically the black box is like a fuse box (brings power into and out of the box) and the links are like the fuses (protects the circuit). Try putting the links back in. There should be one black one (main link, goes in the center position) and two brown ones (go in the top and bottom positions). See if the headlights work. If just the main link is bad, the headlights should still raise and lower as well as turn on.



Does this make sense?



Kent

Dysfnctnl85

[quote name='gsl-se addict' date='Apr 9 2005, 07:01 PM']The part that blows is the link itself (the part that you pulled out). What happens is that material acts like the center portion of a fuse. When too much current flows through it, it blows apart. Sometimes they are hard to tell if they are blown or not because of the fabric type material that covers them. There is a wire in the center of the link which is the part that actually blows. You could check the continuity of the links (resistance) to see if they are blown. Sometimes they partially fail, so you will still have continuity, but they are unable to handle larger currents.



Basically the black box is like a fuse box (brings power into and out of the box) and the links are like the fuses (protects the circuit). Try putting the links back in. There should be one black one (main link, goes in the center position) and two brown ones (go in the top and bottom positions). See if the headlights work. If just the main link is bad, the headlights should still raise and lower as well as turn on.



Does this make sense?



Kent


[/quote]



Ah-hah, it all makes sense now! I'll ground the battery to the engine and then plug the links back in to see what happens...thanks again Kent.