No Power on Interior Fuse Panel "Free Pins"

ASSISTANCE Electrical & Entertainment Systems
1

I used the pin shown below to power my auxillary driving lights and also for my alarm to flash the parking lights when arming/disarming the system. It has worked great for 2-3 months.

Well the other day I tried to tap into a different PIN for a low powered bose woofer. I used one of the other pins that goes hot when the ignition is in acc mode. Well I goofed big time and I accidentally plugged in the ground wire instead of the power wire of the woofer. I only blew the radio fuse, and upon replacing it, everything seems to work fine except that I no longer have power on any of these fuse panel free pins?

I checked all the fuses in the inside and engine bay, all except for the 40A fuse for the heater motor on the inside panel which is hard to see, but everything else looks fine.
Anyone have any ideas why I no longer have power on these pins?

Also, someone had an informative post on all 5 free pins labeled A thru E and detailed when they would go hot and thier corresponding fuses. I think it came from a helms manual, but I can’t seem to find it anymore since Neil did his recent forum maintenance. Anyone have that info?

any help is appreciated!

2

When testing fuses did you just eyeball them or actually test them?

Are the free pins the only things not working?:sipread:94

3

Yes, I only visually checked the fuses.
So far the free pins are the only ones not working, although I have not verified the other 3 which I did not use.

This weekend I will have time to test all pins with my volt meter and also attempt to find out which fuses correspond to each pin.

Let me know if there is anything else which I should check while I’m at it.

4

Yes, I only visually checked the fuses.
IC.
I am not sure that any of the free pins are fused by anything more then main fuses, [or what would be the point], but then if one of them was blown, other things would not work.

The first thing I would do is check all functions in the car, as it is the park light free pin that is not working I would check …

1 - The park lights, do all the cars park/running lights work?

2 - Dash lights, do you have dash and cluster lights?

3 - Auxiliary driving lights, I assume they do not work.

4 - Do park lights flash when you arm/disarm the alarm?

Also not sure about the other 4 free pins, although one of them will be a 12V+ constant, [hot at all times] you will also have a 12V+ 2nd ign., [hot in run only], obviously checking all 5 of them in all ign. and light switch positions would be something I would check right away.

Next, move on to checking fuses, test fuses in place, set meter to 20VDC and probe for 12V+ on each “test tip” of each fuse, or each side of main fuse(s), ign. and light switch will have to be turned on to test some fuses.

Lets hope that when you check, the park lights do not work when you turn them on, but do flash when you arm and disarm the alarm, [assuming alarms park light output is connected] it will then be a blown park light fuse, fuse 11 - 15A, [hot when park or head lights are on] fuse 1 - 15A if you have a 1990 with DRLs.:cross: 94

5

FYI, my car is a 91 w/o DRLs.

1 - The park lights, do all the cars park/running lights work?
All park lights work, fuse is ok and the fuse tips tested ok.

2 - Dash lights, do you have dash and cluster lights?
Yes, all dash lights work.

3 - Auxiliary driving lights, I assume they do not work.
They do not work because they are connected to pin “B” circled above. This pin does not have power when parking lights are on, which is the original problem.

4 - Do park lights flash when you arm/disarm the alarm?
Park lights do not flash when I arm/disarm the alarm, because they are also hooked up to pin “B”.

So I tested the fuse tips for 12v:
Pin B - Parking light fuse#11 - PASSED
Pin C - constant 12v pin but you have to supply your own fuse (the empty one next to the fuse puller), PASSED
Pin D - accessory postion 1, fuse for the radio - PASSED
Pin E is accessory postion 2, fuse for dash & cluster lights - PASSED

I could not test Pin A -Constant 12v, because I could not find fuse #33! (or was it #30?)
Its supposed to be a 50A fuse somewhere, and I don’t think its the big heater motor fuse shown in the picture because that one is 30A. I also visually and electronically checked the fuses in the fuse panel in the engine bay, all which are OK.

I think the problem is the 50A fuse #33 which I cannot locate. Any idea where that one is?

6

Fuse 33 is in the engine bay fuse box, it is a 50A fuse, if the head lights and park lights work the fuse is good.

It sounds to me like the damage is in the fuse box, [under dash] itself.:stare:94

7

questoin cega…what wire would you connect to the free pin to get the break lights to blink when you arm/disarm your alarm…i have a autopage alarm.

8

I don’t think there is one, it’s easy enough to check, step on brake while testing the free pins with a test light or multimeter.:sipread:94