Not really sure where to start with this - Relay box and fuses

[wafflemaster]

I started removing my ancient aftermarket stereo system wiring and made it to the relay area. I'm not really sure what a stock relay area is supposed to look like, but I assume it doesn't look like this.



If you look at this and see anything good/bad or otherwise let me know. I'm not sure what has been upgraded or not. Pretty sure that the jumper wires aren't stock The silver box with "Lee Performance Products" on it is the ECU for my engine swap. It's an Autronic system from the early 90s I think. I'll be replacing it with a modern MoTeC system in the near future, and I might just redo all the wiring from scratch. Maybe some Painless Wiring...

Thanks for your input!

[Michael]

I see a lot of upgraded bosch relays but nothing that screams at me. You have a jumper there that I'm not familiar with. Have you picked up a set of shop manuals yet?

[Chris4099]

Looks like a relay upgrade kit has been applied which is great. The jumper in the lower left is for the cooling fans and is normal. The terminals for the circuit breakers have been replaced and are using a more secure ring terminals which is also good. It's a safe bet the circuit breakers have been replaced with the better amp ratings. As for the other jumper, that's for the AC panel lights. If you remove the relay and place a jumper in there, the panel will only light up when the headlights are turned on. This is done to keep the panel from getting too hot.

Overall, it actually looks pretty good in there. The Autronic system is cover some of the other relays, but the rest looks good. I assume the Painless wiring comment is in regards to the Autronic and associated engine swap wiring? If so, that's probably a good idea if the additional wiring is in poor shape. Fortunately the factory wiring for the rest of the car is usually adequate for the job. Just make sure all the connections are clean and the components are good.

[wafflemaster]

I accidentally killed the server hosting the pics of the car...whoops. Here's the image again, and thanks for the feedback so far!

[Jonathan]

Hello Mr. Waffle

Try this diagram out:

http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?40...ull=1#post7640

As well as all the individual schematics in the first post of that thread as you get to them.

Yours is not that far off from what I can see. If you're referring to the jumper wires in the bottom left hand corner, that's almost looking like one of the suggested fixes to the cooling fans. I say almost because normally they suggest an inline fuse on each of the two wires. Not 100% about the one above it and to the right a socket or two. Might be related to an interior lighting change of some kind?

Your car has some obvious modifications, so don't blindly make your fuse and relay area look like the factory diagram if it indeed was changed for a reason. You can compare the suggested fuse rating/size to what is currently there and swap out as necessary. A fuse and relay upgrade kit of a few varieties is available with the vendors. Not sure how much of it you'll need as you might not have spots for some of it (RPM relay for example?). The circuit breakers are typically part of those kits too. If you don't replace an old component, at least go through and pull each one out and reinsert a few times to help clean the contacts up. They tend to spontaneously melt when the whole current is going through one tiny sliver of the metal instead of the full surface area.