electrical help

[Tab914]

Hey guys!

Hope someone out there can help me out. My car is a 1974, 2.0lt, 914. Here is my problem; everything electrical was working great until I decided to removed the heat flap connected to heat exchanger on the driver's side. The screw holding the wire to that piece was seized so I snipped the wire with wire cutters and took the part off. When I started the car after that I noticed that, upon turning on the switch, the generator light did not come on, the emergency brake warning light did not flash and the turn signals also no longer worked. The high beam switch neither. The red flashing light and green turn signal light do come on when I turn on the hazards though. Now. The car starts fine but none of the guages on the dash panel respond until I give the engine a rev. Then the gas needle jumps up and the generator light goes on and blinks. The tach needle does not show idle speed. When I take the emergency brake off the generator light dims a bit but goes bright red when I hit the brakes. Hitting the brakes also makes the gas needle go to empty and the tach needle drops to the bottom of the guage. While driving the car the tach needle just bounces up and down. I had a look at the belt on the generator and it looks fine. All the fuses on the fuse box are fine. I am really baffled. I am guessing that, for one, my turn signal rellay is shot but have no idea why or how that could have happened. Is the wire connected to the heat flap electrical in any way?? Did I short something out when I cut it?? Is this all just coincidal?? I did notice that that wire was not a weaved wire like a throttle cable but a solid wire. Can someone please help me out as I am totally confused. I would greatly appreciate any input anyone might have.

[Conrad W Peden]

One word......Gremilns.....not just your avreage ones though, these ones are German.

[SGB]

Check the battery.

[lapuwali]

Looks like you cut a ground wire. Hook the wire back up and your problems should go away. You can't just cut random wiring and expect your electrics to keep on working, esp. if you don't understand what that wire does...

[Tab914]

Hi guys! Thanks for your replies. As it turns out that wire is only a hard wire to move the flap like I though. I opened my flasher relay and found a cut wire. Soldered that up, reinstalled the relay and all the problems went away. Weird that that affected other stuff than the turn signals but anyway all is good. Thanks again for trying to help. Cheers, Dominic.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Wow, that is really weird!!

I would have suspected a fuse that looked OK but was still bad, myself... Most of those symptoms happen when you pop fuse #8 (#9??).

--DD

[Tab914]

Hey Dave! You are right. Forgot to mention that I did replace that fuse. Looked good at first but was actually bad. Was so excited that everything was back to normal that it slipped my mind. I can finally go for my first ride after 1 1/2 of restoration. Still a bit of work to do but got the plates on and going cruising. Cheers Dave, Dominic.

[Conrad W Peden]

I gotta ask, how did the wire in the relay get cut?

[Tab914]

Have no idea!!!! must have happened at the same time the fuse burn but couldn't even tell you if it's in any way related. It was the small wire behind the lead power pin on the relay. Maybe Dave has an idea. But it's a mystery to me.