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surfchimp

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Everything posted by surfchimp

  1. Thanks for the replies - FIXED it myself. (See pics) It can be opened by bending the 3 metal tabs. Best to keep the metal side down, or you will lose the 2 spring-loaded ball bearings that set the switch detents. Very simple as predicted. Rotating circuit board connects red/green wire to green wire (12v from fuse box when ignition on) when switch is on (rotated clockwise 1 click). The same circuit board connects the other contact, brown/green wire, to the green when the switch is off. This is what parks the wiper. The problem with mine as you can probably see is the contact for the red/green wire was burnt, not to mention no longer touching the circuit board. Apparently it had been quite hot and melted the plastic switch casing at the base of the contact (similar to what can happen inside of the headlight dimmer switch). Not only had it shifted so that the contact no longer hit the board, but it also managed to break the continuity between the wiper contact and the spade connector for the red/green wire (they are riveted together). So even though I expected carefully bending and cleaning the wiper contact would fix it, I had to re-establish continuity to the spade connector/rivet with a blob of solder. Moral: always check continuity with a meter! Seems someone had installed a 20A fuse in the circuit where a 5A should've been. So that partially explains the heat/melting (vs blowing the fuse). I suspect the contact started arcing and blowing the fuse and some PO's solution was a bigger fuse. Wiper motor seems to work just fine w/ 5A fuse in place now. Not sure what happens if the wiper is frozen to the screen when you turn it on.
  2. The rear wiper on my 88 110 stopped working a while back, so yesterday I started tracking it down. The motor works, and I have 12v to the solid green wires at the switch and at the motor. The problem appears to be a bad switch. This is the old style round knob rotary switch with push-in for sprayer. The sprayer push function does operate the pump, and I do have 12v supply at the back of the switch. I cannot get 12v to the red/green wire though which should feed the motor when switch is rotated to "on" position. If I put a jumper between the green wire (12v from fuse box) and the red/green wire the wiper motor operates. I do have 12v at the brown/green wire which is the park function power feed. This should only have power if the wiper is not parked (assuming the park switch in the wiper gear box works). In any case I don't think is important - if I need to park the wiper manually no worries. So I just need to get 12V to the red/green wire which the switch apparently refuses to do. The big problem is they want $250 for a new switch over here in the US! Has anyone opened one of these old switches and tried a repair? Any "user servicable parts" inside? I guess I could always just fit a basic flip switch in the dash to operate the wiper and a push button for the sprayer and ignore the park.
  3. FIXED - I now have plenty of air into the cabin and a working defroster and heater. I cut through the firewall and the lower dash in situ from the engine compartment. I was able to leave coolant hoses attached to the heaterbox - I just tied it up on top of the radiator expansion tank while I cut. I used a combination of a drill (to get some initial corner holes) a Dremel EZ456 cutoff wheel (5 of them) and a sawzall with metal cutting blades. It wasn't that hard to cut through both pieces of metal once I got some initial openings. Each tool came in handy in various spots depending on the access angle. I also discovered a thin bulkhead which is normally the end of the air channel in the lower dash on a rhd vehicle. This was about 3/4 of the way to right of my desired rectangle, so I used metal snips to cut most of it out. I then painted the bare edges, and put silicone seal in the gaps between the firewall and dash. All in all it worked very well even if my new hole is not exactly perfectly rectangular! I also stuffed some insulation inside the dash to the left of the hole (basically just dead space) as all the vents are to the right of the hole when looking from the front. I used some silicone glue to attach a plastic bulkhead fashioned from pvc sheet inside the dash just to the left of the hole to keep the insulation from creeping over. Thanks again to all those who helped out on this thread. Next: get the rear wiper and defroster working!
  4. That is probably it - I replaced my headlight connectors with high-temp ones with rubber boots around them. Found them at a local (US) autoparts chain. My old connectors were trashed/melted/cracked. I think even if you get a loose contact from age you can get arcing which will eventually kill the switch. You would think it would blow the fuse but I guess not. There should be a relay in the system.. I think there are some posts out there about how to do this.
  5. Switch melted in mine = no hi beams. Full current passes through the switch (no relay) which means if you have too high of a load the switch literally melts. Looking closely at mine, the plastic deformed changing the position of the hi-beam contacts so they no longer made contact. New switch fixed it (which means pulling the steering wheel etc). The usual culprits are either an added load on the circuit (aux lights installed without a relay) or in my case, loosely fitting worn-out connectors to the headlight bulbs which was causing some arcing. The headlight connectors themselves had some melting. So replaced these as well.
  6. Mike great that all makes sense. Starting to think I may try a holesaw to chain drill after putting in pilot holes - might just require 2-3 holes. Won't be a perfect rectangle but that doesn't bother me.
  7. Mike thanks that would certainly be the preferred way so that holes line up and I don't need to pull the dash! I will talk to some of my friends who have more metal-working experience. Probably would need to actually remove the heater box this time (remove coolant hoses) for clearance. If I pinch the hoses off before removing from heater box, what is the secret to get rid of air bubbles in coolant once re-attached? I saw somewhere that folks run the motor with radiator cap off?
  8. Any chance it can be a belt? My 110 squealed like heck usually just after startup and then at random intervals. Loose alternator belt - moving the alternator outward to tension it fixed the issue.
  9. Thanks Simon and Petrol. That explains the mystery foam! May never have been glued on - everything in there looks new and no signs of glue residue. I do have the rectangular foam gasket that seals against the firewall. So once my hole is enlarged I should be all set. It is better already that I at least have SOME air flow. Not looking forward to attempting the hole enlargement!
  10. Thanks Mo - I just ordered one along with dump valve which is also missing. Won't be surprised if I have to redrill holes in wing box to get it to line up with fan intake
  11. Conversion/refurb was done by Liveridge which I though had a good rep - although they do see to be defunct now. Rest of vehicle seems to be quite well done as I had it inspected by a local expert. But I will be looking at details more closely - but there does seem to have been good attention to detail in many spots.We had it in a very corrosive beach environment all Summer and the paint and underside coating held up great. Hoping this may be an isolated example of one worker taking a shortcut. We have had the vehicle for over a year with only minor issues. In fact more things work properly on it than our 97 NAS 90 (which we have owned since new). The heater box does have the gasket along the firewall. Fan intake does not line up well with wing intake so will try to remedy that. The lower dash flappers work fine. Steering brackets? I will have a look and/or post photos. Yes the footwell holes for rhd pedals do have plates riveted over them. Trying to figure best approach to enlarge heater box hole. Probably not doable from the engine compartment - which could save removing the dash. At least I have some air now. Thanks again for all the comments.
  12. Thanks again Mike. Yup that is the hole in the firewall that the blower is trying to force air thru. Looks to me if I want to get it right I will need to remove lower dash, cut a proper rectangular hole in it and also the firewall. No idea why the rectangular piece of foam was in there blocking air flow. I get flow now out of the dash vents but it is pretty weak - not surprising considering the small jagged hole in the back of the dash.
  13. WOW - PROBLEM FOUND! Removed heater box (left coolant hoses and wiring attached). Found a jagged hole in what must be the back side of lower dash, and a sort-of tear-drop shaped hole in firewall. Now this vehicle was probably converted to LHD from a RHD, so not sure how much of this is artifacts from that. Looks like someone had drilled a big hole in the dash lower backside, then cut grooves and tried to bend the metal tabs in to expand the hole! I have no idea what this SHOULD all look like... but I assume not this. There was also a foam sheet that appeared to be blocking the heater box exit perfectly. So it may work now - the blower does blow pretty well - even with the jagged hole, but wondering if I should try to enlarge that hole. The metal (back side of dash) looks quite thick however. Need to figure out how to post pics...
  14. Flap is fine - checked that and cables and flap working as they should. Then thought Mike may be right and fan was spinning backwards, but no it is correct. So I am left to think air can't get through heater matrix (which is strange since it is likely new as the rest of the components on the heater box are). Everything very clean but who knows maybe something is in there. I did feel quite a bit of air leaking out around top of heater box (riveted-on section) so sealed that seam with silicone - not dry yet but doubt it makes that much difference. So unless I am still missing something, looks like I will need to pull the box out when I get a chance and have a look at the matrix element?
  15. Thanks Mike - Not full of mud, but could be wired backwards - I can feel a little breeze leaking around the heater box output to the lower dash, so I think it is trying to blow. I am betting my flap is shut...
  16. Thanks very much. Believe it or not I had found that thread but after reading part way through I foolishly didn't think it applied. But Guy009's clue above helps a great deal - I heard that flap between the heater box and lower dash thump shut when I was adjusting cables - but didn't know what it was. I think mine may be operating backwards somehow. When my fan speed lever is full down on 2 (high fan speed), I think that flap shuts which sounds like the exact opposite of what it should do. But it would explain why I have never felt as much as a whiff of wind from any of the vents since I have owned it. I was getting some of the cable housing pulling through the clamp for that side lever as well, so I will need to figure out what is going on with the flap. Step one, put screws back in dash!
  17. Hello - Spent alot of time searching for the answer to this one, but no luck. I have a restored 1988 110 V8 (imported it to the States). I have fixed quite a few small niggles on it, but this one has me stumped. I get no heater air (warm or cool) from any of the dash vents. I have checked the cables etc, and the blower motor certainly sounds like it is cranking out some air. The lower dash flaps do move (removed footwell vents to check this). I can stick my fingers up there and I feel no air movement whatsoever. It seems as if I have two unappetizing choices here to investigate this further - pull out the blower and heater core, or remove the entire dash?! I started pulling screws out of the dash but then got put off when I seemed to be making no progress in getting anything to move. Seems like top down is the way to do the dash from my research. But before I spend the time and gray hairs to do that - Does anyone have any idea why I might be getting no air and/or how to diagnose this?
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