So I set out to hook up my iphone adapter I bought from Beckerautosound for my old Europa stereo. An easy job - mount the jack somewhere hidden and plug the other end into the tape out of the unit. I am also hardwiring a usb charger along with it.
So I go looking for a suitable 12v wire to tap for the usb and I discover:
1. Clutch master cylinder leaking into the pedal area. So that's why the reservoir level dropped a couple mm over the last month - I thought it was the new calipers settling in. Fortunately only made it as far as the foam surround which is saturated with fluid.
In looking at the pedals I notice:
2. The bushings are shot and need to be replaced on the clutch and brake pedals. $10 for all 4 from Penske and will make a big difference in pedal smoothness. Only $10 is not enough right? So I throw in a new firewall rubber gasket for good measure which I only half-need.
So I pull the lower dash panel off in preparation to remove the MC and I discover it's all coming apart from the frame so I:
3. Go to Lowes and get some epoxy and glue it all back together with about 10 clamps I also bought there and repair some vinyl as well.
In looking at the wiring I decide it's
4. Time to untangle a bunch of stuff and zip tie it all neatly and re-wrap where tape is unraveling.
That's when I discovered
5. The ignition lead is about to fall out of the fuse box so I reinstall the leads tightly and discover some other loose ones that would have stranded me at some point.
Then I inspect the wiring up the steering column and notice:
6. The insulation of the high beam harness has been rubbing against the steering column, wearing a hole through it and one of the wires exposing it bare. This would have blown up at some point when flippping on the beams. Taped and retaped and arranged clear of the column now.
Then I inspected the ignition switch and discovered:
7. There is no grub screw and the switch is loose in the cylinder. This was replaced by the PO but obviously the mechanic decided this screw was not needed anymore. Now on the hunt for a 3mm x 5 screw.
So after starting a 15 minute job it's still not finished.
Moral of the story: Take a few minutes and inspect areas of the car not often seen (not just electrical), my guess is you'll probably find some simple things that will cause a problem when you least need it.
So I go looking for a suitable 12v wire to tap for the usb and I discover:
1. Clutch master cylinder leaking into the pedal area. So that's why the reservoir level dropped a couple mm over the last month - I thought it was the new calipers settling in. Fortunately only made it as far as the foam surround which is saturated with fluid.
In looking at the pedals I notice:
2. The bushings are shot and need to be replaced on the clutch and brake pedals. $10 for all 4 from Penske and will make a big difference in pedal smoothness. Only $10 is not enough right? So I throw in a new firewall rubber gasket for good measure which I only half-need.
So I pull the lower dash panel off in preparation to remove the MC and I discover it's all coming apart from the frame so I:
3. Go to Lowes and get some epoxy and glue it all back together with about 10 clamps I also bought there and repair some vinyl as well.
In looking at the wiring I decide it's
4. Time to untangle a bunch of stuff and zip tie it all neatly and re-wrap where tape is unraveling.
That's when I discovered
5. The ignition lead is about to fall out of the fuse box so I reinstall the leads tightly and discover some other loose ones that would have stranded me at some point.
Then I inspect the wiring up the steering column and notice:
6. The insulation of the high beam harness has been rubbing against the steering column, wearing a hole through it and one of the wires exposing it bare. This would have blown up at some point when flippping on the beams. Taped and retaped and arranged clear of the column now.
Then I inspected the ignition switch and discovered:
7. There is no grub screw and the switch is loose in the cylinder. This was replaced by the PO but obviously the mechanic decided this screw was not needed anymore. Now on the hunt for a 3mm x 5 screw.
So after starting a 15 minute job it's still not finished.
Moral of the story: Take a few minutes and inspect areas of the car not often seen (not just electrical), my guess is you'll probably find some simple things that will cause a problem when you least need it.
