Stange Fault With Speedo - Ignition.

[Gunman]

My Wife's 2004 130 TDi dalaxy has now got the strangest electical fault I have ever seen, I think (know)some of it may be caused by us.

 

A few weeks back while the wife was driving it the speedo stopped working and the abs light and brake warning light came on. When I checked it we had no indicators and no horn, plus the air-con was dead. I found a 5amp fuse blown (2nd in from left) and replaced it and all worked again so thought no more of it. Same thing happened a couple weeks later and was replaced again. Now, last week it happened again but (and I know this was a highly stupid thing to do) I replaced the fuse with a 10 amp as I had no spare 5's to hand and we were stuck at the side of the road late at night. I asked my wife to get some 5 amps in the morning and, I'm sure you can guess but she didn't. A few days later I get a call asking me to pick her up as the car had smoke coming out behind the dash (for a couple of secs before she stopped) and the car wouldn't start again. She said the ignition lights were on even with the ignition switched off, I thought this was bull as they were out when I got there. I removed the fuse and drove the car home with my wife following. I stopped at the first garage and replaced with a 5 amp and all worked again. until.....

 

I got home, turned the ignition off and removed the key, car kept running??? Openned the door and it stopped. Now, about 50% of the time this happens. If you leave the car with the key out, the dash lights come on and the alarm goes off at some stage, they will go back out and all is normal for a while then it happens again. I now disconnect the battery.

 

I reckon some wires must have burnt together and theres a short now but what was causing it in the first place?

 

Any help, please?

[seatkid]

 

I reckon some wires must have burnt together and theres a short now but what was causing it in the first place?

 

Any help, please?

You had a short, possibly a loom rubbing on a sharp metal edge. But now you have a damaged loom with potentially a number of wires damaged. Only remedy is to strip down and examine the area where the smoke seemed to come from, find any damaged wires and either fix or cry.

 

Write out 100 times I must never replace a fuse with one of a higher than recommended rating.