Strange connection adapters on "rear AC" fuse. Your best guess welcome.

411 Views 19 Replies 10 Participants Last post by ehbrown1, 10 d ago

augidog

1994 LT AWD.

receipts show new AC within the last year.

clutch not engaging.

when driving this home after buying it, we experienced a parasitic draw that killed the (already weak) battery during a long lunch. i was desperate for a solution. I found this weird connection adapter on the "rear AC" fuse, two small tabs pushed onto the fuse blades. the wires are the ones on the floor. Both this one and "AC" fuses are good.

I can't imagine why this fuse would be chosen for an accessory tap , especially off both sides of the fuse. there is paperwork indicating an aftermarket alarm system, no longer working. i found no other add-on connections, and this is why I disconnected those wires. i hesitate to re-connect them because i wasn't paying attention to polarity when i took them off.

Does anyone have a best guess? could this be some sort of quick-fix that affects the compressor clutch?

thank you for playing.

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augidog

Discussion Starter · #7 · 11 d ago (Edited)

sixsix said:
Augi, not really sure what we are looking at. The 2 wires w/ conns... the orange wire/tape beehive... the fuse upside down...?

hard to see with the bad pic, maybe after description...there are two strips of copper, definitely manufactured (but by who?) to slip over the fuse blades. when you reinsert the fuse, you have two male spade terminals. the two wires laying on the floor were connected to the "adapters" which are on the "rear AC" fuse. i said a prayer the two "accessory" wires may be identifiable by color. if anyone had ever seen this before they'd recognize it and may know what it's about.

if you (like me) had never seen it before, you might think (like me) that it was an accessory tap for the aftermarket alarm, but in a horrible location (why would anyone choose to tap power off that particular circuit with other easier options?)

thanks to all for the technical guesses. i think the same as you....unrelated to the AC issue. my initial instinct was to disconnect them as possibly the parasite drain, i just felt the need for validation.

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augidog

Discussion Starter · #11 · 11 d ago

i haven't traced any wires yet, but i have a thought. being red and orange, is it possible the rear blower circuit melted and this is a "do-over?"

someone who has rear heat/AC may have a clue.

sixsix said:
?

triple-d'oh!

right now it's in the shop for a full once-over...delete oil cooler lines, possible cracked radiator, cruise-control stem/turn-signal switch, exhaust...

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augidog

Discussion Starter · #14 · 10 d ago (Edited)

AstroWill said:
Pretty standard aftermarket kit back in the day.

it's clearly a manufactured item, and we have paperwork for an old (non-functioning) "Viper" alarm. still, you cannot technically tap accessory power that way, unless as mentioned both are separate hot wires with one being fuse-protected. also, there's much easier ways to tap into an old-school fuse-block.

realityguy said:
Perhaps a road mechanic with a quick fix..?

i think this may be close to explaining the situation. what we're looking at could make technical sense if there is no power to or from the fuse (perhaps the original wiring is toast? are rear blower circuits also prone to overheating?) and the red wire is the new source with the orange wire being the new feed to the circuit. it's in the shop now for the important fixes, so this "AC" mystery is on hold. the wires will stay disconnected until i can get at it with my meter and do some backtracking.

btw, those slip-on terminals caused the sockets to permanently spread...without them the fuse won't stay. so no matter what we wind up doing, they have to remain.

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augidog

Discussion Starter · #16 · 10 d ago (Edited)

AstroWill said:
I can definitely see someone putting an extra power outlet, powering their trailer hitch connector, disco light or whatever that way.

the factory wiring is in the rear storage along with the factory jack and accessories, all pristine, so i suspect this wasn't a tap for towing. the only two conversion add-ons i see are a manual sunroof and running boards, no mood-lighting or disco balls.

my first quick inspections didn't tun up any other taps or splices at the block or nearby. i have found a mess of small wires with an inline fuse and a couple switches that looks to be what's left of the alarm, under the dash. i pulled that fuse but haven't traced anything yet. i'll hope everything tracks back to those two wires, meaning i've eliminated the defunct alarm setup.

i'm still open to the possibility that the two wires are a "fix" to a rear AC or heater issue, so i'm still curious if the rear circuitry is subject to high-speed burn-out like the front fan circuitry. i have zero experience with the rear heater and AC, so please pardon the possibly stupid question.

staying true to the subject title, this is all still guesswork. i have not been given enough time and access to fully investigate the situation.

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