Having fuse box problems

[rickycricketts]

Hey guys so the other day i was about to go to work and the e30 wouldn't turn on. no interior lights, no headlights, trunk lights, anything. so i traced the problem down to the red power wires in the fuse box. my problem now is i can't get the main power cable off because you need a special tool. i was wondering if you guys had any ideas on how to get this off? thanks. and sorry i don't know how to spell burned ;-)

[DaveSmed]

An allen wrench is a special tool?

Someone has raped your fusebox, that blue scotchlock is a sure sign its received the "bad touch".

[rickycricketts]

it's a square bolt and it wont come off with an adjustable wrench. it loosens most of the way but won't go past a certain point.

[87_black_325is]

Probably a partially rounded allen...if I pull my fusebox out tomorrow I'll look and see what mine is.

[DaveSmed]

it's a square bolt and it wont come off with an adjustable wrench. it loosens most of the way but won't go past a certain point.

Aha. Pull a couple relays out and look at it from the top.

[rickycricketts]

okay that worked thanks! so to who ever is interested, the circuit board on my fuse box is alllll burned up. so i'm replacing the entire thing which is quite confusing. pulling these fuses out is a pain without the right tools but a flat tip and a pick seems to be getting the job done... thanks for helping out the n00b ;)

[DaveSmed]

Glad you got it sorted.

I wish people would quit fucking with E30 fuseboxes and hacking relays to do dumb shit like keeping the fogs on. The fusebox, while extremely reliable in stock form is easy to damage with enough determination and lack of understanding. Especially since as you are finding, its a tedious pain in the ass to replace.

[DaveSmed]

Also, once you get it apart, take a clear detailed pic of the circuit board if you could. I'm interested in what burned up.