Anyone Own A Vl

[VB-]

well, this is my second attempt as what i tried to post the first time just f*cked up and i lost it all, so here goes....

i just bought a VL the other day, and its all good, except it has a few minor issues, most of which were fixed by a good clean. now when i cleaned it and it came up a treat, but there were still a few minor htings, mostly interior plastics broken etc. the one thing i did try to fix was the boot release. it normally sits in a little round retainer thingy...(yes, thats the technical term) and it was just hanging there, and i tried to put it back in, but when i did the switch just popped apart. so i left it sittin there for a minute, tryin to see how the switch worked, and i realised that in its current popped apart state, the positive and negative were linked, thus explaining why the wires were gettin quite warm. now i worked this out, pulled the wires out, put it all back together, and thats ok, except now it doesnt work. i pulled the wires out again and just touched them together instead of using the switch, still got nothing, the boot wont pop.

first questions, what have i fried?

now when u get an electrical problem, check fuses first, but i dont know which fuse to check, or if there even is one for this. so my second question, where is the fuse if there is one?

on the path to discovering i have no idea which fuse i was looking for, the first place i went for was the drivers side, near the kick panel, where fuses always are. i pulled the cover off, and i saw that the back of the panel had the little diagram, tellin u what is what, and i couldnt see anything on there, so i was just gonna start pullin fuses to check if any were blown, but to my surprise, when i went to look inside, there was no fuses. no board, no fuses, nothin, just bits of the wiring loom.

so, third question, is there meant to be a board of fuses in there?

regarding the fuses, there is still the black box under the bonnet, but i dunno if ever fuse is accounted for in there.

cheers,

Ben

[RB30-POWER]

try over at

www.calaisturbo.com.au

[CruiseLiner]

no there are not fuses under the dash kickpanel (only in pre vl models they were under there) its all in the engine bay passenger side corner. the boot release soleniod is probably stuffed they always stuff up. go to the boot and pull the wire off the boot release solenoid and check its getting power when the button is pressed. if it is then solenoid is dead, and they are like $5 from a wreckers. if it doesnt get power then the wiring is not connected correctly. there isnt a fuse for the boot release button that i can recall (havent owned a vl for over 2 years so my memory is about rusty)

Edited September 10, 2006 by CruiseLiner

[VB-]

ok thanks for that. how should i check if its getting power at the solenoid, i dont have a DMM. im sure i can find a spare globe lying around, wil this do or is there too much current to use a globe?

[mad082]

use a test light. and you will need someone to press the button while you have the test light on the wires.

[braadz]

take it to an auto electrician

[VB-]

its ok, the problems fixed itself.

next query, where would i be lookin for numbers to ID the gearbox? it feels very very smooth, and i havent driven any other manual VLs, but in some cases it even feels smoother than a friends R34... so im thinkin it may have been swapped at some point, possibly to a skyline box. its unlikely, and it may just have been well maintained, but it cant hurt to check.

last question for now, whats the easiest way to see what clutch/what condition clutch is in, not just by feel, as my experience with different clutches is quite limited. its feels slightly heavy, nothin like a twin plate, but still a bit heavier than the other cars i've driven (again havent driven any other VLs, so might be normal) and it also needs to be pressed right up against the firewall, or very close to it, to fully dissengage the clutch, which i thought were signs of an aftermarket/heavy duty clutch

thanks for the help guys,

Ben