Vandalised Maestro! - urgent help reqd !!!

[aerosam99]

Hi guys,

some little :censored: :censored: :censored: broke into my maestro yesterday night. Took the stereo, tore off the steering column cowling and attempted to hotwire it. They failed, thankfully.

However, now the leccy windows dont work, along with the central locking :banghead: , indicators :banghead: , wipers :banghead: , engine cooling fan :banghead: , and starter motor :banghead: . Managed to get it going by push starting, but soon overheated when standing without the cooling fan working. :banghead:

All the fuses are intact, but the ignition barrel wiring is all torn off. Where do i reconnect them? And what could have gone wrong to cause all these electrical faults? Please help guys.

Oh boy what i'd do to the little :censored: if i got a hold of them.

thanks,

Sam

[Mat_C]

First thing - disconnect the battery - god knows what shorts etc are there which could be damaging you electrics.

Easist way to fix if you can't determine the wiring is to go to a scrapper, open the fusebox, disconnect the ingition loom, remove lock mechanism (complete with upper steering coloum if you have the time) and just swap it into yours. Different key for ignition but easy fix. Not sure how everything goes together, long time since i've been anywhere near this area.

Check which fuses have blown and away you go!

[H48HPE]

if all the wiring has been pulled off the ignition switch nothing will work, it should just be a case of re-connecting eveverything up again. the reason nothing works is because the relays that control all the ignition circuits wont energize because the control wiring has been removed from the switch. all the items that work when the ignition is off should still work ok.

have you got a wiring diagram? would probably be easier if one of us photographed an intact switch, i might do mine tomorow if no one else does it before.

got a picture of how bad the damage is?

Andy

[aerosam99]

thanks guys, i'm a little calmer now. Thanks for such quick responses. I have repaired the ignition switch (albeit temporarily) and now the leccy windows and cental locking work again :beer: also the starter is working on and off, the ignition switch is internally f***ed i had it in bits, and managed to patch it up.

The wiper stalk is completely snapped off, but the indicator stalk seems undamaged, the haedlights still work on the flick switch but the flasher or high beam don't work.

Shopping list:

ignition switch
wiper stalk
indicator stalk
upper/lower steering column trim

will visit scrappies tomorrow.

cheers chappies

[H48HPE]

A similar thing happened to me last year, I know exactly how you feel. It prompted me to buy one of those disklocks, and fit an alarm (still only half done). the disklock must put them off though, your average idiot theif just wants to be in and away, but with a disklock they cant do that. also, fit some extra hidden switches in the ignition circuit, that way the car wont run, and at least your cars still there, even though its been messed up.

Did they get in through a window, or ruin a tidy doorskin with a screwdriver, like they did to me?

Andy

[MG1600S]

Don't forget you can get that stuff from a Montego as well. The only thing to look out for is 1988 on Montego (with 3 rotary heater controls), have a different ignition switch, but the rest is the same...

I presume you drive a pre 1993 Maestro saying that....

[aerosam99]

Thanks for all your help guys.

They got in by bending back the drives door window frame, in fact the whole door is now out of shape. I'll probably just get another one as i'm planning a full respray anyhow.

I got an ignition switch out of a van i found in a pile of cars in a scrapyard, and a metro gave me it's stalks. It's now back together and working fine.