engine is splutery with the lights on...
Discussion
Hi all, im after a bit of advice... my dad was out in our chimaera last night and it started playing up.....
it was spluttering and going to... then it cut out....
i towed it home and had a good look when i get home....
i can get the car running but only when the lights are off....
when i start it up the side lights come on and so do the indicators but they are just on, not flashing....(this is even though none of them are switched on via the switches..)
the alternator is putting out 14volts...
can anyone help... havs anyone had the same problem??
thanks
jim
it was spluttering and going to... then it cut out....
i towed it home and had a good look when i get home....
i can get the car running but only when the lights are off....
when i start it up the side lights come on and so do the indicators but they are just on, not flashing....(this is even though none of them are switched on via the switches..)
the alternator is putting out 14volts...
can anyone help... havs anyone had the same problem??
thanks
jim
Sounds like a bad earth to side lights, as the current has no ground to go to it will go
back down any route it can find, in your case the indicators which is why your indicators are lit but dim.
Its like having 2 bulbs in series, they will share about six volts each and will light, but only dimly.
I think the earth is either at the front near the bottom of the radiator or in the drivers side front wheel arch.
Hope this is of some help.
Cheers
Paul.
back down any route it can find, in your case the indicators which is why your indicators are lit but dim.
Its like having 2 bulbs in series, they will share about six volts each and will light, but only dimly.
I think the earth is either at the front near the bottom of the radiator or in the drivers side front wheel arch.
Hope this is of some help.
Cheers
Paul.
I have an idea.
What do you guys think of this?
If the dash instruments not earthing properly the temp/fuel/oil gauges will be unsucessfull at the earth point to which the earth for the illumination for these also goes. So they will try to find earth via the bulbs for the gauges which I expect are also glowing. These are connected to the sidelights which are correctly earthed so they glow too.
I think the earth for the dash is on the tunnel, not sure, perhaps someone else can help out here. At any rate, I don't think its the earth by the headlights (under the rad?)
I don't know why the engine isn't running properly but I am sure thats also an earth problem.
Just had a thought. The rev counter will be connected to the same earth, so perhaps an earth fault on that will try to earth to the coil, hence the cutting out. Don't know on these cars whether its connected to the coil or the ECU, that actually doesn't matter if fixing the dash earth sorts it.
Have I got this right?
What do you guys think of this?
If the dash instruments not earthing properly the temp/fuel/oil gauges will be unsucessfull at the earth point to which the earth for the illumination for these also goes. So they will try to find earth via the bulbs for the gauges which I expect are also glowing. These are connected to the sidelights which are correctly earthed so they glow too.
I think the earth for the dash is on the tunnel, not sure, perhaps someone else can help out here. At any rate, I don't think its the earth by the headlights (under the rad?)
I don't know why the engine isn't running properly but I am sure thats also an earth problem.
Just had a thought. The rev counter will be connected to the same earth, so perhaps an earth fault on that will try to earth to the coil, hence the cutting out. Don't know on these cars whether its connected to the coil or the ECU, that actually doesn't matter if fixing the dash earth sorts it.
Have I got this right?
Edited by TVR keith on Tuesday 17th October 18:14
Edited by TVR keith on Tuesday 17th October 18:20
There is fitted (sometimes !!) a main fuse that can arc, provide low current supplies and give up with higher current demands. Or if the alternator fuse has gone it could be just low voltage, although it would be rather sluggish turning over. The alternator one is under the car, the main one is on the brown wire that comes off the battery positive.
Just humour me for a moment with this one.
Take out the indicator and side light bulbs (a bit of a pig I know), and switch off the instrument lights withthe switch under the dash and fire up the engine.
Put the lights on.
Does everything behave?
If yes, put the instument lights on, everything still behave?
Put the lights in one by one, when things stop behaving you've found your problem circuit.
To give you an idea of how fickle electrics can be, I once had an Astra which you could keep the engine running once you took the key out of the ignition by keeping the side ligts on and your foot on the brake...after a weekend of ripping the dash out and tracing every wire so shorts, I found the problem was one of the dual filament tail lights was shorting across the two filaments. That's the sort of annoyance you're up against.
Regards
Iain
Take out the indicator and side light bulbs (a bit of a pig I know), and switch off the instrument lights withthe switch under the dash and fire up the engine.
Put the lights on.
Does everything behave?
If yes, put the instument lights on, everything still behave?
Put the lights in one by one, when things stop behaving you've found your problem circuit.
To give you an idea of how fickle electrics can be, I once had an Astra which you could keep the engine running once you took the key out of the ignition by keeping the side ligts on and your foot on the brake...after a weekend of ripping the dash out and tracing every wire so shorts, I found the problem was one of the dual filament tail lights was shorting across the two filaments. That's the sort of annoyance you're up against.
Regards
Iain
right iv cleaned and re attached the earth under the radiator, and the one in the drivers arch.....
the radiator one was particularly corroded!!
but its still doing the same....
its struggling to tick over, and the lights are glowing...
now when i switch the ignition on the fuel gague jumps to about half way n slowly starts dropping back, then a couple of seconds later there is another relay click n it jumps to 3/4 which is the correct amount....
wondering if it could be a relay at fault?
Thanks for the help guys
Jim
the radiator one was particularly corroded!!
but its still doing the same....
its struggling to tick over, and the lights are glowing...
now when i switch the ignition on the fuel gague jumps to about half way n slowly starts dropping back, then a couple of seconds later there is another relay click n it jumps to 3/4 which is the correct amount....
wondering if it could be a relay at fault?
Thanks for the help guys
Jim
Got this problem sorted..... (had to get an auto electrician though!!!)
Turns out it was the rear earth circuit..... it was causing the lights to glow due to the earth feeding back through the lighting system.....
the engine was running bad due to the fuel pump not getting enough power (earth) especially when the brake was applied(brake lights taking power) and the lights on....
thanks for your help guys....
Jim
Turns out it was the rear earth circuit..... it was causing the lights to glow due to the earth feeding back through the lighting system.....
the engine was running bad due to the fuel pump not getting enough power (earth) especially when the brake was applied(brake lights taking power) and the lights on....
thanks for your help guys....
Jim
Its one of the problems of Fibreglass cars, you can't just earth to the body.i dont think so, he traced the earth wire all the way down past the passenger seat to the main loom at the front..... and it turned out it all went behind the dash.... not in a position to remove the dash atm, he spliced a new earth in and when the dash comes out over winter to be re covered i will investigate further then.....but as he is an auto electrician i took his advice thats its not a bodge job due to the nature of the car simply adding another earth is ok....
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