Electrics : Dashboard Stays Powered Up

[GarrySewell]

Hi All.

Never posted on here before - only on the owners website.

Hoping to get more responses from you guys.

Got a 94 Chimaera that has a mind of it's own.

After I hav removed the key from the ignition - the dashboard (warning lights , gauges etc.) stay powered up.

Only be removing the fuse for the wipers does the problem disappear.(The wipers even work, very slowly, with the ignition off!!)

Being a fibre-glass car, I am tending towards a dodgy earth somewhere.

Before I go looking for things and removing centre consoles and the like, has any body got any other bright ideas?

Many thanks for your help

Gazza.

[trefor]

Does sound like either an earthing problem or a problem with the ignition switch. If you do a search for earthing point I'm sure you will find the info for the 4 earthing points in the car. Steve Heath's bible 2nd edition has this info too. Hoepfully not too hard to fix!

Trefor/.

[mongoose]

also well worth checking your fuseboard and relays for shorting out.wished i had with my pevious chim after similar symptoms as you describe.fuseboard burnt out and caused mega damage.spcialist who repaired it said its 'not unknown'.

[ATG]

weird one. If it's a bad earth, begs the question what component is/should be live even with the ignition off and is earthing back through the windscreen wipers etc. ? If it was the alarm it would probably have gone mental by now.

[hut49]

Could it be the immobiliser light shorting on something?

[richard sails]

First try pulling out the fuses one by one to try to isolate the path that the power is taking and report back or plan 'B' as it could be one of many things, try nipping down the local autoelectricians around dinnertime and see if any of them are willing to take a quick look for cash!

[GarrySewell]

Thanks for your help sp far.

It's not the ignition switch - thought it was this at first - so removed it - with no effect!!


Removing the fuse for the wipers removes the fault - but these aren't powered when the iginition is off.

Seems like either a short (strange) or earth problem - a permanent 12V supply is connect to the same "dodgy" earth as the dash + wipers.

Could this be a possible cause.

Look forward to more help

Cheers

Garry.

[Ribol]

Has any electrical work been done to the car before this started even if not related to this fault? Is there an ignition relay that is sticking on? It may be worth pulling the wipers fuse out and checking if there is live on both sides of the contacts, that may point to something.

Ivan

[Roobarb]

Is the wiring loom for a Chimaera installed as one piece or is it 2 or 3 branches coupled together using sockets. In the motor trade it is common for these snap together male/female plastic connectors to ingress water and short out producing the sort of symptons you're describing. The very slow windscreen wipers definately sound like a short/weak current thing