Steering wheel/Ribbon cable/windscreen wipers woes

Steering wheel/Ribbon cable/windscreen wipers woes

Author
Discussion

Byff

Original Poster:

4,427 posts

260 months

Wednesday 13th May 2015
quotequote all
After managing with only a wash/wipe button for a while, figured I'd take a look at why the wiper button wasn't working.

Guessing it'll be the steering wheel ribbon cable, pulled the steering wheel off to get a better look.

Checked everything out and the ribbon was actually ok, buttons ok, traced further back and found the short 10way ribbon that links the indicator board and the steering ECU is buggered on pin1.

I've rewound the snake, got everything back in place but when I tighten the 17mm bolt, at the half way point (and it's not tight at all) my hazard indicators come on. Surely this bolt just goes down the center of the coloumn, there can't be any wires to nip in there?

Backs killing me from being upside down so I'm taking a breather.


dswiscrazy

278 posts

141 months

Wednesday 13th May 2015
quotequote all
If memory serves me correctly
The indicator stalk has a separate connection
And can be easily damaged while laying on your back

Byff

Original Poster:

4,427 posts

260 months

Friday 15th May 2015
quotequote all
Had to disconnect the battery, tighten the bolt then reconnect the battery. All is working well again but I need to change the small nuts and bolts that hold the indicator PCB board in place which will be a job to do once my back has recovered. Can't bloody walk straight at the moment, the car has crippled me.

Edit to add:

Can walk upright again - phew!

Someone might need to tell TVRGlen that when you can buy a ribbon cable brand new from Powers for £10+delivery, he's not going to sell many second hand ones at £20. Having said that, £40 for a steering wheel ribbon is actually quite reasonable.



Edited by Byff on Saturday 16th May 15:33

Byff

Original Poster:

4,427 posts

260 months

Wednesday 20th May 2015
quotequote all
Major happy feelings, changed the smaller ribbon cable today after Powers posted one out to me extremely quickly and I now have working windscreen wipers thumbup

so called

9,074 posts

208 months

Tuesday 13th February 2018
quotequote all
Byff said:
Major happy feelings, changed the smaller ribbon cable today after Powers posted one out to me extremely quickly and I now have working windscreen wipers thumbup
Does anyone know where I can get the ribbon cable from?
Power don't have them now and my wipers have been out of order for 5 months now. frown
Cheers,
Tony.

TwinKam

2,937 posts

94 months

Tuesday 13th February 2018
quotequote all
so called said:
Byff said:
Major happy feelings, changed the smaller ribbon cable today after Powers posted one out to me extremely quickly and I now have working windscreen wipers thumbup
Does anyone know where I can get the ribbon cable from?
Power don't have them now and my wipers have been out of order for 5 months now. frown
Cheers,
Tony.
Have you tried TVR Parts Ltd? They do quite a few.

so called

9,074 posts

208 months

Tuesday 13th February 2018
quotequote all
TwinKam said:
so called said:
Byff said:
Major happy feelings, changed the smaller ribbon cable today after Powers posted one out to me extremely quickly and I now have working windscreen wipers thumbup
Does anyone know where I can get the ribbon cable from?
Power don't have them now and my wipers have been out of order for 5 months now. frown
Cheers,
Tony.
Have you tried TVR Parts Ltd? They do quite a few.
I had heard that they don't have any???
But thanks very much, I'm going to give them a call.

Juddder

835 posts

183 months

Tuesday 13th February 2018
quotequote all
TwinKam said:
They do quite a few.
https://tvr-parts.com/tvr-parts/part-details/tvr-m... £50 now

mk1fan

10,507 posts

224 months

Tuesday 13th February 2018
quotequote all
Python Racing?

so called

9,074 posts

208 months

Tuesday 13th February 2018
quotequote all
Thanks chaps, I'll give them a call at lunchtime. smile

so called

9,074 posts

208 months

Tuesday 13th February 2018
quotequote all
Non in stock at TVR-Parts. frown

Byker28i

58,826 posts

216 months

Tuesday 13th February 2018
quotequote all
Anyone know what the connectors are. I think the ribbon is Molex Premo-Flex like:
https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/products/7608796/?g...

Anything written on the connector?

Edited by Byker28i on Tuesday 13th February 13:31

so called

9,074 posts

208 months

Tuesday 13th February 2018
quotequote all
Byker28i said:
Anyone know what the connectors are. I think the ribbon is Molex Premo-Flex like:
https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/products/7608796/?g...

Anything written on the connector?

Edited by Byker28i on Tuesday 13th February 13:31
Cables still on the car but I searched through the RS catalogue for the connectors, without look, based on it being similar to a 5 way I was looking at. frown
I'll call the garage and check if its off yet.

Edited by so called on Tuesday 13th February 14:51

Byker28i

58,826 posts

216 months

Wednesday 14th February 2018
quotequote all
They'll be bought in from somewhere, standard part? I doubt they'd be specially made.

mk1fan

10,507 posts

224 months

Wednesday 14th February 2018
quotequote all
Python Racing.

Maplin.

Ebay.

It's a printer ribbon.

ukkid35

6,138 posts

172 months

Wednesday 14th February 2018
quotequote all
Only half the cable is actually connected (iirc 5 out of 10)

I have jumpered pairs of the connector pins at both ends so that each is now doubled up

All my wiper/horn/highbeam issues have been fine ever since

so called

9,074 posts

208 months

Wednesday 14th February 2018
quotequote all
ukkid35 said:
Only half the cable is actually connected (iirc 5 out of 10)

I have jumpered pairs of the connector pins at both ends so that each is now doubled up

All my wiper/horn/highbeam issues have been fine ever since
I think I'm wasting my time searching until the cables off and I can see these details.
TVR-Parts have a photo and TVR Part number but no further information and non in stock.


Thanks for all the pointers.
If/when I get somewhere, I'll update the thread.

Tony.

ukkid35

6,138 posts

172 months

Wednesday 14th February 2018
quotequote all
I wonder whether it would be possible to adapt something like this

CSI Flat Ribbon FFC Cable Line Wire Cord For the Raspberry Pi Camera 200cm - £1.79

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/142460075063


so called

9,074 posts

208 months

Wednesday 14th February 2018
quotequote all
ukkid35 said:
I wonder whether it would be possible to adapt something like this

CSI Flat Ribbon FFC Cable Line Wire Cord For the Raspberry Pi Camera 200cm - £1.79

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/142460075063
I'm going to spend a bit of time on this and see what can be done.

Juddder

835 posts

183 months

Thursday 15th February 2018
quotequote all
ukkid35 said:
I wonder whether it would be possible to adapt something like this

CSI Flat Ribbon FFC Cable Line Wire Cord For the Raspberry Pi Camera 200cm - £1.79

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/142460075063
Good idea

I think you'd need the 1mm spacing rather than the 0.5 as per this item

Back when I was replacing the steering wheel on mine I spoke to the company who made the machinery that press these cables and it was expensive to get a replacement made because I couldn't seem to find any flat cable headers that allowed socketed pins to be connected to the flat cable

If we can find a way of adding these to the end of those cables then job done...