New S2 Owner - Electrics nightmare
Discussion
Recently purchased a red '89 S2 - love it, but.... Noticed after a couple of trips out that headlights were coming on when brake pedal was depressed ! Had a fiddle behind the dash and now get headlights flashing when indicators are on !! More behind dash fiddling can make just about any electrical circuit interact with any other.
Save me completely dismantling the dash assembly, has anybody experienced similar problems or any suggestions where to start looking ??
Save me completely dismantling the dash assembly, has anybody experienced similar problems or any suggestions where to start looking ??
earthing point are notorious for giving electrical problems ,so always a good place to start ,
one earth on nearside front chassis bar,also on on nearside rear above petrol tank
another thing it may be is the brake light sensor on the brake pedal may have fused ,
also fron connectors for lights/indicators tend to get waterlogged
>> Edited by spivvy on Wednesday 2nd June 08:38
one earth on nearside front chassis bar,also on on nearside rear above petrol tank
another thing it may be is the brake light sensor on the brake pedal may have fused ,
also fron connectors for lights/indicators tend to get waterlogged
>> Edited by spivvy on Wednesday 2nd June 08:38
The chock block connector under the steering column can be a nightmare. Mine started smoking as it was catching fire and then melted the block causing all electrics to fail at 75mph on a pitch black country lane 
See if the electrics go haywire when you play around with the connectors under the steering column. You should be able to reach around the leather "underbody" of the column but if not its easy enough to unscrew it.
See if the electrics go haywire when you play around with the connectors under the steering column. You should be able to reach around the leather "underbody" of the column but if not its easy enough to unscrew it.
Thanks for the suggestions guys.
Don't think waterlogging is the current problem - she's been garaged and everything is bone dry.
Terminal block beneath dash seems a distinct possibility - fiddling about behind the steering column has the electrics going haywire. Looks like I may have to remove the dash.
Being a TVR 'virgin' (this is my first), what's the bible ??
Don't think waterlogging is the current problem - she's been garaged and everything is bone dry.
Terminal block beneath dash seems a distinct possibility - fiddling about behind the steering column has the electrics going haywire. Looks like I may have to remove the dash.
Being a TVR 'virgin' (this is my first), what's the bible ??
SOTONS2 said:
Looks like I may have to remove the dash.
DON'T
SOTONS2 said:
Being a TVR 'virgin' (this is my first), what's the bible ??
Steve Heaths Service manual...
www.tvrbooks.co.uk/
Buy from The TVRCC.
>> Edited by bridgdav on Wednesday 2nd June 09:46
SOTONS2 said:
Netley Abbey, near Hamble.
aha. used to live in Waterside park in between weston and woolston so know netley well. Now in Hedge End. Former S owner...
If you fancy coming along to a TVRCC blast keep an eye on the events section on Pistonheads and also TVR general sometimes. First Thursday of the month if you bowl up to Bishops Waltham square around 7 ish you'll usually find a selection of TVRs ready to rumble up the A32 and A31 to the Hen and Chicken for a pint.
Hi
Easier to drop the steering column to gain access than removing the dash.
Remove the steering cowls by undoing the screws (usually one in the top half and two in the bottom half). Then look down the steering column and you'll see two 17mm bolts that hold the column to the chassis rail behind the dash. Undo those and then the steering column will be able to drop down and rest on the seat. Be careful as it comes down that the cables to the steering column don't get strained
The cables are conected to the steering column switches via block connectors that are held in by clips on the side. Good idea to label which side they came from before you remove them
Expect to find several cable ties holding stuff together, you may want to cut them out whilst you sort things out and then replace them later.
That should then allow you to see what is going on and change any dodgy connectors you may have.
Refitting in the immortal words of Haynes is a reversal of removal!
Colin
Easier to drop the steering column to gain access than removing the dash.
Remove the steering cowls by undoing the screws (usually one in the top half and two in the bottom half). Then look down the steering column and you'll see two 17mm bolts that hold the column to the chassis rail behind the dash. Undo those and then the steering column will be able to drop down and rest on the seat. Be careful as it comes down that the cables to the steering column don't get strained
The cables are conected to the steering column switches via block connectors that are held in by clips on the side. Good idea to label which side they came from before you remove them
Expect to find several cable ties holding stuff together, you may want to cut them out whilst you sort things out and then replace them later. That should then allow you to see what is going on and change any dodgy connectors you may have.
Refitting in the immortal words of Haynes is a reversal of removal!
Colin
SOTONS2 said:
Which side of Waterside Park ? I bought one of the new Redrow Homes in Rothschild about 6 years ago.
Don't recall seeing (or hearing !) an S when I lived there. I do remember a light blue one that used to park along Netley foreshore though. Was that you ?
I was in the woolston side. Dundonald Close, 1st road on the right after the sailing club. Loved the place and the views were stunning. I was about 30 yards from the waterfront and overlooking the QE2 berth there. Watched Kingfisher sail into Ocean Village etc and was superb as a batchelor pad near the middle of town with the views
Moved in around 2000 My S was dark grey - here is a pic in Dundonald..
just around teh corner was a red S that was owned by a fellow PHer. He swapped it for a dark green Griff whilst I still lived there and I know he is in the throws of moving at the moment. IIRC he was in Waldergrave Close but basically it was the right hand turn from my direction at the roundabout. Lovely Griff it 'twas
I sold teh S and bought a Chimaera after I moved to Hedge End which was this time last year. For a pic click on my profile.
small world eh
SOTONS2 said:
How does the Chim compare to the S ?
no, in all seriousness its a more rounded car. The S is so basic but a great car in a different way. The chim can justify a £30k+ pricetag as new, whereas you can see why the S was £12k - £15k. Having said that, the fun factor is only marginally different and the steering feedback on the chim isn't actually as good as the S. I felt the predictability on the S was to the extent I knew when the back would step out, I dont feel so sure of the Chim, although I am swapping the shocks for uprated ones to see if I can sort out the handling a bit. Having said all that I did a silly thing and looked at a 4.5 cerbera on saturday...
Oh, and another thing about the Chim, its harder to have so much fun at anything like legal speeds. To push the car means potential licence losing. The other side of that coin is that in the S you can struggle against a modern hot hatch and thats not something thats an issue any more.
Note what you say about the S struggling against modern buzz boxes - the wife has a TDi 130 Golf which would give the S a run for its money, particularly around the bendy bits.
Blasting around wasn't really why I bought the car. I cut my teeth on Mk1 Escort Mexicos and RS2000s before moving on to a Mk111 RS1600!. I was a bit wild and was lucky to escape with an unblemished licence by the end of the 90s.
I had a couple of BMW M3s until company cars meant I could not justify keeping a £15k plus car as a weekend plaything. The Ms were great cars - heaps of torque and bags of grip.
No, the S was bought as a fairly cheap, fun car with character. A true 'something for the weekend, sir'. Whats more, the wife can drive the S whereas she couldn't reach the pedals in a TR4 I used to own.
Interesting though, since I've had the S I've had allsorts of other cars having a pop. Everything from a 4.2l TDi Audi to Max Powered Jap tin boxes to (ashamed though I am to admit) a couple of BMW M3s ! To date, I have not responded - guess I must be getting old !!
Looking forward to a run up the A32 - electrics permitting.
Blasting around wasn't really why I bought the car. I cut my teeth on Mk1 Escort Mexicos and RS2000s before moving on to a Mk111 RS1600!. I was a bit wild and was lucky to escape with an unblemished licence by the end of the 90s.
I had a couple of BMW M3s until company cars meant I could not justify keeping a £15k plus car as a weekend plaything. The Ms were great cars - heaps of torque and bags of grip.
No, the S was bought as a fairly cheap, fun car with character. A true 'something for the weekend, sir'. Whats more, the wife can drive the S whereas she couldn't reach the pedals in a TR4 I used to own.
Interesting though, since I've had the S I've had allsorts of other cars having a pop. Everything from a 4.2l TDi Audi to Max Powered Jap tin boxes to (ashamed though I am to admit) a couple of BMW M3s ! To date, I have not responded - guess I must be getting old !!
Looking forward to a run up the A32 - electrics permitting.
a perfect "something for the weekend" car I would say. The character of a classic but with fairly strong performance and a lovely engine note. I guess thats not a bad way to describe the difference between the chim and the S actually - the S drives like a fast classic car, the Chim drives like a fast modern car.
I am off to le mans shortly and then down to andorra etc for about 10 days but if you still have problems by the time I get back I dont mind popping over to give you a hand. As i said earlier, the connector melted on me in my old S3 and if its the same problem its not too hard to fix so you should be fine with a background in TR4's
I am off to le mans shortly and then down to andorra etc for about 10 days but if you still have problems by the time I get back I dont mind popping over to give you a hand. As i said earlier, the connector melted on me in my old S3 and if its the same problem its not too hard to fix so you should be fine with a background in TR4's
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