Crazy electrics!

[Chromoflaire]

Hi there,

Here's my story.

Car passed its MOT last Friday!

All lights and electrics were functioning perfectly.

My good lady commented on the rear number plate illumination having the same lumens as an Ikea tealight.

Flushed with the success of my Mot Pass, I thought I would Change the old filament lamps to new LED jobs & Foil tape the recess for better reflection.

Did that......

Now I have the following phenomenon.

When I Put my lights on:-
1. the wind screen wiper operates
2. The front lights do not light up but the front indicators do.
3. When I operate the front indicators, the side lights flash like indicators, but the indicators do not.

I thought that there mus be some weird back feed issue, so removed the LED number plate lights & reverted back to the original filament ones.

Same Fault.

Can anyone of you decent individuals point me in any direction.

Cheers

[ukdj]

I'd check the main loom earth in the engine bay.

it's located at the front end of the lower chassis rail, hidden under the radiator bottom hose.

[Chromoflaire]

Cheers,
I will have to get some bungs for the rad pipework.
What a spot for the earth point?!?

[Hedgehopper]

I agree that this does appear to be an earth problem.
On a Griff you can access this bolt from in front of the radiator once you have removed the wire mesh. With any luck your Chim might be the same.



However I would have thought that the fault would lie in the area that you have been working on, i.e the number plate bulbs and holders. Can you run a temporary earth to these holders to see if the fault can be eliminated?

[phillpot]

I'd start with a good look around the area you've been working in (the boot) for any connections you may have disturbed?

No idea how an issue there would feed back to the wipers but it is a TVR !

[WokingWedger]

Something to do with the foil you used, making a circuit somehow ?

[Chromoflaire]

Hi Wedger
I thought that and stripped the foil out.
No difference
:-(

[Chromoflaire]

Thanks for the pointers lads.
Have you experienced this fault before Paul?
Cheers

[WOO5IE]

Do a search on Chim Earthing points on here and there are quite a few posts with earth locations .

The rear loom is earthed from a point under the petrol tank

[ukdj]

Chromoflaire said:

Thanks for the pointers lads.
Have you experienced this fault before Paul?
Cheers

Yes almost identical symptoms, which i tracked back to the main loom earth as mentioned.

[Chromoflaire]

Just to close this thread out whilst enjoying my Snow Day!
Thanks for the replies, especially UKdj....
You were spot on! Give that man a cuddly toy.
The front chassis earth point hidden below the rad hose was humped.
The bolt was nothing but a rusty nub.
Of course it sheared, even after 1 weeks worth of plus gas and a generous belt with a blow torch.

Cue 1 day of drilling out the bolt, retapping the hole threads, separating all of the 18 earths and stripping back to good copper.
A visit to the 12volt Planet website for a heavy duty crimping tool and some mighty large copper ring crimps(I'm sure that this will continue to prove usefull)
Remade the end, slathered the new bolt with copperslip and BINGO. Perfectly behaved lights, indicators, fans, horn, windscreen wipers, etc etc etc...

Pig of a job but a real result.

What a great community.

12volt Planet, good website.

Thanks all.

G