Yellow Connector???
Discussion
I stripped out the dash on my S2 over Xmas and the car developed an interesting (annoying) new set of faults.
When I operate the left hand indicator or the hazard lights then the panel gauges pulse upwards in time with the indicator and all of the warning lights also pulse. If the lights are on at the time then these also pulse.
None of the wiper switch positions work and when they are turned to any 'on' position then all of the gauges flick through to full deflection and stay there.
The dip beam headlights do not work, main beam is fine.
After leaving the car for a day I went out to fix it and everything was back to normal before I did anything. But after finishing the dash refit it went wonky again.
Presumably it's a loose earth connection somewhere which is being made and broken when the dash is moved around? Looking at the famous Yellow Connector it could be that the column shroud is pressing against it and making/breaking the connection?
Has anyone else had similar symptoms and could it be caused by the Yellow Connector? What does this connect anyway so that I can try to look through the wiring diagram in the bible?
I'm going to look at it again when it isn't -3 degrees on my drive or 6 inches deep in snow and it would be good to get some ideas to work my way through.
Bob
When I operate the left hand indicator or the hazard lights then the panel gauges pulse upwards in time with the indicator and all of the warning lights also pulse. If the lights are on at the time then these also pulse.
None of the wiper switch positions work and when they are turned to any 'on' position then all of the gauges flick through to full deflection and stay there.
The dip beam headlights do not work, main beam is fine.
After leaving the car for a day I went out to fix it and everything was back to normal before I did anything. But after finishing the dash refit it went wonky again.
Presumably it's a loose earth connection somewhere which is being made and broken when the dash is moved around? Looking at the famous Yellow Connector it could be that the column shroud is pressing against it and making/breaking the connection?
Has anyone else had similar symptoms and could it be caused by the Yellow Connector? What does this connect anyway so that I can try to look through the wiring diagram in the bible?
I'm going to look at it again when it isn't -3 degrees on my drive or 6 inches deep in snow and it would be good to get some ideas to work my way through.
Bob
The famous yellow connector connects the ignition switch to the rest of the loom. It has 3 wires for "aux", "ignition" and "start" - it's usually the "ignition" terminal that burns out
Have to say though that while it could be the yellow connector, your symptoms point more towards a bad earth, either at the dash or between the battery and the chassis. You'll know what wires you've disturbed. One important earth point is on the inside end of the angled chassis rail right behind the nearside wheel - a poor earth there can give you all sorts of problems.
Have to say though that while it could be the yellow connector, your symptoms point more towards a bad earth, either at the dash or between the battery and the chassis. You'll know what wires you've disturbed. One important earth point is on the inside end of the angled chassis rail right behind the nearside wheel - a poor earth there can give you all sorts of problems.
Thanks for your replies.
Kevin. I'm going to replace the Yellow Connector with straight couplers when I can get back in the car. Even if this isn't the fault then it will probably prevent others in the future.
TVRGIT. Interesting, when I first had the problems an auto electrician mate of mine suggested a bad earth. So I ran a new earth lead from the chassis earth you mention to the engine side of the bulkhead onto the M6 hinge bolt for the trim panel under the fuse box. This bolt then became an earth 'stud' on the inside of the bulkhead. This gave me a new earth point for the heater fan.
The chassis earth point was a bit dry and slightly rusty so I cleaned it all up with wire wool before I reassembled it. The fan now has an excellent earth, so it seems as if it has a good continuity? After this re-earthing the problem cleared up, only to return later.
However there's no harm in revisiting the chassis earth point again as it's still as likely as anything else.
I'll post back when I've found the fault and fixed it (I always was an optimist).
Bob
Kevin. I'm going to replace the Yellow Connector with straight couplers when I can get back in the car. Even if this isn't the fault then it will probably prevent others in the future.
TVRGIT. Interesting, when I first had the problems an auto electrician mate of mine suggested a bad earth. So I ran a new earth lead from the chassis earth you mention to the engine side of the bulkhead onto the M6 hinge bolt for the trim panel under the fuse box. This bolt then became an earth 'stud' on the inside of the bulkhead. This gave me a new earth point for the heater fan.
The chassis earth point was a bit dry and slightly rusty so I cleaned it all up with wire wool before I reassembled it. The fan now has an excellent earth, so it seems as if it has a good continuity? After this re-earthing the problem cleared up, only to return later.
However there's no harm in revisiting the chassis earth point again as it's still as likely as anything else.
I'll post back when I've found the fault and fixed it (I always was an optimist).
Bob
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