Rebuild Setback.....

[Guest RoborRoss]

....and it all seemed to be going so well.

 

Refitted the nosecone & new front indicators, tested and all ok.

 

Refitted the rear light clusters, indacators were so dim that they are hardly visible. Went to test the side-lights, which results in the indicators, sidelights and indicator sounder all on continuously.

 

Now, admittedly, I've had the dash out as part of the rebuild, but I 'thought' I'd been absolutely meticulous when it came to refitting.

 

Is this going to be a REAL pain to work out? I've checked over my work so far and cant see anything amiss. Where to start?

 

Ta

Rob

[Guest Chris Russ]

Sounds very much like earthing problems.......suggest you run independent earths' to the light units?!

[Guest RoborRoss]

Odd thing is I've not touched the loom. Just reconnecting everything back up.

[Guest MarkB]

You will have a few earths going to the dash panel, make sure they are secure and in the right spot, take a bit of time when looking at the dash warning lights if they are separates as some borrow earths from others some need their own individual earths

[Guest RoborRoss]

I've had a thought based on the comments.

 

The reason I took the dash out was to vinyl wrap it with carbon effect film. I wonder if I've managed to completely isolate the dash panel from earth (it was constucted from 4mm aluminium). I cant see how I can have done unless by a complete fluke!

 

I'll try running an earth to the panel, or it could also be that some of the switchgear is now isolated from earth.

 

Out with the meter! (an probably the seat so I can get behind the dash again!)

 

Ta

Rob

[Guest RoborRoss]

Oh well, that would have been too easy. Perfect earth continuity between the dash and the chassis. perfect continuity between all the switch bezels too.

 

Guess I need to have a look behind the dash and see if something came loose while refitting.

[biksz]

i had same problem it was a earth wire i found a number of earth wires and just cleaned them all and everything started working

[Guest RoborRoss]

Hi Rob,

 

There are four wires each side going to the rear clusers. One earth (good continuity), one indicator, one sidelight, and one for the indicator.

 

Now, a stupid question:

 

I only connected up the passenger side and then I was going to move onto the drivers side. Does EVERYTHING need to be connected up on both sides before it will work as expected? I thought I'd connect up one at a atime and test as I was going along. I assumed (possibly wrongly) that I could connect up and prove at each stage the following:

 

Front passenger indicator (tested and worked)

Front Drivers indicator (tested and worked)

Rear passenger indicator (tested, and VERY dim)

 

At this point I thought something was not right, so I flicked the side lights on and thats when all hell broke loose!

 

I kinda assumed I could work that way as its only the same as a bulb not being present.

 

 

Perhaps I should just connect it all up and see what happens? And sort out the wiring order after?

 

Yep, the wire colours on the cluster leads are different from the loom connectors. I did't bother writing down the colour codes as I assumed I could work in the way described to reconnect everything back up.

 

At least the engine isn't running backwards!

[Longboarder]

It will be earths to the rear light clusters. As the indicator bulb, stop and rear light all use a common earth in the cluster, ie they are all joined together after their supplies have run through their bulbs. If the earth is poor the lectric, bereft of anywhere else to go runs back through the other bulbs to find a route back to the battery, probably through the other rear cluster earth or even the front sidelights, indicators or wherever. Add a good earth to each rear cluster to the chassis. Your problem will be solved.

 

Nigel

[Guest RoborRoss]

Sorted! And you were all correct: earth problem.

 

Thanks to Dan and his special tool :-) (http://www.rhocar.or...showtopic=35924)

 

Makes sense to me now: it looks like when I was looking for the earth on the loom and it toned out on the meter OK it was actually the sidelight +ve feed (which runs to eath through the other bulbs and hence why it toned out, i think - obvious once explained to me). So, the indicator was dim because it was in series with all sidelights, and when turning on the sidelights it was back feeding the indicator circuit.

 

Not long now until back on the road!

 

Hope for good weather this spring.