Interesting Fault Solved

[Guest Ant]

A couple of days ago I was working on my car and I heard the fuel pump kick in. I didn't really believe it at the time and couldn't get it to do it again no matter what I fiddled with. Anyhow a few days later it did it again.

This time I saw a glimse of the ignition light on the dash board coming on too, but it went out quite quickly. Still couldn't get it to do it again.

 

Anyhow, last night it did it for a third time, and this time, after much investigating, I could smell something smoldering under the steering column shroud. After much removing of bits anbd probing about, it turns out that one of the tracks inside the hazard light switch has come away from the circuit board and is randomly arcing against another wire in there. The net result is that the permanent 12v to the hazards was getting put onto the ignition feed to the indicators, hence everything on ignition 2 was going live, including the ECU, which was then turning the fuel pump on!

 

Good job it didn't get to ignition 3, else the car would have driven itself away!

 

The circuit board has rather a lot of carbon deposits on it and is beyond repair. I need to replace it, and in the mean time I still have hazard lights, but having removed the offending track from the switch I have no indicators. I'm getting quite good at arm signals though

 

I'm not quite sure what caused this fault, but I've often wondered what the effects of rain water getting into the column switches would be. The hazard light switch is the most vunerable being on the top of the column. I guess I know now! Just have to get my roof finished so it doesn't happen again

 

Good fault to discover 7 days before heading off to France. Just think what might happen if it had done it on the ferry :boohoo: :boohoo:

 

Ant

[Guest Guy]

Well done Ant! I presume it's easy to fix by just replacing the PCB?

[Guest Ant]

I just phoned Uncle Henry's for the price of a new switch. 51 quid, which already includes a discount of 2.5%. Sheesh! I can see a morning at the scrappy planned for tomorrow.

 

Ant

[Guest Ant]

I popped out yesterday lunch time and by the time I drove home last night I had working indicators again £5 for a full set of stalks from a scrappy in Dunkirk in Nottingham. The car I got them from was a J reg and had a height adjustable steering column. The switches are identical in fitting, but the stalks have a kink in them part way along. Seeing how I was only swapping one I didn't want this really, and I wanted to see the condition inside it before fitting it too. I ended up using the original body and arm but with the circuit board and top case from the replacement. Cleaned it all out and packed it with silicone grease so it shouldn't do the same again if it gets wet! Hopefully my car won't power itself up any more unless I use the ignition switch

 

Been quite a busy week on the car really. Hood frame made and fitted, boot rack made, lockwired in the front ball joints, drilled two broken bolts out of the alternator bracket mounting, and replaced the indicator stalks.

 

Ant

[Guest chris brown]

Been quite a busy week on the car really.

Any body would think you were getting ready to go somewhere Well done glad to hear all is well again