Electrical Problem

[nitronig]

hi everyone and a merry christmas

I started my car at the weekend after a couple of months sat in the garage.
a couple of problems appeared as i tried a few things.
the indicators have stopped working but the light comes on on the dashboard.
next the wipers do not work on normal speed but work on fast speed .if you can call it fast
has anyone got any idea whats wrong so i can get some parts over xmas and fix it

thanks in advance nigel

[garrythefox]

Hi and merry christmas to all

I had a similar problem with my rear indicators. I found the problem was the earthing.

I just had to bend the earthing prongs to cure the fault.

It may be this simple.

Garry

[V Mad]

Your indicator flasher has probably packed up.

The wiper problem is probably a dodgy switch or connector; try unplugging then plugging in the motor plug, if thats no good have a look at the stalk switch & related connectors.

[Motorcycle mad]

Personally I would keep your approach to your problem simple, or you could open a whole new can of worms, you say/I assume that prior to the lay-up everything was working correctly (apart from the wipers going slow), so I would think your problems are linked to poor connections and the most likely cause for this is the fuse box. I would suggest that you remove all the fuses and thoroughly clean the and polish the fuse blade connectors and the fuses with emery cloth, hopefully this will get the flashers and wipers going again, what happens is that a circuit fails, and you then get a feedback through other circuits which causes funny things to happen, you then start reading deeper into a problem than you need.
Flasher lamp bulb holders can also suffer with poor connections and bad earth, so again clean connections and bulbs, also try a temporary earth wire from bulb holder to known good earth point.
If the wipers were going slow before the lay-up, again a voltage drop in the wiring is the first thing I would suspect, to locate this fault can prove difficult and you may have to compromise on this. All the wiring connections associated with the wiper circuit need cleaning and checking and there are many of them, under the dash, and hidden in some obscure places these in turn could lead to other circuits then being checked, and don’t forget the earth connection on the wiper circuit.
Have fun
Ken

[pcoleman]

just an odd one for the wipers, mine didn't work well when I had the car and the worm drive gear was full of solid congealed grease, a symptom of a dry use only car I suspect.

peter.c

[nitronig]

thanks for your replies . it gives me an idea of where and what to look for over christmas while i am off work

[V Mad]

In my expereince connectors are a common cause for electrical problems. Any areas where damp has got in, and remained for a period of time is a big risk. On my project car some of the multiway connectors were badly furred up inside and this caused failure of some circuits. This is especially common with connectors under the carpet. To make sure all is well, just pull out the plugs and clean up any that are suspect. .

To clean up I use a Dremel; a wire brush for the male contacts, and for the femail contacts some wire wool wrapped around a small drill. Clean them until they are shiny.

[jleyton]

To clean up I use a Dremel; a wire brush for the male contacts, and for the femail contacts some wire wool wrapped around a small drill. Clean them until they are shiny.

And would you then recommend using some electrical lubricant to try and prevent a re-occurrence, Chris ?

Cheers

Julian

[V Mad]

I usually only use contact cleaner to clean components that I cannot open, but I cant see any reason why not Julian, its probably a good idea as it might help shift any remaining residue.

[jleyton]

This is the stuff I've used in the past and seems ok : http://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/product/827

Cheers

Julian

[72BLUE]

And would you then recommend using some electrical lubricant to try and prevent a re-occurrence, Chris? Cheers Julian

I think Julian means something like Contralube 770 http://www.maplin.co.uk/contralube-7...bricant-346030

I applied a thin coat of this with a small artist brush to the spades and multi-block pin connectors. It is the opposite of vaseline in that 770 is a good conductor, while vaseline is not, but both keep the moisture and verdigris away.

Keith

[72BLUE]

This is the stuff I've used in the past and seems ok : http://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/product/827

Cheers

Julian

Ha ha! must type faster..................

[V Mad]

I think Julian means something like Contralube 770 http://www.maplin.co.uk/contralube-7...bricant-346030

............ It is the opposite of vaseline in that 770 is a good conductor..........

Keith

I have never considered using anything like this before. If as you say it is a good conductor then it appears that there is the potential for any excess of this product to cause bridging between circuits. Perhaps it is not actually conductiing?

[dasadrew]

Stabilant 22 is the big daddy of contact enhancers:

http://www.amazon.com/Stabilant-5ml-Kit-Makes-30ml/dp/B001E50GQS

[72BLUE]

If as you say it is a good conductor then it appears that there is the potential for any excess of this product to cause bridging between circuits

Thats why I applied a thin coat with a small artists type brush.

Re vaseline, after I had renewed the bullets and connectors for the lights down by the front valance, I thought a good use of it was to fill the voids at either end of the connectors. Cheaper than the 770.

Cheers
Keith