One Hell of A Doosie!

[gromet88 3,042]

Ok so i've been slowly thinking, i better start chipping away at some of the long long *deep breath* long list of projects, and with Oakbank (South Aussies will know) coming up, i need a different car to take, so long story short, i thought i would get the DC on the road. Some people may remember i mentioned about the SmartLock f'ing up on it for some reason. Long story short, it wouldn't start, it would only Flash the SL light and that was it. Tried numerous modules, no avail. I bought a SmartLock over-ride computer for it. Wired it in and now it starts like it should. But now (I never checked when i drove it last) i have no Low Beam lights. I have high beam and parks but no Low Beam. Now i know what everyone is thinking, Relay? Well it doesn't stop there. I at the moment, don't have interior lights, the dash works, but no backing lights and the stereo only works when you turn the lights on! But if you open the door, the dash back lights work if you turn the headlights on and eventually, the dash park lights flick on then off again. All the gauges work on the dash, incl clock and air con but no backing lights as above. Stereo is getting ign power but no constant 12V through yellow wire, unless you turn the headlights on, then it flickers on and off (on a volt meter, it jumps up and down, 12.6 then down to 8 then 12.6 etc etc. Then if you turn the car off and leave the lights on, it wont beep unless you open the door, then it beeps to tell you that you left the lights on and the oil light dimmly lights up on the dash. Either way, door open or closed i still have no interior lights.

 

 

SO, urrr, HELP? Im thinking earth problem somewhere, something related to headlights and or door switches. All fuses in box (next to steering wheel) are fine. Dont want to take it to an auto elec where i get bent over and a hidden sausage. Maybe someone has encountered a similar problem?

[wagoon 2,429]

Where did you get power for the over ride? Was everything working before you put in the over ride?

[hendrixhc 10,920]

Sounds like theres a short somewhere!

 

 

 

( Sorry i always wanted to say that to someone cause i get it said to me nearly everyday!) Never is a bloody short though.

[gromet88 3,042]

Where did you get power for the over ride? Was everything working before you put in the over ride?

 

the manual that came with it said at the computer, so thats where it was installed. never drove it at night so dont know about the low beams, interior light didnt work, neither did the aircon or clock. since putting over ride in, now the air con does and the clock does but not sure about the rest as it didnt come with a stereo. Indicators work, tailights and front parks work when turn lights switch on.

 

Sounds like theres a short somewhere!

 

 

 

( Sorry i always wanted to say that to someone cause i get it said to me nearly everyday!) Never is a bloody short though.

 

well thats the million dollar question, where!?!?!

[Gaz 1,085]

You already mentioned earth and you will hear it more than once, but check your earths lol.

Seriously, I've found the biggest problems with these old  bangers is the battery leads and the myriad of earth leads that come off the battery. Especially when people change the battery to a different type of post and have to add a thousand crimp terminals. 

Your symptoms sound like an earthing problem because your poor earth on a particular circuit, is only completing the circuit through a completely different cicuit.

[gerg 10,871]

A mate had himself chasing his tail with an EB XR8 cutting out intermittently. Turned out it was an earth screw terminal next to the ECU that was a bit corroded.<br /><br />I had an EF that cranked but had no injector pulse. Turns out it was the back of the fuse panel being a bit corroded. Sparky gave it a bit of a jiggle and a spray and it came good.

[bear351c 10,270]

Could it be that you have used 'Accesories' power, not ignition power cable?

[bear351c 10,270]

Doppelganger

[gromet88 3,042]

****UPDATE****

 

 

 

Ok first things first, i changed the low beam relay, solved the low beam issue.

 

 

 

BUT no movement on the rest but i did remember about the SmartLock problem solve, which one person said about side blinkers. Nope, not working. So in my wisdom, i finally found my Gregorys book and found about the CRT LP fuse. I honestly thought i checked all the fuses but i must not have. It was blown, but trying to put another one in, it either melts or just blows. So i guess i've nailed it down to that circuit. Next, where to start or is there a normal spot these go??

[hendrixhc 10,920]

Sounds like a short!

[gromet88 3,042]

It does. Does anyone know whats on the curcuit? (Obviously Courtesy Lamps). Is there anything else?

[gerg 10,871]

It's a constant supply (not through acc or ign) so maybe things like radio memory tee off? Normally the courtesy lamp itself gets constant power and the door switches earth it out. Try the wiring from the fuse to the light. Could be a screw or something through it up inside the a-pillar. Has someone taken power for something else like a hands-free kit off it? We used to get shit like that all the time with what contractors had done to our fleet vehicles, like scotch-locks and twist-and tape jobs.

[gromet88 3,042]

good one, will check

[revhead 1,392]

pull the top scuttle panel off the dash to see if the main earth wire for the dash is in tact its on the drivers side and has a green coloured bolt init ,check this 1st

[bear351c 10,270]

...................... like scotch-locks and twist-and tape jobs.

 

Scotch-locks......Bah ha ha ha,...haven't seen them for ages.!!!

[gerg 10,871]

Even satan himself runs a mile from them

[gromet88 3,042]

Well its become a hell of a doosie indeed. got told to change the smartlock computer, that didnt change a thing, its still blowing the same fuse. So im changing the door switches tomorrow to see if that solves anything. I connected the meter to the fuse outlet, and i was getting 13volt coming through the CRT LP cradle so i would think its not earthing or something somewhere, so next in the line up is the door locks because things change when you open and close the drivers door.

[Gaz 1,085]

Then its deteriorated or exposed wiring through the door jamb or inside the door. Won't be the switches.

[gromet88 3,042]

thats why i think its door switches, because when i open the drivers door, the dash lights up

[Gaz 1,085]

Oh, I get it. Open OR closed. Thought you meant swinging it. 

[Outback Jack 6,352]

This will be why you couldn't get it to work before you over rid the smartlock.... There was always a short on the cuircut, which either blew it, or stopped it from working.

The interior light and door switches (courtesy light) is an integral part of the smartlock system. When you bypassed the smartlock, you unlocked the motor for starting , but you didn't solve the wiring problem.

+1 for a short.

 

Jack.

[Valvebouncer 2,389]

Yep sounds like a short. Strange what you say about the radio though. When people put an after market stezza in they some time mistake the illumination power wire for an earth, sounds strange I know but it is common!

Just recheck it is still earth with lights on and off or better still up your own power and earth wires.

Other than that your smart lock bypass module could be causing it. It hooks into the door light switches, interior light and stereo.

[gromet88 3,042]

Well ive been picking and poking at it, still not solved it. Now ive got it somewhat nailed down to somewhat the lights circuit (i think). The park lights stay on on the dash (not the rest of the car), but go off when you turn the headlight switch on (either park or lights), they go off but the park lights come on the car. Strange i know. so it seems theres something running backwards somewhere.

 

 

Ive tried changing the headlight switch, dash cluster, unplugging the headlights, still, no change.

 

 

 

argh!

 

(if it didnt run so well, do some nice (Nova's expression) skids and sound so damn nice, it'd prob be off to china by this point!)

[bear351c 10,270]

Remove the light switch all together, and run some Missile switches on the dash............

[bear351c 10,270]

Had electrical gremlins in my FC for a long time. Checked everything twice. Turned out to be the loom, where it runs over the rear wheel arch, under the back seat. Wore through the cable (so small, I couldn't see it) Not saying this is your problem.

 

Shit of a job running a whole new wiring loom. If you have one.....