Technical Clock resets sometimes, even when car is turned off?

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Technical Clock resets sometimes, even when car is turned off?

YoniNijs

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Hi folks,

My Stilo seems to be having it first hard winter, never had any troubles before.

My baby is from 2004, and has a mileage of about 150 000miles (Yeah,.. I know). I can't say anything bad about this car, never had any big problems, and I could always count on it. But lately everything is acting strange.

Probs started some months ago, when the dashboard said:
Bulb Failure, rear right.
So I checked the lights with a friend, doublechecked, triplechecked, but all my lights worked perfect. So I just ignored this warning, wich is pretty annoying( especially that beepbeepbeep :D). It doesn't go away.

Next, about 6 weeks ago, I get the following error when turning on contact:
Preheat failure
This message disappears on it's own, without my intervention, but shows up on every contact/engine start, to disappear after +-10sec.

Someone told me this could be the sparkplugs that are worn out.
My car will go to the garage soon for a full maintenance check, and a distribution belt change + waterpump, so I'm waiting for that.

Then, this monday, after a few frozing nights, (my baby sleeps outside)
I get into my car to get to school, turn on contact, and nothing happens with the dash, I can read Checking... but it seemed blocked at that point.
The dash didn't light up or anything, but everything worked fine.
Well, beside the whole dash. Speedometer and all that stuff didn't do anything either, all dead. After driving some kilometers (or miles, if you prefer:D), my dash turned back on, everything was back to normal, besides the clock that was flashing at 0:00, and the flashing mileage.

I setup the clock to the correct time, and the flashing stopped. Then I went to school. I came back, and went in my car. Started my baby, and everything was fine, except one thing:
The clock said: 0:20
Since I wasn't at school for 15hours, something was wrong...
I drove back home, and yes, again, the dash died on me, to get back alive after a few miles!

Then, yesterday, I was looking at the fuses, and the manual, since someone told me it could be the fuses. Not knowing anything of them, I started plugging out some of the big ones at the battery (those with the size like F07), but now I got an extra fault:
Engine fault

Maybe this is coïncidence, but I don't know.

My guess is a faulty battery, I can't recall a battery replace, so maybe it's about to die?
Then again, a friend said I should check the little glass on the battery, it should be green, and it is...

My car will go to the garage in the week of 10 jan, because I have my exams, so I can miss my car for a day or 2.
Should I be preparing for a huge bill? :'(
 
Start with a new battery, the biggest one that fits in the battery box (i have a 74Ah in my 1.6 Stilo).
There's a good chance all faults will disappear.....
 
Forgot to mension that, we're talking about a 1.9JTD.

I'll try a new battery, but aren't there any guidelines I should follow when buying a new bat.?
 
Just put a new heavy duty battery in my 2003 Stilo. Seems to have cured all my random faults (Loose Connection/High Engine Temp etc) that used to occur on startup. Cranks and starts a lot quicker now too!
 
Check your ground-connections. Common problem for electronics. Inexpensive to make them better. Many people from the Greek StiloClub solved their electronic problems with better ground connections.
 
Check your ground-connections. Common problem for electronics. Inexpensive to make them better. Many people from the Greek StiloClub solved their electronic problems with better ground connections.

I'm buying a new battery this weekend, but not if I can test the ground connection. How can I test if I have a bad ground connection?
 
What a fantastic guide, its nice and easy to understand, despite it being a translated guide.. the pictures makes it so much easier to read/see what and where to improve things, i say this should:

-Please be copied/merged into the Guides section by the powers that be (lol)

its just a shame that this mid-winter cold is not making this job an attractive one right now...
Now, where are my pliers....:)
 
What a fantastic guide, its nice and easy to understand, despite it being a translated guide.. the pictures makes it so much easier to read/see what and where to improve things, i say this should:

-Please be copied/merged into the Guides section by the powers that be (lol)

its just a shame that this mid-winter cold is not making this job an attractive one right now...
Now, where are my pliers....:)

:yeahthat:please moderators can this be added to the Guides section? It's much easier to understand than the original Greek verison!!!
 
I'm buying a new battery this weekend, but not if I can test the ground connection. How can I test if I have a bad ground connection?

Thanks for that guide! I was able to get a hold of a multimeter, and measured stuff.

Battery without contact on: 13,2V
Battery with contact on: 12,7V
Battery with engine running: 14,6V

So I guess my battery isn't dead after all.

Then I measured the earth, from the negative side to some places
Engine: 0.01V
Chassis under wipers: Varies from 0.07 to 3V (With peaks from 7V)
Chassis above the weel (where that cable is hooked on): Varies from 0.05 to 3V

So I guess it's my earth?
 
OK, so I'm putting new earths in it, but I can"t seem to find my ECU. It isn't on the same place as on that picture.

I'm driving a 1.9JTD.
If anyone knows where it is located, please let me know!
 
These are diagrams of the engine ECU location for the 8 valve and 16 valve JTDs. The 2 on the left are for the 8 valve.

M10 is the ECU on the top 2 diagrams.
.
 

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Thanks for that, but I'm doubting if I'll look onto it myself any further.
Straaaaange stuff was happening!

I connected a cable from the - pole to the engine, and another one from the - pole to the little box at the left wheel (where all the OEM connections came together).

I then started my engine, seemed to sputtle a bit, then I turned off the engine, and took my key out, and my engine kept running?! :eek:

So I removed those two cables, then everything seemed fine.
I then borrowed a voltmeter from my neighbor, to check everything;

and

my battery voltage was increasing? (when contact is of).
I measured 19.8-20V, then it stopped increasing.
Also, the battery indicator is gone, instead off that little green, it is now black, pitch black :(

Here's a picture:
 

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You've put the meter leads in the wrong sockets of the meter.

Black lead should be in COM, red lead should be in vΩmA to read voltage.

By putting the leads in vΩmA and 10A and connecting across the battery you may have damaged the meter.

Also, the meter battery is going flat so the meter may give inaccurate readings.
 
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