Electrical problems

[Joseph]

Hi All,

This afternoon my heater fan didn't work when I tried it. It had been making some noises for a few weeks so I figured it had died. But then I tried the wipers and washers, which did not work either. Ah, a common fuse, I thought, I'll change it when I get home. No dice. The fuses are fine, but I discovered that my headlights don't work either, among other things. I was thinking along the lines of a bad ground someplace, but maybe someone can point me in the right direction before I freeze my *** off outside fiddling with it. The nearest Fiat dealer is 100km away and is out of the question.

here is what does NOT work:

wipers (front and back)
washers
interior fan
cigarette lighter
headlights (high and dipped)

here is what DOES work:

position lights
interior lights
windows
mirrors
instrument panel lights
sunroof
radio
brake lights
turn indicators

Suggestions?

Thanks,

Joseph

 

[g5een]

thank **** im not the only one then!!

 

[axle]

I remember a similar prob on an escort i had, I don't know how it will affect the fiat but i traced it to a bad earth from the light switch.

 

[g5een]

hi mate

any joy yet im startin to get angry with it now!! is yours a hgt aswell? ive got exactly the same problem

 

[Joseph]

If I had an HGT I'd be more forgiving! Mine is a plain 1.4 12v. Haven't figured out much yet, but jumping the fuse box gets the lights to go, so it is some problem between the voltage feed on the ignition switch and the fuse. Unlikely the switches, cuz why would the fan and lights both not work? My guess is either a connector at the ignition switch not giving juice, or a connector at the fuse board, or the fuse board. It's too cold for me to monkey with it now, so maybe in the AM.

Joseph

 

[axle]

Yes, thats a similar prob i had with the escort, the problem was traced through the steering column,That time it was the earth but all the switches are on there so it just might be shorting mains lead? Anyway it would not take long to get the cowling off

 

[Joseph]

I figured it out. While I was poking with my voltmeter at the wires coming out of the plastic connector that comes out of the headlamp switch, the heater fan would intermittently come on. I thought it was some relay I could hear going getting shorted by my voltmeter. But it turns out it was the top-most wire at the connector. An orange one (maybe red, hard to tell in the light of my LED flashlight) that has a tight kink in it. Pushing it into the connector made everything work, pulling it a bit made everything stop.

I can only imagine what sort of shaft the shops around here would give me to figure that out and fix it. I'm almost temped to give the wire a little tug and go drop it off for an estimate. I'd have ended up with an new ECU, fuse board, ignition switch, and who knows what else.

Hope that helps you guys.

Joseph

 

[Sabre 23]

If your heated rear screen is also NOT working then you are replicating my problem of a couple of years ago.

Stalks.

Mark.
Council estate lad.
And proud of it!
Member of the Guild of Experienced Motorists.

 

[bajeknight]

now that ya know what the prob is why not tape the wire in place with electrical tape and see how it works

 

[g5een]

mate your a legend. quik shower and im staight to it!!

 

[g5een]

took everything apart steering wheel off etc. cleaned all the connections (svens guide) still no luck!!!

gave the plug from the indicators/lights a lil wiggle, fans came on wipers came on but when i turn the lights on they all stop again!!

no dissrespect but the bravo has to be the most unreliable car ive came across!!!

 

[axle]

You got the problem solved,bad connection in the connector or even a wire brokenif you are handy with a soldering iron buy some male/female connectors and connect the wires that way.or if there is a scrappy handy cut the connector off and re-solder another on using heat shrink for insulation

 

[Joseph]

This morning when I went out to actually fix it, I had the same problem with the wiggle fixing it, and the then the lights killing it again. I thought it must have been a worn insulator causing a short someplace near the connector. After dismantling all sorts of stuff so I could check the wire, I decided it wasn't the wire. One thing I noticed was that sometimes I could turn the lights on then off again super fast and would only kill the fan for a split second. This also was with a slightly different sound from the relay on the back of the fuse board. I popped the realy out (on the back closest to the center of the car, the yellow one, my car is LHD) shook it around and popped it back. Now it works fine.

My theory is that the relay is on it's way out and was sticking and shorting somehow when the lights were turned on. Pushing on the connector at the stalk would cause the connection to be broken for long enough for the relay to release, at least until the lights were turned on again.

Shaking the relay and installing it again make have jostled loose some piece of crud in there. Who knows. I'm going to try to buy a replacement.

Now as to why a faulty headlamp or heater relay kills the other functions, we'll have to ask the fine engineers at Fiat! I suppose the relay was grounding the juice from the ignition switch so the stuff that shares the same feed got cut out of the loop. I hope that's it...

Joseph

 

[g5een]

problem sorted now? im gettin a bit annoyed not being able to go any where at night