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Wiring trouble, pulling my hair out over it! 

 

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 Post subject: Wiring trouble, pulling my hair out over it!
Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 8:19 pm 
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Hi guys & girls,

I'm having some drama with the wiring in my EB Fairmont Ghia atm. Had a few issues with wiring since i've done the T5 conversion. I've sorted most of it out tho. Had to extend the wiring loom for the LPGI to pass around the peddle box, had to re-route the power & trigger wiring for my amp past the peddle box as well.

The pressing issue atm, is the stereo. I'm having trouble with the head unit turning off a lot, like when i press the clutch peddle, not all the time, just sometimes. There is no wiring that the clutch peddle comes into contact with. I've not been able to work this out. It only happens when driving the car, when it's parked, play with the clutch peddle as much as you want, the HU just stays on. Go figure!

Also worth noting, is that it's also turning off when i turn the headlight switch to parkers. HU will turn off then back on, switch to full headlights, and it does the same thing. When driving down the road, the HU will turn off and even beep 3 times to say " oi, take the face off man ", as it does when the ignition power is turned off. Then it could turn itself back on & start playing again.

For a start, NO i don't have it wired into the headlights! I've wired it up with a + lead from the + side of the battery to the HU, it get's a acc power feed from the back of the ciggy lighter, it's earthed to the bottom of the firewall, all connections are good and solid. I've soldered them all when fitting it, inc the speaker wiring. Not a quick crimp or twist & tape job!


Anyone have any thoughts on WTF is going on in my wiring?

Cheers

ToranaGuy

 

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Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 11:10 pm 
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Intermittent faults are always the worst to sort out. I'd suspect the wiring you've done, either the wire itself, or any soldering/crimping. Despite what you've said, a dry joint improper crimp could be there - despite how they physically look.
As usual, make sure the unit is properly grounded.
As far as power goes, there'd be battery, (ignition or accessories) and optional lighting (if fitted).
You could run some temp wires (spliced into the existing wire near the HU) and check each power source one by one - run the car for a few days to check each. For example, use the power windows power as an alternative source for ignition/accessories power. If the problem disappears, then you've found the dodgy wire - it may then be easiest to add another wire inline, rather than unravel loom runs, etc to replace the existing wire.

Check the associated fuses and their connections too - actually all HU connections should be looked at.

You could try meter checks, but due to the nature of the problem, I'd say it would be more frustrating than being fruitful.

 

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Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 11:44 pm 
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Yep, the meter is more frustration than anything, been checking thru the loom, oh my what a PITA! I thought i might have damaged the loom that runs across the top of the firewall ( recent engine & gearbox swap ), so been right thru it, inc the LPGI loom as well, so there is 4 looms there. Found no issues.

I forgot to write i had a faulty power run from the fuel pump relay to the pump, i've cut the old wire & run a new cable run to the fuel pump, it's working fine as it should. I was thinking about trying a new acc feed for the HU, was going to take it right from near the ignition barrel, as i've got the cover off there anyway, had to remove some old car alarm wiring ( power feeds ) that had been cut and poorly insulated.

Dry solder joint, well that is possible, the solder work is about 2yrs old. I'll go right thru the wiring for the stereo again on wednesday, i've gotta be able to nut it out sooner or later.

Thanks for the ideas, i'll see how i go.

Cheers

ToranaGuy

 

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Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 1:19 am 
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I just had a thought, i know that's dangerous at this hour, i should be in bed!

I converted it to a 5spd, i used the 5spd ECU from the ED GLI, my car is a Fairmont Ghia. The ecu shouldn't be causing any trouble should it? As IIRC the item that changes is the BCM, depending on the equiptment level of the car. Only differance i know of between ecu's is Auto Vs Manual box, and EF on having Thermo controls ( irrelivant here ). My CC, power windows & so on work as they should. No error codes on the CC. Smartlock is also working fine, no error codes displayed by it's light on the dash.

The LPG ECU, it doesn't matter if the car is Auto or Manual, it's only worried about the readings from the sensors & the injector pulse widths.

Cheers

ToranaGuy

 

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Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 1:50 pm 
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I doubt the ECU will be a factor.

 

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Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 6:28 pm 
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i've see it happen heaps ie: as soon as u turn something electrical on the radio switches off. 9 times out of 10 it's a dud/broken/dirty battery terminal/busbar and the 1 time was an alternator undercharging.

 

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Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 6:35 pm 
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TaraHymen wrote:
i've see it happen heaps ie: as soon as u turn something electrical on the radio switches off. 9 times out of 10 it's a dud/broken/dirty battery terminal/busbar and the 1 time was an alternator undercharging.


Battery terminals are clean atm, cleaned them just the other day, they are also nice and tight. Possible the alternator feed to the battery is playing funny buggers tho, it's the original item. Voltage gauge sits where it should, so i doubt that is the problem, but i'll take a closer look none the less.

I'm going to have a fiddle with it in a min.

Cheers

ToranaGuy

 

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Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 6:44 pm 
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Had a very similar issue with my ute when we started fitting more and bigger amps. Turns out the body earth lead simply wasn't big enough. :roll: :lol: . Replaced it with one I robbed of the Datto for the starter motor and all is good now. 8-)

 

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Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 6:52 pm 
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Is there a reason you didn't use the existing radio connection?

 

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Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 12:23 am 
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xr64me wrote:
Is there a reason you didn't use the existing radio connection?


If that was directed at me, it's because the std wiring was very hacked up when i bought the car, for the stereo that is. There was no power comming thru the std head units power feed where it should have been. There still isn't to this day, i never bothered to trace the circuit, i just wired my head unit up how it's book said. Never been a problem until the engine & T5 swap.

Anyway, checked the alt to battery lead, it's checked out fine, terminals were clean, only been back in the bay less than a month. Checked over stereo wiring, redid all my solder joins, same issue. Took the car for a test drive, give it a good hard run in 1st, i can hear what sounds like the cruise module clicking in the console. As tho it's acc feed is getting turned on and off. Try and turn the cruise on at the wheel, light comes on, hit the set button and it goes out.

Next step i'm removing my console and checking over all the wiring under there.

Cheers

ToranaGuy

 

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Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 8:35 pm 
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for the amount of hassle you are having so far, it may pay to get the original radio circuit going, all the required power and earth points are right there, wired and fused and not backfeeding etc off another item.

 

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Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 11:25 pm 
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xr64me wrote:
for the amount of hassle you are having so far, it may pay to get the original radio circuit going, all the required power and earth points are right there, wired and fused and not backfeeding etc off another item.


I'm starting to think the problem is bigger than the radio circuit.

I removed the console this morning, and found a wire for the cruise module was earthing where it shouldn't have been, fixed that up. No improvement in the whole picture, but now my cruise works again. ROFL.

I'm going to go thru my main earth lead & even try my other alternator tommorow, weather permitting.

Cheers

ToranaGuy

 

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Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 6:15 pm 
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Ok, i thought the cruise was working properly, but it's not. After taking it down a road with a few bumps in it, the cruise switched itself off!

I've gone and put a new crimp connector on my + battery lead, checked over the - battery lead, it wasn't looking great, but multimeter said it was ok. There was a join in it, so it's been repaired somewhere down the track. I've replaced it, now my dash lights are brighter, power windows run faster, and when the car is running & stationary, i can have the headlights on, stereo cranked up, my sub & amp cranking, volume past 40, then run the power windows or wipers and it won't turn off!

When test driving the car, I'm noticing the head unit is turned off when hitting bumps, and in can hear what i believe to be a clicking noise from the dash, near the head unit. But now it's also turning back on quickly.

When using the handbrake, if your not gentle with it, the smartlock light comes on, the car switches back to petrol & the engine coughs & splutters before returning to a good idle.

The BEM is located in there near the handbrake isn't it? Could it be playing up?

Cheers

ToranaGuy

 

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