| Author | Message | ||
     Harry Kuurio Experienced User Username: harry_kuurio Post Number: 39 Registered: 4-2004 |
Hello all, here's a lesson to learn. I think this is something worth sharing. Once I got the charging right on my '78 SSII, the car wouldn't start on the key. Just clickety-click somewhere inside the dash, starter completely mute, as if I was in wrong gear (but I wasn't). To cut the story short, I checked fuse #2, starter relay (22RA), steering column neutral micro-switch, gear selector neutral switch (under the car), switchbox and earthing on the right hand side valance. All was OK. I could get the car to start and run ok by connecting the N (brown) and NB (brown-black) wires at the starter relay, so the starter itself was fine. Hence, the problem was somewhere between the relay and switchbox. Any guesses? Well, it turned that a pin inside the left hand side toeboard socket had broken (LTG 8-9), so connection on the WR (white-red) wire was lost and the starter relay didn't energize. It's such a small part... But the problem was more than annoying. The toeboard sockets are a little awkward to get at under those air con blowers, but I suggest that everyone check theirs CAREFULLY to make sure all is ok in there. Being 20+ years old, the many electronics in our cars may start playing up. And they will. I cured the problem by making a new connection on the WR wire thru the firewall. DH | ||
| Patrick Lockyer. Grand Master Username: pat_lockyer Post Number: 459 Registered: 9-2004 |
Harry great info,yes some of the cars in the Northen Hemisphere are showing ageing with electrical conections due to the damp climate during parts of the season. | ||
| Harry Kuurio Experienced User Username: harry_kuurio Post Number: 40 Registered: 4-2004 |
Pat, Yes, and even more so, as my car has spent most of its life in sunny Califonia (25 yrs). I will take a digi-pic soon of the broken pin (if I didn't lose it already) and upload it here. BTW, there are twelve (12) of those toe-board sockets on our cars (SSII's at least) if I'm not wrong, and each have nine (9) poss pins. Double sided. So: 12x9x2=216 (or so) possible connections to fail. Just to make my point even more clear. DH | ||
| Adrian Jump Unregistered guest Posted From: 213.249.162.132 |
Had a similar electrical problem on my '80 Shadow 11. This concerned loss of headlamp main (high) beam. The dip circuit was working o.k. but running through the safety circuit only. Problem was a broken ear on the female spade connector in the fusebox where the thermo switch that controls gear selection and lights plugs in. Obviously repeated removal of the re-settable thermo switch to isolate gear selection over years of servicing had eventually fractured one of the ears, the remaining ear not gripping the terminal on the thermo switch sufficiently to pass the current. Adrian U.K. (Message approved by david_gore) | ||
| Harry Kuurio Experienced User Username: harry_kuurio Post Number: 43 Registered: 4-2004 |
Hi all mates, I once promised to include a pic "soon", but I guess itīs better late than never... Here it comes! DH (and I'm back again...)  | ||
| David Baron Unregistered guest Posted From: fatwire-204-186.uniserve.ca |
My 1976 Camargue JRE22722 has suddenly succumbed to the very same symptoms. I've spent the day trying to solve the problem, with no success. I've found only partial live terminals on the fuel pump relay and starter relay, and dead terminals on the neutral start microswitch, where I'd expect to see live terminals with the ign'n on and the gear lever in Park. I'll go on a toeboard connection hunt tomorrow. Is there anything else I should check? (Message approved by david_gore) | ||
| Jeffrey McCarthy Experienced User Username: jefmac2003 Post Number: 23 Registered: 5-2007 |
Well... Just spent the day with the 'same' problem. Had left the park side light on all night so assumed dead battery. Recharged battery. No go. Yesterday I moved the ammeter and, having forgotten to disconnect the battery, it sparked when I earthed it. Assume at this point I stuffed something royally. Tested all the fuses, replaced 3 dead diodes, checked the battery (3 years old and starting to go downhill) Bought new battery. Still no go. No power anywhere. Came back and re-read everything on this site. Just noticed the Answer Was Here All The Time !!!! Harry's first post above gave it away - the Gear lever wasn't quite exactly on park - although it looked like it. Still, I learned how to test fuses and change diodes and learnt lots of what goes where under the toproll so it wasn't wasted effort. Just goes to show, test the obvious things first. Now I just don't have any interior lights - another day tomorrow. Is it normal that the panel lights won't work unless the exterior light switch is turned on ? Cheers, a very sheepish, Jeff (Message edited by jefmac2003 on 31 July 2007) |
