| Author | Message | |||
     Udo Hoffmüller New User Username: udo Post Number: 10 Registered: 2-2008 |
My Bentley TurboR (MCX35566) has prepared a new puzzle for me: From time to time the indicators of tachometer and speedometer are jumping up and down, stay at 0, show more than the real values, are simply crazy, it takes some 20 seconds to come back to regular working order. One day I took off the driver's panel, checked all the connectors, tested the whole thing with the RR test unit which I got once at the RR meeting in Kelmarsh, but nothing found, everything was fine. Even the plastic with the "printed circuits" at the back of the unit was fine, nothing obviously damaged. With the panel fitted again, the problem was the same as before, no change. As this always happened at daylight, I am not sure if there is a relation to this: It was two times now that the whole headlamps unit was off for 20 seconds or more, at the same time tachometer and speedometer go to 0, but the ilumination of the driver information field is on as are the side lamps of the car (front where the flashers are), once I could see them reflected at the rear of car the in front of me. At the rear I had no chance to check if the rear lights went off or not, before I overcame my surprise and panic to stop the car and jump out ... the lights went on again. What I checked, was the driver's panel, as already told, but without any result. I checked the connectors of the thick brown cable that is travelling round the car near the engineECU, near the hydraulic oil reservoir, near the A pillar left and right, but nothing suspicious, the connectors look fine. I don't know where I can go on hunting the gremlin. I had a look at the wiring diagram and found that the driver information field (driver's panel) is supplied from the same outlet of the headlampsECU as the right hand side headlamps. So my idea is that the headlampsECU is the suspicious unit. Any advice? Had anyone this problem before? Are the electronics of the headlampsECU repairable? Any experience so far here on the board? Before I buy a new ECU - surely for a lot of money - I would like be sure that there is no other way or solution. Hoping for assistance, best regards from Tenerife - Udo | |||
| Paul Yorke Prolific User Username: paul_yorke Post Number: 254 Registered: 6-2006 |
Morning Udo, Firstly, both the headlamp unit and drivers pod (speedo, Information panel, tachometer unit) are repairable. This works out far cheaper than buying new units. I haven't looked up your chassis number but I think on your car, the input and output cables to the headlamp unit are the same but one male one female. If so you can plug them in and by-pass the unit to check or while you get yours tested/repaired. Check fuses and fuse holders for signs of overheating. After a run with headlamps on etc, Hold the connectors and feel if any are warmer than they should be. 20 second intermittent faults are always fun! Good luck. | |||
| Udo Hoffmüller Experienced User Username: udo Post Number: 11 Registered: 2-2008 |
Dear Paul, thank you for your advice. On my car (MCX35566) the input and output cables are not that easy as you seem to assume. There are two different bundles of cables, one obviously for the headlights (blue-white, goes to the headlamps fusebox) and one for a lot of other things for less current because they are rather thin. No way to by-pass anything. I wonder what the ECU was for if it could be so easily by-passed!? "20 seconds intermittent faults" for me are not so much fun at 130km/h on the motorway or at 50 km/h in the mountains at night without the white road markings. And next time it maybe 40 seconds and the time after that it gives up - of cause at night and far away from home!? What do I do with a hot connector or fuse? The round connector with the pink and white cables close to the engineECU was destroyed by heat (nearly melted down) many years ago, I discarted the connector and put the cables together one by one using luster terminals, fine since then. But with the brown cable - as you described in an other thread - I had no problem yet. Maybe I will have to change the headlightECU if I find a reconditioned one. Introcar offers them for a bit over 200 GBP - if they had one! Things are not so very expensive since the pound went down so much - one more month and GBP and Euro maybe 1 to 1. Thank you and best regards from Tenerife - Udo (Message edited by udo on 17 December 2008) | |||
| Paul Yorke Prolific User Username: paul_yorke Post Number: 255 Registered: 6-2006 |
Udo, Sorry, I didn't mean fun literally.  Are there two plugs that will go together? The unit allows dim dip on sidelights, headlamp flash and other functions like that. Some countries don't allow it so these functions so I think you can bypass them. Once again, I haven't had a chance to check, but I remember bypassing the function by connecting the leads together. But Maybe that means you still need the unit in there after all  I've had them repaired in the past so could find a price for you if you like. Take care on those roads! When they do go out,Do the main beam work if you pull the washer stalk towards you. The Euro really is on your side at the moment! | |||
| Udo Hoffmüller Experienced User Username: udo Post Number: 12 Registered: 2-2008 |
Paul, I know that you did not mean it literally when you said it was with 20 sec without lights. My answer should be fun, too, and I tried to put a smiley behind my observation about "20 seconds intermittent faults", but smiley did appear where I wanted it but always at the end of my post. So I left without smiley, but without it was not obvious that it was fun. - So many words because a smiley does not want to go where it should. The idea to use the main beam is fine - I did not know that the main beam is not governed by the ECU. I would like to have a repaired unit and would pay for a surcharge and then send back my unit - if the price was reasonable. If you find one, please let me know. As far to the plugs: There are no plugs. From the ECU are leaving to bundles of wires, one goes to the fusebox nearby, the other goes to the passenger compartment. The only way to find plugs would be at the fusebox. But I don't see any way to by-pass the ECU.
All the best and Merry Chrismas! | |||
| Udo Hoffmüller Experienced User Username: udo Post Number: 13 Registered: 2-2008 |
Oh - I thought the picture/graphic would appear directly as part of the post - doesn't it? | |||
| Paul Yorke Prolific User Username: paul_yorke Post Number: 256 Registered: 6-2006 |
Udo, What type of file is it? You should be trying to post ecu.jpg really. I think ? I'll get you a price and see if I have a spare. Has yours got a part number on? I gave up with the smiley menu to but if you type a : and then a ) it knows and you can put them anywhere! lol | |||
| Udo Hoffmüller Experienced User Username: udo Post Number: 14 Registered: 2-2008 |
Let me see Hehe, surprise  Really it works  And the attachment?  Hehe, again The file type was wrong, I don't know which application uses that strange kind of file. The parts number on it is UD72630. Udo | |||
| Paul Yorke Prolific User Username: paul_yorke Post Number: 257 Registered: 6-2006 |
LOL, "I don't know which application uses that strange kind of file. " nope & neither does your computer Unk usually stands for unknown. Back to the unit though. Can you find a red and a white plug? Try swapping the connectors if you can see them. | |||
| Udo Hoffmüller Experienced User Username: udo Post Number: 15 Registered: 2-2008 |
Paul, you see the plugs in the pic - which of them do you mean to swap???? Sorry, for me there is nothing to swap!? The whole unit is UD 72630 for LHD cars, the parts number is not pictured, but easily to find in TSD6000. (Message edited by udo on 24 December 2008) | |||
| David Gore Moderator Username: david_gore Post Number: 855 Registered: 4-2003 |
Hi Udo, Your image posting failed because there was a typographical error - the suffix should have been "jpg" instead of "jp2'. I tried downloading the file to fix the problem with no success so it appears there is a problem with your photo - suggest you go back to the original and redo it making sure it is saved as a "jpg" format file. To post an image in a post just type a new paragraph in the text as below removing the word BACKSLASH and replacing it with the symbol \ - when you send the post, you will first get a request to go to the location of the image file on your computer and select it before the sending process continues. Your image will then be uploaded and displayed in your post. BACKSLASHimage{MY IMAGE} | |||
| Udo Hoffmüller Experienced User Username: udo Post Number: 16 Registered: 2-2008 |
Dear Dave, thank you for your explications. "Jp2" is a valid suffix, it is the "jpeg2000" format. But I don't know where it is used. With pics I use to use Irfanview, and one of the suffixes that appear in the listing of all the suffixes Irfanview understands, is "Jp2" - just the next one is "jpg". So I clicked probably the wrong suffix as they are so close together. The jp2-pic I tried to post is the same as the next jpg-pic. You may delete it. Putting the pic is really easy using the "upload attachment"-button. The text of the location appears just where you are in your text at the moment you apply the button. And then one can move this text by copying wherever one wants. The confusion was only for this strange "jp2"-suffix. Merry Christmas and best regards - Udo (Message edited by udo on 24 December 2008) | |||
| David Gore Moderator Username: david_gore Post Number: 856 Registered: 4-2003 |
Hi Udo, The only image formats that can be posted on this site are JPEG and GIF and a maximum size of 640 pixels wide is requested to keep the image within the boundaries of the screen. Wider images require scrolling which is not popular with our readers. Hope this clarifies what I advised previously. Kind regards David | |||
| Udo Hoffmüller Experienced User Username: udo Post Number: 38 Registered: 2-2008 |
Hello! This is only to tell you that the problem is sorted out: The responsable fuses are F2 A7 and A9. If we take off these two fuses we can reproduce the problem: All the mentioned equipement (from speedo and rev counter and all the gauges, direction flasher to all headlights) fails at the same moment. But both A7 and A9 have to be removed together. Reading the wiring diagram afterwards carefully this effect was to expect. But we had to find the common supply for both of the fuses. Looking more around in the wiring diagrams we found that F2 A7 and A9 are supplied with current via the iginition 2 relay (one of the small grey ones for the starter inhibit). We remembered a problem with the fuel pump relay: The engine stopped without any visible reason and did not start again although the starter was working. Some time later it started as if nothing had happened. This happened several times, so we bridged the fuel pump relay to run the fuel pumps, and the engine ran fine. So we changed the relay - and that was it. Remembering this experience with the fuel pump relay, we changed the ignition 2 relay against one less important (ice warning - what do we do with ice warning in Tenerife???). And that's it! No more "panic headlamps off"! Regards - Udo |
headlightsECU