Auto electrics !!! ....Auto electrics!..... Don't talk to me about Auto Electrics !!
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cos it is, negative earth,
remember, earth is relative to the system,
neutral in 'our electrics' is taken to the general mass of earth, in auto electrics its taken to the chassis,
no different really.
remember, earth is relative to the system,
neutral in 'our electrics' is taken to the general mass of earth, in auto electrics its taken to the chassis,
no different really.
I remember a few years back checking the car lights with a girlfriend, "Are the indicators working ?" "yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, yes, no" :coat
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That cheered my dreary day up Slips.
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And on the subject of vehicle electrics.
I'm just back from 2 weeks away visiting friends & family. The inevitable "can you have a look at an electrical problem on my car"
It was an old Peugeot, 305 I think. The brake light switch was faulty.
Open the Haynes manual. Instructions for replacing the brake light switch:
1: remove COMPLETE fascia. See chapter xx
So go to chapter xx to see how to remove the complete fascia:
1: Remove steering column, see chapter yy.
FFS who would design a car with such an inaccessible brake light switch?
If you lie on your back in the footwell and look up with a torch, you can just about see, but not reach, the pin of the switch, but you can't see or get access to the other side of the panel it screws into.
People that design such SH 1 T should be condemned to a lifetime of replacing those switches.
Needless to say I declined the job.
Had it been my own car, I would have jury rigged a new switch working on an accessible part of the brake pedal and rewired the brake light circuit to work from that instead.
I'm just back from 2 weeks away visiting friends & family. The inevitable "can you have a look at an electrical problem on my car"
It was an old Peugeot, 305 I think. The brake light switch was faulty.
Open the Haynes manual. Instructions for replacing the brake light switch:
1: remove COMPLETE fascia. See chapter xx
So go to chapter xx to see how to remove the complete fascia:
1: Remove steering column, see chapter yy.
FFS who would design a car with such an inaccessible brake light switch?
If you lie on your back in the footwell and look up with a torch, you can just about see, but not reach, the pin of the switch, but you can't see or get access to the other side of the panel it screws into.
People that design such SH 1 T should be condemned to a lifetime of replacing those switches.
Needless to say I declined the job.
Had it been my own car, I would have jury rigged a new switch working on an accessible part of the brake pedal and rewired the brake light circuit to work from that instead.
Not sure whether this was a good idea, but I was discussing with a windscreen company today taking on any wiring repairs they get "if" they cut or damage any wiring inadvertently!
Just need to ensure that the insurances are OK.
Not sure if I am mad or not, but I've always done auto electrics, & it's even on my JIB card!!!
Just need to ensure that the insurances are OK.
Not sure if I am mad or not, but I've always done auto electrics, & it's even on my JIB card!!!
what could possibly go wrong? :slap
only problem i could see with this would be is if they cut a canbus wire or something, you fix the wire, but then need to get engine management light reset
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you can reset the engine management/service light on peugeot/fiat etc by judicious holding down of the mileage reset buttons while turning the ignition on and off.
not the same , I know, but it puts the lights out.
not the same , I know, but it puts the lights out.
so does removing the bulb
not that i would ever do such a thing
Take it from me Slidey .....you're mad !!!!! :innocent
Nahh mate I'm a LOONIE!
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Bl00dy car electrics.
Mrs PD's VW Touran packed up on Saturday. "simple" fault, the alternator stopped charging. But, being a woman, she tried to drive it home, in the rain, with the headlights on. As the battery voltage dropped, it started beeping at her and one by one the gizmo's shut down, the last being the (aparantly electric) power steering before finally the car died. RAC recovered it home.
Battery charged and it's over at my friendly garage now for a new alternator. I took one look and decided it's too much cursing and swearing for me to attempt to get in the small gap between the engine bay and the alternator.
Anyway following it's power failure, the front wipers won't work. Reading the net, it's a Complex system with two motors and it's own control box linked by CAN bus to the rest of the controllers. My mate's diagnostic tool won't even communicate with the wiper controller.
I'm just praying the controller isn't goosed as that sounds expensive and hoping another friend of his with another diagnostic tool might be able to revive it.
Everything else reset when he cleared at least 20 "under voltage" errors.
You don't get this trouble with my Landrover.
Mrs PD's VW Touran packed up on Saturday. "simple" fault, the alternator stopped charging. But, being a woman, she tried to drive it home, in the rain, with the headlights on. As the battery voltage dropped, it started beeping at her and one by one the gizmo's shut down, the last being the (aparantly electric) power steering before finally the car died. RAC recovered it home.
Battery charged and it's over at my friendly garage now for a new alternator. I took one look and decided it's too much cursing and swearing for me to attempt to get in the small gap between the engine bay and the alternator.
Anyway following it's power failure, the front wipers won't work. Reading the net, it's a Complex system with two motors and it's own control box linked by CAN bus to the rest of the controllers. My mate's diagnostic tool won't even communicate with the wiper controller.
I'm just praying the controller isn't goosed as that sounds expensive and hoping another friend of his with another diagnostic tool might be able to revive it.
Everything else reset when he cleared at least 20 "under voltage" errors.
You don't get this trouble with my Landrover.
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how about a couple of bits of string through the doors tied onto the wipers? :|
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You mean Mr Bean style?
I doubt it would pass an MOT though.
I doubt it would pass an MOT though.
I remember my dad had old vintage cars and some of those had little handles inside to work the wipers manually as well as by the electric motors,
Austin 5 IIRC was one of them.
Austin 5 IIRC was one of them.
Compared to the cars I first owned or drove the electrics on modern cars are a nightmare , as Dave shows, alternator fails , battery goes flat ......and half the systems don't come up again !!!
I replaced battery on Mrs Deke's Focus , but not being sure what dreadful consequences would ensue when voltage was removed, I hooked a 12V NiCad across just in case.
A mechanic told me of a Merc owner he couldn't help , main dealer jobby, the indicators (flashers) had packed up . The flasher was driven from some main engine management circuit board and cost him a fortune . I find that a rip off and unecesarry .
I replaced battery on Mrs Deke's Focus , but not being sure what dreadful consequences would ensue when voltage was removed, I hooked a 12V NiCad across just in case.
A mechanic told me of a Merc owner he couldn't help , main dealer jobby, the indicators (flashers) had packed up . The flasher was driven from some main engine management circuit board and cost him a fortune . I find that a rip off and unecesarry .
The words "over complicated" come to mind
