My Electric woes :(

[bmouthboyo]

Hello again,

Ok I am making some progress on getting my new van ready for its MOT. Now onto the electrics

Firstly the symptoms:

1) - Front wipers very slow and seem to be struggling. When i attempted to turn the heater on whilst wipers on the heater did nothing but it blew the fuse???
2) - Rear fog light and rear window de-mister switches not responding at all, all fuses behind glove box seem fine (ceramic ones anyway)
3) - Washer jet (pulling stalk towards me) not responding at all, not even a noise.
4) - On demand window wiper (stalk down) not responding at all.
5) - Horn makes a slight struggling noise but something is broken, horn looks new and has connectors on it ok.
6) - The water coolant temperature warning light constantly flashes, even after 10 seconds of engine on and i know its cold.
7) - Fuel pump works (K-Jet engine Gti swap) but it has been wired to turn on with the side lights. Ideally like rewire it and encase it securely.



Now I haven't really had a proper look under dash etc yet as been concentrating on some damn snapped manifold studs (bane of my life) but i thought i would pop these problems on here encase anyone can spot patterns with some, or offer easy fixes.

Failing that i will use and auto sparky, does anyone know how much i am looking at to get this all fixed by one?

Thanks

[Steve P]

Can't help with your problems but can get you a phone number for a good auto sparky. Don't know if he still has his premises in Castle Lane but he knows his stuff.

Will get the number for you on Monday.

Steve

[AngeloEvs]

Whats the history and what year/model? Have these items worked in the past or recently started? The problem could be one fault or it could be several and difficult to advise on costs to fix. The coolant LED also flashes when you have lost coolant but poor earths will trigger it and a lot of your faults sound like they could be 'poor earth' related. There is a large cluster of earths at the pillar next to the fuse box but I would be checking the main earth straps first. The T25 has some quirky wiring and your engineer will need a schematic for your type and model!

[Ian Hulley]

Sounds like you need to be buying a Haynes and checking your fuses and relays ... BUT that fuel pump set up looks SERIOUSLY bodged, I'd be looking at that IMMEDIATELY before the other items become irrelevant

Ian.

[bmouthboyo]

Its a 1983 T25, think it was originally a diesel but i bought it with a K-Jet mk2 gti engine installed so has some quirky wiring of its own to add lol, hence the pic of the pump.

I don't really know much about it as the previous owner bought it and sold it on, but i know it was sat still for 5 years apparently, hence all this work for its MOT.


Any info on recommended auto sparkies in Bmouth / Poole is great thanks, however at present it isnt running or road legal so will have to be a mobile guy i think.

[tonytech]

Lots of faults there, probably all unrelated.
You need a methodical aproach, cleaning the earth spiders behind the dash is a good start.
The temp warning light also warns of low coolant level, check coolant levels, and connection in engine bay.

T

[bmouthboyo]

Ok bit of an update:

Horn - Definitely getting a live feed when the horn button is depressed, i changed horn with a spare BMW one i had laying around and it made a nice horn sound Bolted it up and now having same problem as before, not only that but i held the horn button down with cable ties so i could investigate underneath and the horn was very hot. Looked in the Haynes manual and the horn shown looks very different, could it be that the 2 modern horns tried are not compatible?


Rear Fog lights - The OS fog light is working, however the left isn't, i looked at bulb and there isnt one there, not even the metal connector in the socket to give it power. Is this ok for MOT?

Wipers - Is the stalk in "neutral" position when it is all the way down? I can currently select 2 speeds for the wipers (top and one down from that), am i right in thinking there should be 3 speeds? If so I am missing the lowest of the 3 and also it wont work when pushing stalk in (jet and wipe), not even a sound. It seems to be struggling on the 2 speeds I have and goes even slower if i turn the fan (which does not seem to respond at all) on.

Wiper jet - Tested with a multimeter and its definitely getting a strong current when stalked pulled towards me. No noise at all from pump so must need replacing.

I have had a look at the earth connectors on the left of dash and they are manky and some rusted badly so will clean them soon. My main problem at moment is the lower wiper speeds and heater situation

[rick]

mine has 2 wiper speeds. no intermitant!

seriously, your wipers and heater are the least of your problems. get the lectrics sorted out, theres obviously a problem and left to fester could leave you with a pile of ashes to worry about. if theres a known fault causing things to heat up, cable tying the circuit closed can burn your van down. if the horn is physically hot i dread to think what the crappy thin wiring must be like.

i dont mean to sound like im having a go or anything, but please please stop messing about with your wiring if you dont know what your doing.

[bmouthboyo]

I haven't messed around with any of the wiring?

The horn i replaced with one i had laying around and I have same problem. Multimeter showed I do have power coming to it so i removed it and came here to ask about it. Reason I cable tied it down was because i was on my own and couldn't push the horn and check it wasn't a dodgy connection below.

Washer pump I removed and checked plug with multimeter and again have live feed so I left it and asked on here about replacement.

Wiper I have done nothing other than test the stalk positions and ask here.

Fuel pump, i am trying to find a local auto sparky, hence my question on how much they cost.

So can anyone offer some answers to the following:

1) What are the right stalks positions and corresponding wiper speeds? With lowest being 1 there are 4 settings vertically, is 2 neutral?

2) Do the T25 campers require a specific horn that would mean a modern BMW one for example wouldn't function properly?

3) On the T25 is it BOTH rear light clusters that have a Fog light? Or is the OS one alone fine?

Thanks

[Oldiebut goodie]

1. On mine 1 is intermittent, 2 is "neutral", 3 is very slow, 4 is a little faster!
2. Never had any trouble getting the horn - so don't know!!!!!!
3. Offside foglight only needed, t'other side is for our continental cousins use.

[bmouthboyo]

Ah thanks that helps a lot.

I am not sure why my 83 bus would have 4 positions as that would mean 1 and 2 do same thing, unless previous owner did the intermittent mod and the relay has blown. Also the wipers not even attempting to move with the jet wash position (stalk away from me).

I think I will fix the washer pump first then if it pumps without wiping at least i know its not the stalk and might be the wiper motor. Have feeling the blower is seized also as it makes the wipers a little more hesitant even though the blower itself makes no sound of life what so ever.

[tonytech]

Horn should have a live when ignition is on, the push button is in the return to eart.

Offside foglight is fine for MOT

Wipers down is intermitant, horizontal is off, up 1 is on, up 2 is on fast.
pull toward you for front wash wipe, push for rear wash wipe.

T

[Red Westie]

The picture of the fuel pump looks very dangerous....they way it is hanging, the very thin wires that are in no way upto the job, the plastic fuel filter that just isn't up to the job (should be a large metal canister) and the pipework doesn't even look properly fastened..looks more like a monotoff coctail mate...sorry.
Martin

[bmouthboyo]

The fuel filter is at the top just in view, i think the little thing is an accumilator (the pump is for a K jet engine that has been installed in my van by previous owner)

Please dont think I had anything to do with this pump, as soon as i saw it i was shocked. I am in process of booking an auto sparky to proplely install the wiring for it. As for the pump itself, it seems to work ok so I think its a case of new filter and getting a decent housing for it.

Anyone know what a reasonable rate for a mobile autosparky is per hour?

Cheers

[Ian Hulley]

The K-Jet in our Scirocco has a pressurised metal cannister filter (as Martin say's) I believe that I'd be looking at a total re-install of the pump, wiring, filter, fuel lines etc etc just to be sure.

Ian.