WEIRD electrics

[frank rabbets]

Hi
I have 1996 24valve 80 with all original electrics including alarm. I noticed today that my alarm would not set and peering in to the car noticed that the heated rear screen switch light was on, together with 2 lights on the climate control panel. On opening the door and pressing the switch nothing happened but on turning the ignition on every thing works OK. So to recap if I forget to turn off the rear screen heater upon leaving the car, it will not turn off automatically as it should and the alarm will not set; also 2 lights on the climate control panel lit up.

I shall be most grateful for an answer.
Thanks

Frank

 

[karl webster]

frank
I have a 4.2 12valve. Last year i had allarm issues with the clifford that was on the car. I ended up spending half an hour trying to get the car started as it wouldnt start without the alarm im mobilised.
in the end i had to cut it out. it still has the toyota alarm in the truck but how that works i dont know as never had a fob for that one
karl

 

[Paul_Humphreys]

Sounds like a backfeed thro an earth.

Paul

 

[Ecky Thump]

Perhaps nor what you want to hear Frank but I have rewired lots of bits of my loom over the years.
I think most of it was due to water ingress from a leaking windscreen.
So far I have done;
Alarm
Rear lights (twice)
Sidelights (front and rear)
Drivers door switches
Dash lights (heater ones still U/S)
Sun roof
and I have had to cut out completely the wiring for the overhead compass/altimeter.
The rear demister has never worked although it has power and the element reads okay on the multimeter
Had a lot of issues with an earth point behind the panel by your right foot until I took it apart and cleaned everything up.

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

After hearing about Ian's discovery of a previously unknown feature involving the rear screen heater switch on the red car I wondered if a few 80 owners might try it out to see if they also get weird behaviour if switching the ignition off with the rear heater on?

 

[karl webster]

what happened jon?

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

it kept on running even with the key removed now with Frank also having weirdness involving the rear screen heater switch I'm wondering if it's coincidence or a new (to us) feature

 

[karl webster]

ill try it tomoz. sounds fun.

 

[Ian Rubie]

I thought some else had the same feature as the red car when I first saw this thread I have not bothered trying to trace the feature.

Ian

 

[pugwash]

I have EXACTLY the same issue as the OP

its a back feed through the rear window demister- it may be related to the earth of the switch light. Only started a few months ago- but ti energises a relay somewhere because as you turn the switch off there is the tell tale click.

anyway if you don't turn it off it energises a whole circuit on the dash (including all my extra switches- if i can remember where i tok there feed then it would tell me which circuit it was).

I'm not entirely comfortable with any heating element being left powered with the ignition off- the switch illuminates the seat heater switch too!

 

[frank rabbets]

Hi
Thanks for the ideas. I have never had an electrical problem even though I've had water in through the front /side screen. Ecky I think were you unlucky. Pugwash : did your alarm not set like mine?

Off to check the earths now. Hundreds???

Frank

 

[Mark Whiteside]

not had it on a lc
i have had wrong bulbs fitted
ie-single contact bulbs fitted instead of double contact bulbs
which can give you a whole hosts of faults

 

[frank rabbets]

Problem solved!
Upon further fiddling I noticed that with said switch on and key out the rear wiper worked [but this had recently packed up]. Upon turning on the rear wiper and rear washer, still with key out, both worked then there was a click the said switch fault cleared and the light went out.These symptoms were repeatable. Anyway I found a connector in the tailgate with 2 wires; a black/white one and a red/white one. Both were corroded and upon cleaning the contacts everything works perfectly. I think the black/white one is the earth and this was particularly bad. On unplugging all the other connectors in the tailgate I found no further faults. Only took 15 mins.
So if I have any more weirdness I shall look at those items which have recently packed up {simples}.
Thanks particularly to Jon for pointing me in right direction.

Frank

 

[pugwash]

OOh that's interesting- presume the connector was in the upper tailgate behind the platic panel?

sound like it could solve my issues too- good find!

 

[frank rabbets]

Yes just 2 screws to remove the handle and pop the panel off using a forked wedge around the clips. The connector is on the kerb side and easy to get to if you undo the wiper control unit; just 1 screw. I hope this works for you; but it may be one of the other connectors that are in there. I put mine into "fault" mode with the switch light on and key out and fiddled and it worked!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Difficult to clean properly; then oil it. Wiper works as well now.

Good luck
Frank

 

[Chas]

it kept on running even with the key removed now with Frank also having weirdness involving the rear screen heater switch I'm wondering if it's coincidence or a new (to us) feature

I tried turning the ignition off with the rear screen heater left on, engine stopped OK

 

[frank rabbets]

No. Dosn't work like that.

Frank

 

[Ian Rubie]

No. Dosn't work like that.

I think Chas was seeing if has car has the same feature as mine. Mine does stay running until you turn off the heated rear window!

Ian

 

[frank rabbets]

Hi Ian

I think you ought to check the rear upper tailgate earthwire ; especially if your rear wiper has also packed up. If not has anything else electrical packed up? This may point you in the right direction. Trace and check its earthfeed either physically or via wiring harness.

Frank

 

[Chas]

[quote="frank rabbets":1ak4g8mx]No. Dosn't work like that.

I think Chas was seeing if has car has the same feature as mine. Mine does stay running until you turn off the heated rear window!
Ian[/quote:1ak4g8mx]
That's right Ian, I was.