Department of weird happenings - Page 2

dionh · 15th December 2007, 17:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by raykay

Offside, you need to remove the trim round the boot release switch and there are several earth connections there.

Eventually managed to get the plastic trim off and gave the 3 visible earthing points a good squirt of WD40.
Put it all back together, but sadly, no change to previous situation i.e. Everything works properly when the side lights are on, hardly anything (electrical) works when the side lights are off.
Would a Testbook diagnostics session sort this out? and how much should I expect to pay?
Getting desperate,
Di.

patrolman pete · 15th December 2007, 17:30

Dont squirt them Di , strip and clean them because a poor earth can cause all sorts of strange electrical happenings . My first 75 auto kept loosing drive and made a banging noise from the gearbox as if the driveshafts were coming out. Cause - poor earth in the nearside kick panel ! Mind you it was under warranty so it was put on testbook which identified the earth point which was at fault.

dionh · 16th December 2007, 13:47

Tried the car again this morning and amazingly, all is working as it should. It could just be coincidence of course, but I feel sure you guys are right about the earth being the problem, the WD40 just took longer to do its job than I had thought.
Thanks for your advice Pete, I will give it a proper clean when the temperature rises a little.
Di.

Dragrad · 16th December 2007, 23:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by patrolman pete

Dont squirt them Di , strip and clean them because a poor earth can cause all sorts of strange electrical happenings .

Good advice.

WD40 is great for somethings but not for electrical contacts.

Use Servisol Switch Cleaner it is much better for electrical contacts. Take the contacts apart, clean with emery paper (or suchlike) and spray with switch cleaner. Corrosion can build up on exposed contacts very quickly. I've found that once the Servisol has dried it can be sprayed with silicon grease which provides a better "water resistance" to the contacts. (Or for that matter coat the contacts in silicone based sealant).

Works for me....

16th December 2007, 13:47	#13
dionh Regular poster MG ZT-T cdti 135 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Monmouth Posts: 96 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Success!! Tried the car again this morning and amazingly, all is working as it should. It could just be coincidence of course, but I feel sure you guys are right about the earth being the problem, the WD40 just took longer to do its job than I had thought. Thanks for your advice Pete, I will give it a proper clean when the temperature rises a little. Di.

15th December 2007, 17:30	#12
patrolman pete Posted a thing or two Rover 75 club se tourer CDT and a Connoisseur SE Diesel Auto Saloon Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Houghton - le - Spring Posts: 1,418 Thanks: 618 Thanked 333 Times in 197 Posts	Dont squirt them Di , strip and clean them because a poor earth can cause all sorts of strange electrical happenings . My first 75 auto kept loosing drive and made a banging noise from the gearbox as if the driveshafts were coming out. Cause - poor earth in the nearside kick panel ! Mind you it was under warranty so it was put on testbook which identified the earth point which was at fault.