A&Q about 350Z
Q:
Winters here and as usual the car decides to dump me somewhere cold and wet. The problem i have is the engine just cuts out dead. If i try to start it it will turn over but wont fire. When i put the ignition key to the on position the fuel pump relay doesn't click on. The indicator relay also doesnt flash (they are just on). This problem will go away eventually and the car will start but then as soon as i try to pull away (or put the indicator on) the car dies again and wont start? Any ideas what could be wrong? I've tried a different fuel pump relay. im thinking bad earth somewhere but dont really know where to start looking!
Any help most appreciated.
A:
Just as an update. I've just been having a look at it and it seems i have no spark, indicators, horn or fuel pump relay working. Any ideas what could stop all these relays working??
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oh yea, and i had it running for about 10 mins, but as soon as i clicked the indicator on and the relay flicked over, the car died and nothing has worked since! it seems that that is what is killing it.
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is there an imobiliser on the car? or an old alarm?
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yea, its got a clifford concept 50 or something like that. that shouldnt stop the indicators or horn working though. That was the first thing i thought might be the cause but that seems to be working as it should. Is there any way i can test it??
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What is it? If its a GTI 8v digifant, clean up all your battery/alternator/starter wires. I had this on my GTI when my gearbox earth was poor. I would turn the key, get a loud 'click' then nothing. Worth doing all the above even if it isn't a digifant 8v
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i always forget all the vital info. Its a 1989 8V digifant. It has had earth problems before (about 5 or 6 years ago) so that i think thats where i'll start, the gearbox earth did look quite corroded. cheers for the advise.
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ive got similar problems, mine has an old alarm on it too, is it wise to take every piece of wire out from the alarm???
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well, i've just spent a couple of hours checking the earth connections and cleaning up where it looks a bit old. started the car feeling all happy, then as i put it into reverse, it died. I''m assuming a relay flicks over when the reverse lights come on. Same thing as before, ive now got no spark, horn, fuel pump etc. I'm totally baffled. Any ideas or shall i get an electrician to remove the alarm??
A:
Theres no relay for the reverse lights, have you checked the battery light comes on with the ignition then goes out when the car is running?
It defo sounds like an immobilisor issue, either that or your engine earths are completly shafted
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yep, battery light comes on then goes out when i start it. the engine earths dont look too bad. I cleaned up the gearbox and battery tray earths yesterday. the earths on the rocker cover and rhs of the engine have all been apart within the last 6 months and where cleaned up at the time. i think even the earth strap from the rocker cover to behind the coil was checked when i did the heater matrix recently. Could it be anything to do with the earth connection in the boot. Where abouts is that one?
A:
Nah I doubt it, it would just mess up your rear lights. Its behind the passenger side boot card/carpet/foam though, certanly wont hurt to check.
I think its going to be an immobiliser fault from the symptoms you describe :(
If it has a control box you could try warming it with a hair dryer, in case it doesn't like the cold weather?
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The problem did start last thursday morning after we had had a night of reallly heavy rain! Also, since i have been pokin around the alarm has started to make its arming and disarming beeps again - which it hasnt done for 3 or 4 years! strange! How do i go about removing a proerly installed clifford. My brother just suggested chopping the control unit from the loom! A bit drastic?
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Well I'd start by having the undertrays off, and dropping down the fusebox. Get your torch out and follow all the wuires you can see, looking for where they have been chopped and spliced into the alarm
I found my main starter motor feed was chopped, and also the black wire from the coil to the TCIU unit under the rain tray as well. Actually I'd take the rain try off first and check the wiring under there!
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i had some problems a few years back with the wiring under the rain tray and replaced the cracked one with the high impact plastic cover. ya reckon the problem might be under there? could be a damaged TCIU unit?
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I think the TCI units are pretty bomb proof, but if your immobilisor is anything like mine they've tapped into the black wire between the TCI & coil. If water has been backing up under there it may have got into the wiring. Worth having a look, and while you're there remove the plugs to the TCI & ECU/FEI if you have one and check the pins look clean
A:
i checked the wiring under the scuttle tray, all seems to be in the same condition it was in a few years back but i had a good root around under there an couldnt see any breaks or worn wiring. Started the car again and all seemed good for a while, i had horn, indicators, everythind basically. then it all stopped. the power to the fuel pump relay seemed to be week, like not a solid relay noise but a wavey one! if that makes sense! so i started checking everything while it was broken, even the stabaliser valve isnt humming. If i try and use intermittent wipers it clicks a lot, and if i go for medium or fast wipe then the relay buzzes but the wipers dont go anywhere. The rear works if thats any consolation. Has anyone got any ideas what might be causing this chaos??? Im thinking its beyond me and gonna call out a mobile electrian soon.
A:
It sounds exactly like what was happening to mine when I had a dodgy earth to the gearbox!
Is your earth running to the mount bracket, or the later type where it runs to the rear gearbox -> engine bolt with a stud on the end? If its the 1st type I'd consider getting a bolt off a late MK2 or MK3 with a stud on it, and running the earth there.
Oh and I upgraded to passat battery cables, much chunkier!
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mmm, from memory cos its dark and cold out there now and ive just got all the grease out from under my finger nails. There is an earth running from the -ve battery terminal to the chassis leg immediately behind the +ve battery terminal (behind the washer reservior) then it runs down to a stud on the gearbox which is just to the rhs of the reverse light switch and under the pipes for the power steering. Seems i got both??? I cleaned up both these earth connections with some wet n dry paper and out it all back with lashings of LM grease. I suppose that doesnt account for the quality of the wiring inside the plastic or the soldered join at the ends as this is replaced wirew and not the original braided flat cable stuff. A previous electrician ran some thick brown cable everywhere where there was braided cable. some of the braided stuff is still in place. Ya reckon i should get myself a soldering iron and triple up on the earth runs?? how important is the one from the cylinder head to behind the coil as i did the heater matix a few months back and had that apart??