hello people, im driving my bros volvo again and want to fix a few problems on it as thanks for letting me use it, also to try an keep him from scrapping it as hes getting pissed off with it i think its a great car!!
basically.. if the lightsare off the dash is fine, you indicate and the green indicators lights on dash are fine.
when i turn the lights on many of the warning lights (fog/rear screen heater etc) all come on very dimly and then when i indicate they all seem to flash opitie to what they should??
it used to be fixed temperarily by hitting the top of the dash above the dials but this no longer works!
im thinking, maybe a lose earth? maybe a wire has rotted throgh and is totching earth? please help!!
yeah sounds like a loose earth somewhere - to be honest the easiest option is probably just to replace the whole unit - you can swap your speedo in to get the milage right and bobs yer uncle
Could be a loose earth in the main loom either tbh, but most likely is the multiplugs are getting a bad contact. Pull them off, have a look to see if they are corroded, and make sure they are high enough to get contact.
It does sound like an earth fault though, I'll have a look at the schematics later, see if I can spot any obvious places.
cool thanks for that, i dont think replacing the unit would have any differant effect to just taking this one out and cleanign connections, enless its an internal electrical fault.
the 12v in from indicators/lights just seems to scramble everything on it, sometimes the water temp warning light flashs red and all sorts. as if the 12v is not only going to the correct warnign light but half the rest to! the back light does not work either.
think plan of action is to take it out and inspect and put back and see if it fixes it, failign that scrappy and a new cluster! maybe one with a rev couner this time!
the cars on 117k miles so is pretty nakerd but holds some sentimental value as has been owned by my mum an now my brother for almost all its life (coming up to 100k miles) so gonna do my best to keep her running on!!
but you have probly serviced your car!! and i expect you have changed all the dampers?? my bro had the car about 2 years and then thought wow its just dont 100k miles, i think i might change the engine oil... lol
hes a landrover man and its just a car to him so i think its a pretty legndary way to keep a car! but im going to try an get him to do some much needed work and get it back to a good condition, the engine is nothing compaired to what it used to be (1.4L) 2nd gear does not like revving to more then 45mph i remember pushing it to 60 in 2nd with no probs (half the reason why its bit nakerd now). i think this is due to poor carburation as i dout a carb is going to last much more than 100k with out some servicing?? and its also very bad when cold sometimes stutters and really does not like pulling away!
but dispite this i think its a great car and well worth saving! so its staying but i would like to see a bigger engine put in to aid the over steer lol.
any further help or ideas to the exact prob greatly appritiated and would a dial set with a rev counter go striaght in and work?? or would i need a coil wire??
Heh, you're right, I bought it at 170k as a non runner, and had it for parts until circumstances made me get it running.
What year is your car? All later ones the rev counter will just drop in, I have a couple here if you can't find one. As for it not running, has it had a new dizzy arm and cap lately?
its F reg, that makes it fairly new dont it?? i have no good places to get rev counter from so if u can supply one i will paypal you a tenner??? all scrap yards here cube anything older than M reg
yes new dizzy, it feels very much fuel related as when u put ya foot down it stuters for a bit and everything it does seems to point towards either badly set up or nakerd carb.
i think it needs a 2.0L 16v renault engine myself as my research has lead me to believe these would fit up against a 1.7 clutch/bell housing. needs more looking in to yet but i think that would be a good start as then it would be all injected an no need for then nakerd carb. tho i am a carb lover! carbs do wat they say on the tin! injection dont!
i said about the dampers cause these ones are more than fvcked!! hopefully it will get a new set sometime soon!
have to let me know about the dials there an if they would fit, also if the mileage would be easy to unscrew and put in to new dials, kinda prowd of the 117k!!
Cool on the rev counter, send me a pm with your address. I'll just can either send you the entire cluster, or just the rev counter, it's dead simple to swap either the rev counter into your set, or the speedo into my set.
As for the engine running, look at teh sticky in the engine section (1.4 running shakey etc etc), sounds like it could be the air filter housing
It could be a bad connection with the multiplugs behind the dash. I had a similar problem a while back. When the lights were on, all the dash lights became inverted. I didn't get the indicators interfering though.
The problem was worst in damp conditions, but fixed itself somehow. Sometimes blowing the horn fixed it...
You're getting current going where it shouldn't, which is most likely due to a poor ground. A fresh cluster (just in case), and a clean up of the local ground points to the chassis should sort you out.
yes that inverted thing sounds just like it but the more lights are on the worse it gets, i will get the dials out an see what i see an clean everything up.
its definatly not lack of use as it gets used pretty much everyday an has been for last few years. also it started last 2 winters ago but went away next summer then started again last winter and didnt go away! si must be damp somewhere!
Its a faulty connection on the multiplugs behind the dash. Its happened twice on our cars.
What to do is remove the steering column cover so you've got access to the dash, then turn the car on and switch on whatever appliance is making the lights play up, whether it be the rear window demister, rear fogs or whatever. Then give the multiplugs a wiggle, and presto the problem will probably disappear
A more permanent way is to take the dash out and clean the multiplug terminals with a cleaning solvent and also the dash connections themselves.
pettaw wrote:Its a faulty connection on the multiplugs behind the dash. Its happened twice on our cars.
What to do is remove the steering column cover so you've got access to the dash, then turn the car on and switch on whatever appliance is making the lights play up, whether it be the rear window demister, rear fogs or whatever. Then give the multiplugs a wiggle, and presto the problem will probably disappear
A more permanent way is to take the dash out and clean the multiplug terminals with a cleaning solvent and also the dash connections themselves.
yes you where exactly right! just wigled the connector and its perfect again, troubl;e is if i wiggle it rong it goes bad again so i think i will have it all out and do a proper job sometime!
i think its a great car!!
We'll get it fixed, it will be an earth fault, it's just tracing it.
I've found a spare one of those... lying on my desk 
