Wife complaining of an electrical problem

sotal · Post by **sotal** » Tue Dec 06, 2016 7:15 pm

2 days ago my wife said that when she came to start the bongo nothing happened. No lights on the dash etc. She turned it off and back on again and got the same. Tried once more out of frustration and it was suddenly all fine and started perfectly.

It carried on working fine. She has just come to go out in the bongo and has come back inside to say when she turned the keys on the electrics were all flicking between on and off with a relay clicking. After a few seconds it all stayed on properly.

It sounds to me like a worn out relay? Am I looking down the right lines? Any other suggestions? If it is a relay, any ideas which one?

Thanks!

Post by **g8dhe** » Tue Dec 06, 2016 8:05 pm

Sounds more likely a dodgy battery terminal connection, check the the two terminals, remove and clean them and also the -ve connection down the the chassis itself from the battery.

mikeonb4c · Post by **mikeonb4c** » Tue Dec 06, 2016 8:11 pm

Thank heavens for Geoff. For a minute there i thought your wife might be an electrically powered robot.

Agree with Geoff about battery terminals being likely cause - the symptoms are typical of that. It'd be a brave man that ever disagreed with Geoff's electrical wisdom anyway

sotal · Post by **sotal** » Wed Dec 07, 2016 12:02 am

Thanks will check them out

the1andonly · Post by **the1andonly** » Wed Dec 07, 2016 12:06 am

I suffered the same
" Wife complaining "
and an electrical problem
I was there to suffer both and the RAC, man changed a fuse and it started
real problem was the battery connection bus.
G is the man.
However on an audi A6 I had a strange problem which may not be possible on a bongo.
the starter motor relay takes its feed from the ignition on bulb, no bulb on, the starter wont turn.
The problem was a dodgy pcb making intermittent contact.

callum · Post by **callum** » Wed Dec 07, 2016 10:11 pm

Don't talk to me about stupid electrical faults.
I borrowed my sisters Daewoo Nexia (Astra mk2 replica) 10 years ago and was flummoxed when it just died whilst driving and wouldn't restart. Checked obvious fuses (i was only 20 at the time) nowt a problem.
Turns out that the immobiliser and the the cigarette lighter are on the same fuse. I had accidentally knocked a cheap in car phone charger and blown the fuse.
Why would they do that. Numpties.

Post by **Bongoplod** » Thu Dec 08, 2016 12:33 am

"Wife complaining of an electrical problem"

Well Im glad it was Bongo related and not something that didnt buzz enough

Post by **Bob** » Thu Dec 08, 2016 12:52 am

Brian!

Post by **Bongoplod** » Thu Dec 08, 2016 11:45 pm

Bob wrote:Brian!

Just sayin`...............

sotal · Post by **sotal** » Sat Dec 10, 2016 11:58 pm

Think it was the negative terminal. Given the fact that it just lifted off.

It was fully tightened but due to the taper I think it had worked its way up the terminal until loose.

Slackened it off, pushed it right down and retightened, fingers crossed it will stop playing up now!

sotal · Post by **sotal** » Mon Dec 12, 2016 11:22 pm

Carried on playing up today!

The negative terminal was nice and tight but today the positive was loose!

I checked it the other day when I did the negative terminal and it seemed fine, didn't want to pull too hard and loosen it but it didn't shift.

Now today it moved easily.

The only explanation I can give is that when it was playing up my wife has yanked on the cable to try and get it working and has loosened it?

I had the Bongo today when it played up, I got the following:

Key fob operated the alarm/central locking (Powered from main battery)
Put key in and turned, lights all came on the dash. Waited for glow plug light to go out, turned to start and all lights went out.
Turned keys off and back on and there were no lights on the dash at all.
Key fob no longer operated anything
Popped the bonnet.
Checked the negative terminal (nice and tight)
Checked the positive terminal - as I touched it I heard a click so went and started the engine up

Any reason why the terminals should become loose?

Bongolia · Post by **Bongolia** » Mon Dec 12, 2016 11:39 pm

If its a ring clamp type , it sounds like it is, have a look when fully tightened that there is a gap between the loop of the clamp where the bolt passes through. Sometimes they can stretch and the clamp bottoms out here so stopping it from ever clamping up properly.
A dodge on this is to release and remove the clamp and shove something between the clamp and the terminal before clamping back up again or drill down between the post and the clamp when loosened and screw in a small self tapper then tighten up
Else change the clamp.

Wife complaining of an electrical problem

Wife complaining of an electrical problem

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