Strange Electrical Problem

[catherine]

Hello! Can anyone shed light on this? My ZX Aura is a K-reg. Three weeks ago, I was buzzing along the M3, when my radio died, my temp and fuel gauges went to zero, as did my rev counter, and the indicators wouldn't work. The lights remained on, the heater remained on, and the car ran as normal. On that occasion, it just so happened that my alternator had given up the ghost, and I've since had a new one fitted. However, this morning, the same symptoms arose - radio died, gauges died etc. Having had to slow right down in traffic, I accelerated away, and hey presto! Everything bounced back to life, and the car was fine. Clearly, these things were not caused by the knackered alternator. My battery has been tested and is fine. A regular problem is my radio - in the first ten minutes of any journey, every time I press the brake pedal or use an indicator, the radio goes off for a second and then comes back on again. This stops happening as the journey progresses. Spookily, today, the radio died at exactly the same point on the M3 as it had done three weeks previously! The car has an immobiliser, not fitted at manufacture, and has a disconnected alarm. Generally, she runs beautifully, but this electrical thing is getting to me. On occasion, I have noted that the heater does not get warm - for instance, in the really cold frosty weather, I'll start her up ten minutes before I want to leave, so that the heater can melt the ice and clear the windscreen. Sometimes, the blowers are still chucking out cold air when I go to leave, until I move off, and then the warmth suddenly kicks in. Most bizarre.

[techbod]

time for new antifreeze and thermostat and bleed the system as for the electrics? is the radio live when the keys are out? if yes you have a wiring problem which is affecting your fuses and other things, if its happening in the same place on the M3! its haunted :angry:

[catherine]

Hello! Can anyone shed light on this? My ZX Aura is a K-reg. Three weeks ago, I was buzzing along the M3, when my radio died, my temp and fuel gauges went to zero, as did my rev counter, and the indicators wouldn't work. The lights remained on, the heater remained on, and the car ran as normal. On that occasion, it just so happened that my alternator had given up the ghost, and I've since had a new one fitted. However, this morning, the same symptoms arose - radio died, gauges died etc. Having had to slow right down in traffic, I accelerated away, and hey presto! Everything bounced back to life, and the car was fine. Clearly, these things were not caused by the knackered alternator. My battery has been tested and is fine. A regular problem is my radio - in the first ten minutes of any journey, every time I press the brake pedal or use an indicator, the radio goes off for a second and then comes back on again. This stops happening as the journey progresses. Spookily, today, the radio died at exactly the same point on the M3 as it had done three weeks previously! The car has an immobiliser, not fitted at manufacture, and has a disconnected alarm. Generally, she runs beautifully, but this electrical thing is getting to me. On occasion, I have noted that the heater does not get warm - for instance, in the really cold frosty weather, I'll start her up ten minutes before I want to leave, so that the heater can melt the ice and clear the windscreen. Sometimes, the blowers are still chucking out cold air when I go to leave, until I move off, and then the warmth suddenly kicks in. Most bizarre.

[catherine]

time for new antifreeze and thermostat and bleed the system as for the electrics? is the radio live when the keys are out? if yes you have a wiring problem which is affecting your fuses and other things, if its happening in the same place on the M3! its haunted :angry:

 

 

Thanks, Dave - thermostat seems rather obvious, actually! Girl, see, didn't think of that! I have put some new anti-freeze in recently. I've suspected the actual radio for some time - my partner got it from a colleague for £20 earlier this year, as my last one died a death after only two years, from new. I can't play CDs, as any one I put in the thing jumps about like a nutter, and I get so annoyed, I just don't bother now. As far as I know, the radio is not live when I've got the keys out, but I'll check that this evening when I get home. As for the M3, I'd be surprised if it wasn't haunted! It haunts my every morning!

[techbod]

you want an Ipod it leaves the CD player for dead so tell huby to get a radio that has the plug in it for the Ipod :angry:

[catherine]

you want an Ipod it leaves the CD player for dead so tell huby to get a radio that has the plug in it for the Ipod :angry:

 

I've not got a computer, mate, so an iPod would be useless! One day, though.... Since yesterday, I've received various forms of advice on this problem, and it's looking very likely that it's an earthing fault. Hopefully, my man can sort this without us having to spend truckloads of money. You never know, the CD player might function properly again! The trip to work was a bit hairy this morning - the lights were on, but they were definitely a bit dim. I didn't put the radio on at all, deliberately, but, once everything decided to kick in again, it came on anyway! At least life is never boring!