Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[terry paget]

2.5 petrol manual estate
When indicators flash the rear lights dim in sympathy, and the reversing sensor beeps. The earth lead is easily pulled out of the loom socket. How is this best rectified?

[Doctor Gollum]

Pushing it back in?

That's to say that the retaining tabs were probably broken off by the same person that fitted that red wire

Any signs of corrosion on the bulb holder or the plug?

[Nick W]

Bend the locating tab so that it holds the lead into the socket as designed. If the tab is broken, reassemble the lead, plug and socket so that the circuit works. Then retain the lead in the plug with a blob of epoxy/silicone/whatever-your-favourite-sticky-snot-is on the back.


What is that household connector for?

[terry paget]

All the other leads are secure, just the brown earth lead pulled out easily. I cleaned socket and lead end with switch cleaner and pushed it back in, no change. The red leads are supply to the reversing sensor that has been there 3 years, while the poor earth is a recent phenomenon. I don't know how the other leads are located. If I knew I would locate the earth lead similarly. Would a suitable diameter wire wedge in the socket securely? I do not have a spare loom plug to strip and examine.

[Bigron]

Terry, I may have missed the point, but could you not re-terminate the brown wire with this?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/20PCS-0-187-4-8mm-Crimp-Terminal-Terminator-Female-Spade-Connector-Blue-TO/123562314437?hash=item1cc4e34ac5:g:BxgAAOSwh1haHGDa:rk:4:pf:1&LH_BIN=1&frcectupt=true

If you don't have a crimping tool, you could easily remove the blue sleeve and solder it on.

Ron.

[Doctor Gollum]

Again, what state is the bulb holder in?

[terry paget]

Again, what state is the bulb holder in?

I beg pardon, Doc. It had not occurred to me the fault might lie in the bulb holder. I've got it off, and it looks all right;  not quite sure how I test it. In the morning I will see if I have a spare.

[dave the builder]

it's not uncommon for the terminals to corrode ,or the bulb itself, making poor contact 

[Enceladus]

That wire terminal is similar to a fuse holder terminal for narrower fatter pins, probably made by Amp Tyco. So I doubt if a substitute 4.8mm blade terminal will make secure contact. So please don't cut it off?

The earth connection to the body is nearby the bulb holder, is it not? I would check for resistance between the brown wire crimp terminal and the body. Should be zero.

Is the above where the ground for the reversing buzzer and/or sensors connect to? Is it loose? Or a "household" wire splice gone bad?

And pull the terminal block off the bulb holder. Is the pin that the brown wire terminal pushes onto OK?
And is there continuity between all of the bulb grounds and that pin?

[terry paget]

That wire terminal is similar to a fuse holder terminal for narrower fatter pins, probably made by Amp Tyco. So I doubt if a substitute 4.8mm blade terminal will make secure contact. So please don't cut it off?

The earth connection to the body is nearby the bulb holder, is it not? I would check for resistance between the brown wire crimp terminal and the body. Should be zero.

Is the above where the ground for the reversing buzzer and/or sensors connect to? Is it loose? Or a "household" wire splice gone bad?

And pull the terminal block off the bulb holder. Is the pin that the brown wire terminal pushes onto OK?
And is there continuity between all of the bulb grounds and that pin?

[terry paget]

That wire terminal is similar to a fuse holder terminal for narrower fatter pins, probably made by Amp Tyco. So I doubt if a substitute 4.8mm blade terminal will make secure contact. So please don't cut it off?

The earth connection to the body is nearby the bulb holder, is it not? I would check for resistance between the brown wire crimp terminal and the body. Should be zero.

Is the above where the ground for the reversing buzzer and/or sensors connect to? Is it loose? Or a "household" wire splice gone bad?

And pull the terminal block off the bulb holder. Is the pin that the brown wire terminal pushes onto OK?
And is there continuity between all of the bulb grounds and that pin?

The earth connection for each bulb is made by the locating pins There is a good connection between the earth terminal of the bulb holder connector and the metal top plate of the bulb holder, against which the bulb locating pins are pressed.

[terry paget]

Thanks to all for advice. Fault is now cured.
As Nick spotted, one locating tag was missing from the earth lead, causing a poor connection. I found a spare bulb holder this morning, but it did not cure the fault. I made a secondary earth connection by wedging a copper wire between the plastic case and the metal top plate, fixing it there with araldite, and attaching it to chassis. Now all lights come on, and tail light does not dim when indicators flash.