Megane2 - complete electrical failure

If anyone is familiar with Megane electrics and likes a challenge - please read on and give some advice! My car is a 53plate Megane2 SportTourer 1.9Dci Was driving home the other evening and a few glitches happened. First, the power steering died - just momentarily but quite alarming when negotiating a roundabout! It did the same thing again a couple of minutes later -no error messages or any clue as to what happened. What the hell was going on?

30 seconds later the car was misfiring and the console now reported 'Injector Fault'. I pulled over, and the engine just died. Instead of the usual "remove card" or "press clutch or brake" message, the console went completely blank, then started flashing weakly and randomly. I removed and reinserted the keycard but the display remained stubbornly blank. The only thing working normally was the flashing alarm light.

I was unable to start the car, or put on the hazzard lights, or even switch on the interior light. All the electrics had apparently died apart from the alarm - I assumed that the alarm might have its own backup battery, so perhaps the main battery had died? A loose cable? A bad earth?

The AA man arrived. He assumed it was a bad battery or bad earth, but basic checks showed no problem, even though he couldn't start the car. And the battery has been absolutely fine - no problems prior to now at all. He attached a battery booster pack and suddenly the car was back to normal. But it was still fine once he removed the booster pack. At that point he gave up and offered to escort me home. The journey home was fine. My AA paperwork advises "no fault found - recommend taking car to garage."

I've since taken the car to a garage, some 10 miles away - again, no problem. The garage isn't a renault dealer, but is a renault specialist

- and someone I trust with my life- but they found no fault at all!

So - any ideas? So surely there's a cable fault somewhere - probably a break inside the insulation of a large cable that returns from the fusebox to the battery, or some similar main artery in the car's electrical system. Or could this be something related to the strange computerised electrics that cars rely on these days? If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, please let me know!

One possible clue - I've heard that water can get into a fusebox behind one of the headlights and cause problems, but Renault havea a sealing kit available. I haven't yet taken the car back to Renault to investigate this possibility, as the car is now out of warranty -but that's my next option.

I like the Renault - it's a lot of car for the money, but I do miss the reliability of the 11 year-old Honda it replaced!

Reply to
danosaur
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I'm not familiar with Renaults at all, but one question: Was it raining or did you go through a big puddle before it all died? If so, it may testify towards the issue with the fusebox behind the headlight.

Reply to
Sandy Nuts

It's probably worth your while getting the battery drop tested. A tyre and battery place should do it FOC.

Reply to
'arryB

You might have an internal battery fault. It's unusual but not unknown for the connections to the plates to fail, then "weld" themselves back on again.

Reply to
Duncan Wood

There was very heavy rain recently, but the car was fine in the few days following that rain. I'd better check out this fusebox to see if it's dry.

Reply to
danosaur

I'd be inclined to look for and suspect a fusible link if everything is dying. They're a lump on the main cable close to the battery - to prevent a fire if the cable before the main fusebox is damaged in an accident, etc.

For some reason they can go intermittent.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

"Duncan Wood" wrote in news:op.thqqis1qyuobwl@lucy:

That was my first thought. Slight drop in voltage and internal resistance going right up with a duff plate.

Reply to
Tunku

As the other posts said I would get the battery checked out pronto before you do anything else.

Dave

Reply to
gort

Definately sounds like a poor connection of main feed, or earth somewhere, finding it may be tricky. Check the fusebox for dampness first. You'll need to dismantle it to reveal the connections on the reverse to check them.

Tim..

Reply to
Tim..

I'd also look for a battery cable shorting to earth intermittently.

Reply to
Chris Bartram

I had that, but onw my car it occurred when I tried to warm start it, I hadn't long been driving but it had me foxed.

I would stop the car, unusually after a long/moderate drive, get out for

15-20mins come back and turn the key only for faint lights to come on, no engine turn or attempt, etc....

Give it a bump start (old fashioned Diesel) and it would run happy as a pig in poop for a few weeks...

Got the bugger in the end.

Reply to
Tom Burton

Yes.........?????

Dave

Reply to
gort

LOL... The battery.... ;-)

I'll leave the rest to your imagination.

Reply to
Tom Burton

Ok, its nice to have a follow up because if anyone googles the same prob in future then they may have a solution.

Dave

Reply to
gort

IF anyone googles regarding a megane electrical failure? --->WHEN!

Reply to
David R

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