More Meriva glitches feedback.

Hi all,

So, not really had chance to get out and look at our misbehaving 2004

50k mile Meriva 1.6 8V as yet.

Recap, after neatly 2 years of fault free service, 3 weeks ago it wouldn't start (believed to be spinning over, just not starting). Apparently on the short journey home the ignition light came on and the instruments (temp, revs and speed) dropped out for a couple of seconds. Alternator charging ok, battery replaced anyway, actually runs fine if it starts and it generally starts when cold or hot but sometimes not when warm (spins over but doesn't even try to fire up).

Anyway, I did a couple of 10 mile trips today and during both said instruments were more off than on, the ignition light was on but the fuel gauge was fine.

Trip one was only a short stop so it restarted ok (engine still hot), Second stop was a good few hours (engine cold) and it started ok.

The ignition light seems to come on pretty quickly, well before the engine is at working temp even.

Tonight, I was monitoring the revs, volts and engine temp and whist sitting at some lights, I watched the rev counter and temperature gauges taking it in turns to work (a few seconds of each)! The same variables were constant on the Torque Pro App.

Now, I think I read somewhere the suggestion that the immobiliser might be in the instrument cluster and if that was so, and considering what I saw on the instruments, could that now point closer at the connector on the back of the instrument cluster? Is the info being displayed coming in over different actual wires, or are they sent intelligently / digitally via some sort of bus?

I've still got a long list of things to check (suggested by the panel here, Google and elsewhere) but I thought I'd just run this latest thing past you in case it helps point the finger. I believe to take the instruments out I have to remove the airbag / steering wheel and half the dash trim and I'd rather do that when the odds are pointing that way (and I don't need to use the car for a bit).

At one point on the way home I thought I saw a relationship between engine load and the instruments cutting out (accelerating knocked them out, engine braking brought them back on again, suggesting an engine loom / connector issue) but then it just seemed pretty random again. ;-(

Cheers, T i m

Reply to
T i m
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That doesn't sound like a loose connector to me. I'd expect them both to work or stop at the same time.

Reply to
rp

Quite, as would I (and why I checked here). ;-)

However, not actual *knowing* what goes on inside I could only try to form a conclusion based on what I was then observing.

(Based on all that and bits from the Haynes diagrams) it would seem possible that the likes of the fuel gauge could still be the old 'variable resistor in the tank' in that is doesn't seem to be affected by any of this (and that seems common to all who see this issue), plus I believe the ignition light (at least) is just a lamp / LED driven of the alternator but via the BCM (at least). Many of the other indicators seem to be behaving rationally, like the oil light came on as I was parking on a gradient yesterday (and the oil duly topped up).

Same with the handbrake and pretty well all the other straight 'indicators' that may just be laps connected to the loom (rather than being digitally switched by any bus etc. I may have that all wrong of course and they may well be intelligent).

But as you say and in this case, it doesn't look like the 'connector issue'.

Now that said, I'm still not ruling out an issue round say any CAN bus type connection as maybe that doesn't 'wet' the connectors like anything actually carrying a current might?

Now the instruments are more off than on, I might have a better chance wiggling the engine looms about whilst someone watches the instruments and see if I have a mechanical / cable fault anywhere (apparently not unknown especially amongst some Vauxhalls).

Cheers, T i m

p.s. A mate was saying that for some cars you can actually buy partial looms so that you can swap out say an end (cut n splice) that is known to go bad, rather than replacing the whole thing? ;-(

Reply to
T i m

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