Earth connections - location please

michbelle

Member
Hi all,
I'm a little disappointed that a trip to a local auto electrician has not cured my ongoing ailment; engine is still cutting out when headlights are switched on.

I found the earth strap at the rear of the headlight and removed, cleaned and reconnected it.

The guy who has looked at the car is "very,very concerned" about the wires dangling in the passenger footwell that appear to have been cut.

I have no idea and will post some images tomorrow.

In the meantime could I find the location of other earth points so that I can crack on with cleaning them up?

Cheers, Michel
 
Hi all,
I'm a little disappointed that a trip to a local auto electrician has not cured my ongoing ailment; engine is still cutting out when headlights are switched on.

I found the earth strap at the rear of the headlight and removed, cleaned and reconnected it.

The guy who has looked at the car is "very,very concerned" about the wires dangling in the passenger footwell that appear to have been cut.

I have no idea and will post some images tomorrow.

In the meantime could I find the location of other earth points so that I can crack on with cleaning them up?

Cheers, Michel

I would be disappointed that an "auo electrician" could not trace the problem.

It is unlikely to be "another earth" as such, the only other main earths are the ones that earth out the engine to the chassis and the one for the wiper motor,

But even a bad earth would not ALWAYS cut the engine when you turn on the lights and I think you are saying that it does.

Are you sure he was a decent auto electrician? If so how come he was unable to determine what the wires were for in the footwell.

Perhaps I am not being fair but he was unable to even help a little with the problem and could not tell you what wires that were dangling were for, but said he was concerned about them?

A second opinion might be in order, or is this costing you big bucks?

Steve B
 
This guy came to the house, spent 4 hours prodding, poking and pulling and told me what I already know:
someone has encountered a (probably serious) problem with the car and instead of getting it fixed has gone around the car snipping wires
and disconnecting sensors.
All I can say is that for the last 4 years she has run reasonably well, requiring only minimal time and effort.
I have had problems starting her every winter that I have owned her and bought numerous batteries only to find that the batteries were all fine, never faulty.

I don't know just what to do or where to start, I was going to locate all earth points today and give them a clean (again) then go through the fuses (again) then remove the headlights (again) and probably end up on here later while scratching my head and cursing the previous owner of my poor car.
 
Does the starter motor spin up quickly or does it sound slow when you are starting it? Does the starter motor start clicking and then nothing ?

If you have had to replace batteries and yet they were all ok then that indicates a possible alternator problem. It is a shame the auto electrician didn't check that.
Of you get it running take it to a local garage or quickfit or similar and ask them to check the charging circuit and alternator.
That might be the cause.
Steve B
 
I think you need to look again at the attempt to post photos - at the moment, it seems you're just sending links to locations on your computer.

To post photos on here, you really need to link to an online photo host, such as Photobucket or Flickr where you've uploaded your locally stored photos to.

Cheers,

M.
 
It is even easier than that, just click on the "insert image" icon and switch to the "from Computer" tab and you can upload them directly from your computer and no photobucket or Flickr needed !!

It works very easily and I was so pleased when I found that.

Steve B
 
Fingers crossed

I think finally the problem has been solved;
the positive connection on the battery has a secondary connection which had never been looked at because it sits inside a plastic casing.
The casing was opened to reveal a slightly melted bolt that provided a very loose connection.
It has been cleaned up (it was coated in a waxy film) and replaced with a spring washer to ensure a good connection.
We have been for a spin and for 50 miles I had a fixed and very silly grin.

One point to mention is that without the secondary positive connection the main positive on the battery is useless, it does not work without the secondary device.
I have hopefully now solved the problem.
 
IMG_2695.jpgIMG_2699.jpgIMG_2716.jpgIMG_2702.jpgIMG_2703.jpg
 
I think finally the problem has been solved;
the positive connection on the battery has a secondary connection which had never been looked at because it sits inside a plastic casing.
The casing was opened to reveal a slightly melted bolt that provided a very loose connection.
It has been cleaned up (it was coated in a waxy film) and replaced with a spring washer to ensure a good connection.
We have been for a spin and for 50 miles I had a fixed and very silly grin.

One point to mention is that without the secondary positive connection the main positive on the battery is useless, it does not work without the secondary device.
I have hopefully now solved the problem.

Fantastic news and what a relief.

By the wAy the "main" positive lead goes directly to the starter motor. That is its main function.
It is the "secondary" connection that provides the power for everything else

Glad you are all sorted.

Steve B
 
can't believe I have paid 2 people to sort this problem out and neither of them has bothered to open that casing

As I said earlier, the guy did not seem to be as good an Auto Electrician as he should be, the rule for electrical problems like that is to ensure that the power is connected properly first!!

But SO glad yours is now sorted.

Steve B
 
I think finally the problem has been solved;
the positive connection on the battery has a secondary connection which had never been looked at because it sits inside a plastic casing.
The casing was opened to reveal a slightly melted bolt that provided a very loose connection.
It has been cleaned up (it was coated in a waxy film) and replaced with a spring washer to ensure a good connection.
We have been for a spin and for 50 miles I had a fixed and very silly grin.

One point to mention is that without the secondary positive connection the main positive on the battery is useless, it does not work without the secondary device.
I have hopefully now solved the problem.

Can anyone tell me where the secondary connection is as I have a problem with my wife's tdi
Thought it was the battery so replaced the battery only for it to go flat a week later so got a alternator and changed that to find that there is 14 volts coming from the alternator but when I checked at the battery I only have 12.8 volts so the battery still only lasts week even after changing the alternator so was thinking that this connection may be the problem
Cheers Gary
 
Can anyone tell me where the secondary connection is as I have a problem with my wife's tdi
Thought it was the battery so replaced the battery only for it to go flat a week later so got a alternator and changed that to find that there is 14 volts coming from the alternator but when I checked at the battery I only have 12.8 volts so the battery still only lasts week even after changing the alternator so was thinking that this connection may be the problem
Cheers Gary


It is just that there are TWO leads on the positive terminal of the battery and some people only check the main one.

Steve B
 
I checked the two off them that go to the positive side off the battery but still only get over 12 volts the now but know that after a couple of days that it will go down as it is not charging the battery right
I done the same test on my tdi and had 14 volts at the alternator and at the battery
Must be something wrong somewhere as it was ok until this started happening about a month ago
Cheers Gary
 
I checked the two off them that go to the positive side off the battery but still only get over 12 volts the now but know that after a couple of days that it will go down as it is not charging the battery right
I done the same test on my tdi and had 14 volts at the alternator and at the battery
Must be something wrong somewhere as it was ok until this started happening about a month ago
Cheers Gary


If you disconnect the battery and touch the connector to the terminal do you get a reasonable spark? If so then you might find that something is draining the power even with the ignition off.

Steve B
 
Just get a small spark when touching the terminal but still only getting over 12 volts and not 14 volts on the battery
Like u said maybe a drain somewhere but can't see anything obvious so may be the main cable that comes from the starter to the battery which is a nightmare as u know most of it is hidden
 
About voltages. When the car is running and the alternator charging, you should get 14, or actually 13.8 volts at the alternator and at the battery. When the car is turned off, you should get 12 volts or slightly over 12 volts at the battery. That's just how lead acid batteries work.
 
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