Auto VR-4 stalling - wierd

[russraff]

I have got a problem with my VR-4. It stalls intermittantly - you feel a very faint sudder, and all the traction lights come on: TCL off, SRS, ABS, a flashing skid light on the top right. If I flash my light when this is happening, the car completely cuts out. In addition, the clock keeps on going out, and the heater sometimes resets when I switch the car off.

Any ideas?

Russell

[Brind]

What happens if you blip the throttle when is starts to try and die?

[I-S]

Check the battery connections and battery voltage.

[Nick Mann]

Sounds like a loss of electrical power. The only way you lose the heater settings is unplugging it from the loom or disconnecting the battery. That fits with the clock losing the time.

Engine dying plus all the lights that come on at start up - got to be power related, surely? I would say alternator or battery.

[Big Ian]

could it be ECU failure?

[Nick Mann]

could it be ECU failure?

Why would that affect the climate control settings?

[Big Ian]

just a thought .....my uncle had a few prob's with his proton and all was sorted by changing the main ECU,i don't think he has climate-control though.
but the garage did say to him,the first sign of the ECU breaking up is with the clock re-seting it's self back to 0:00 and your pre-set radio station's would get lost when you start the car.strange thing was,if you only turnt the key to the 2nd position (without cranking the engine) the clock would display the correct time and your radio would still be on the channel you left it?

[russraff]

Well, I thought it was a battery/alternator problem, but an auto-electrician has looked at the car (still under warranty) and said he couldn't find anything? Surely he would have checked these items?

I should be more clear. There are three problems, all of which I think are related:

Firstly the clock intermittantly goes off, completely. When it comes back on again the time resumes from the last time shown.

Secondly, I will be driving along and the car will make the faintest of lurches. This is when all the lights come on.

Lastly, sometimes (all the time is either of the two above points are manifest) if I flash my headlights the car stalls. I dont mean that I loose power, the car stops. It is like I have turned the car off at the ignition - it is VERY sudden. The whole car judders. If I am going at some speed, the car will recover and carry on, but the lights from the second point are all on, so something is amiss.

And another thing, I have just had a Toad Cat 1 alarm fitted and it makes the strangest noise. Basicaly sometimes the alarm will not let me start the car - the car turns over and dies. After this, a noise like a rattlesnake (a relay going off/on very fast, perhaps) seems to come from the steering column and the alarm won't respond. The fibre optic is fashing red very fast. Strangely if I put my foot on the break, the rattle stops?!? In addition, the "lock" button should only make one beep but every one in three times there are three beeps even if the alarm has been working fine.

WHAT THE F**K IS GOING ON!!

Russell

[Big Ian]

if it has all just came about since you got an alarm.....i think i'd go see the folk that fitted it.
they may have tapped in to something they should'nt have?

[russraff]

No, this was all happening pre alarm. In fact, perhaps the alarm isn't working because of the other faults?

Russell

[Nick Mann]

Now I am truly confused!

The only problem I may be able to help you with is the clock. Mine was doing that when I bought it - I simply popped the clock out of the dash (it lifts out vertically with the cover, it is attached with 4 clips) and reseated the cable to it. The problem has not come back since.

If flashing the headlights is causing the car to stall, maybe you have a bad circuit through main beam? If the power drain is large then maybe other circuits are struggling?

I would go back to the alarm people for the alarm. I don't see how a dodgy alarm can be blamed on the car. Unless it is a battery/power thing.

[Physician]

Couple of things I would personally try, albeit I doubt the ECU is the issue.

1] Check the (Negative) battery earth connection to body frame - remove and retighten.

Now test drive and if not cured:

2] Disconnect battery to reset ECU.

[russraff]

Well, a couple of hours ago I poped out to get a chinese (chicken with chilli and garlic, if you want to know) and parked the car outside. When I came back, the car had died. The Alarm wouldn't work, lights weren't coming on - zip. I phoned my dad and he came round with some jump leads. As soon as the leads were hooked, the alarm fibre optic came back on and the car became drivable again. Now, is the only reason this would happen a shot battery, or can it be something more subtle. It seems strange that a car can drive fine and after 10mins is completely dead. Could a loose -'ve earth do this?

Russell

[Spirit]

Duff battery sounds like the favourite to me then - get the car to a battery place tomorrow and they can test if its knackered and not holding it's charge. Then fit you a nice new one if required

[Brind]

Could still be the alternator, but it does not really explain the Gremlin like problems.

An alternator can discharge a battery (IF FAULTY!!!) aswell as recharge the battery.
On my old car, the alternator was faulty, when the ignition was turned off the alternator would pull power from the battery discharging itself through the diode pack. When it was doing this, the battery light on the dash would glow faintly.. remember the ignition was switched off and the key was also removed.

Do your lights dim more than usual?

Do you have any problems starting the car?

Do you have proper functionality (lights, indicators, warning lights, horn etc) with the ignition switched on without actually starting the car?

If nothing is really dimming, you have a full on circuit problem, could be due to vibration and a loose connection, something could be chaffing due to vibration.
Could be anything and anywhere!!!!

I got something wet whilst washing mine a while back, I then had a funny indicator problem. It would indicate left constantly but stopped if you pressed the hazard light button, but doing that the right indicator stopped working completely!! so I removed the fuse to the indicators so I could at least drive the car without constantly indicating but the battery warning light on the dash came on and stayed on. :rolleyes5
Once dried out it was okay again... thank christ.

The perils of using the same wires for different circuits. :rolleyes:

[russraff]

Well, the clock kepps on going off, and sometimes as I click the indicator stalk down - that first switch - the radio skipps a beat. As if the mute button was pressed for 1/4 second. If I use the full beams when idling, and no other problems are manifest, the onboard instrumentation dims slightly.

I am checking the battery today, but I am very dissapointed the auto electrician didn't check this. Surely it would be one of the first things?

Russell

[-LegnumVR4-]

Sounds like something has been tapped into the cars wiring in the wrong place. Don't u UK guys have something hooked up to ur speedo before it gets on the road?

I would take it back to the dealer and tell them to keep it untill they fix it. Wouldn't put up with that, thats some crazy s&#t happening with ur car :rolleyes5

[russraff]

I think I may have found the problem, perhaps? I and a few mates had a look underthe bonet today at dinner. One of them asked me to start the car, which took some turning of the starter motor. When I got it started, they all said "Stop the car! Theres sparks and smoke coming from the battery!" Sure enough the black -'ve conector was very dirty and corroded. More importantly the connector has a very loose fit on the battery terminal. We cleaned up the terminal and the car has worked fine ever since and starts much more easily, too.

I must say this was such a basic thing, I didn't think to look at this myself. If the car has been checked over by an auto electrician, then they would have looked at this surely?

Anyway, I will drive about tonight for a bit and see if this has worked.

Russell

[I-S]

Kind of like I said...

It happened to me weekend before last, as the nut on the battery connection locked on the bolt and wouldn't tighten once I'd been playing with swapping the steering wheel. The connection wasn't as loose as you described, but the symptoms were slow idle (~500rpm), with the car threatening to stall when coming to a stop.

I had mine sorted for free by a garage and it's been fine since.

[Kieran]

Anyway, I will drive about tonight for a bit and see if this has worked.

Russell

If not, then try a new battery. I bet the problem IS the knackered terminals, but all that sparking/arcing/etc may have screwed the battery.