What a job finding this!!

BX Tech talk
Post Reply
AlanS
BXpert
Posts: 841
Joined: Mon May 16, 2005 9:53 pm
Location: Queensland, Australia

What a job finding this!!

Post by AlanS »

I've been chasing an electrical problem for 3 months, but today, I found it..........by accident.

Here's the last of the story from another list for those who remember the start. (Too involved to go into it, but you should get the gist of it from here anyway.)

It took a lot of patience and as much good luck, but at last I nailed
it and you won't believe it.
When I bought this car, I had been told that it needed the engine
pulling out to fix an oil leak. The only leak I could find was near
the oil pressure switch under the intake manifold and it seemed to
leak intermittently, however of late, the leak has begun to get fairly
bad so I decided to replace it with a switch I had on hand. When it
was removed from the car, I found the top section that didn't appear
to be leaking was in fact loose and rattly and it seems that what was
happening was that the loose and almost ready to fall apart innards
were still working OK but as the car had dodgy mounts both top and
bottom which are now replaced, it seems (theoretically anyway) that
when the transmission would hang on, the revs of the engine would fall
enough to cause the oil pressure to drop far enough to activate the
switch. The switch internals would then simply short out lighting up
everything and setting off the dashboard siren as if the oil pressure
had totally failed. When the car was stopped and left for a while, the
pressure would drop, oil drain from the switch and everything return
to normal until the next time the transmission would hang on almost to
stalling point at which time it would again activate the switch,
sirens and lights, so I was diagnosing the electrical problem as
something associated with the performance of the transmission, when in
fact the loading up of the transmission was creating the problem with
the electrics.
The transmission is now about 98% right. It changes down every time,
is smooth as silk on the up changes but occasionally thumps on one
downchange. We found that apart from the cleaning of the filters and
adjustment of the kick down cable, the next most important thing was
using Castrol TransmaxM which is a D2 varient with a bottle of Nulon
G60 Auto transmission additive. We're still finding that even after a
few changes that the ATF is still going black after about 500 klms but
it has improved significantly since we began. That Dex111 certainly
causes some problems in these things.
Thanks to all who made suggestions in this, but this is one for the
memory bank for the future. It certainly was a weird one and hard to
diagnose.


Alan
By the time you're old enough to know it all, you can't remember why you were learning.
User avatar
Way2go
Over 2k
Posts: 7279
Joined: Fri Jan 13, 2006 3:15 pm
Location: RCoBerkshire
x 2

Post by Way2go »

Hi Alan, Glad you sorted it as these little mysteries always continue to niggle.
BTW What is this talk of a dashboard siren, is this a standard fitment? No mention of this in the handbook, just the pressure and STOP lights. :?
1991 BX19GTi Auto
AlanS
BXpert
Posts: 841
Joined: Mon May 16, 2005 9:53 pm
Location: Queensland, Australia

Post by AlanS »

Way2go wrote:Hi Alan, Glad you sorted it as these little mysteries always continue to niggle.
BTW What is this talk of a dashboard siren, is this a standard fitment? No mention of this in the handbook, just the pressure and STOP lights. :?
The thing that goes "deedawdeedawdeedawdeedawdeedawdeedawdeedawdeedawdeedaw..." when lights are left on or levels drop etc.
Real "character building" when it goes off on you and you have to drive for an hour with it doing that noise non-stop!!ImageImage



Alan S :wink:
By the time you're old enough to know it all, you can't remember why you were learning.
User avatar
Philip Chidlow
Over 2k
Posts: 11594
Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2005 1:08 pm
Location: Chelmsford, Essex
x 25

Post by Philip Chidlow »

I've only noticed it when I open the door with the lights left on! Maybe my 'levels' have never been low enough to set off an alarm!?

:?
• 1992 Citroen BX TZD Turbo Hurricane
• 2006 Xsara Picasso 1.6 16v
Geoffrey Gould
BXpert
Posts: 546
Joined: Sat Jun 25, 2005 7:26 pm
Location: Bristol.UK.

Post by Geoffrey Gould »

Hi Alan glad you have found the little beast, it exsersizes the little grey cells, sometimes a little too much. hope everything is OK or at least bearable weatherwise.
all the best.
Geoff.
PS.
Had some bus's from a bus company and they were loaded with micro switches on on all the hatches, engine covers and everything was alarmed, low water,oil etc. with age and wear the alarm "buzzer" would fire,it was loud enough to be heard the other side of the road. The drivers had a cure, it was simple, cheap and was a piece of cardboard wedged between the contacts of the "firing" relay. Silence.
st gilles

Post by st gilles »

I think I remember reading that its 'only' the Aussie and other exotic import venues that have the siren; as the warning lights are deemed to be 'difficult to see' in the known bright sunshine out there......I'm sure thats what was written. It made sense to me!
User avatar
Way2go
Over 2k
Posts: 7279
Joined: Fri Jan 13, 2006 3:15 pm
Location: RCoBerkshire
x 2

Post by Way2go »

st gilles wrote:I think I remember reading that its 'only' the Aussie and other exotic import venues that have the siren; as the warning lights are deemed to be 'difficult to see' in the known bright sunshine out there......I'm sure thats what was written. It made sense to me!
Alan, I had my recent red lights for water without any alarm but the alarm operates anytime for the lights. So I think st gilles's answer above is most likely true on this.
1991 BX19GTi Auto
AlanS
BXpert
Posts: 841
Joined: Mon May 16, 2005 9:53 pm
Location: Queensland, Australia

Post by AlanS »

I think I've heard this also. I still have the deeedaaws if I open the door with the lights still on.
WE also have a high mounted stop light over here that sits at the top of the opening of the hatch (and scalps everybody who forgets its there) which I've heard they don't have in Europe.
As regards reading instruments on the dash, it is impossible to see the speedo on a BX from 11 am to 1 pm every day due to reflection from the sun, so to have a siren to compliment the lights is very feasible.


Alan S
By the time you're old enough to know it all, you can't remember why you were learning.
jeremy
Over 2k
Posts: 2112
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2005 2:58 am
Location: Hampshire UK

Post by jeremy »

Interesting. Wonder how its connected to avoid the alarm sounding when the car goes through its warning light test when the engine is started?

Pity they don't provide a mute button as fitted to aircraft and industrial machinery so that the pilot/operator can concentrate on sorting out the problem!

jeremy
Geoffrey Gould
BXpert
Posts: 546
Joined: Sat Jun 25, 2005 7:26 pm
Location: Bristol.UK.

Warning light test?

Post by Geoffrey Gould »

Hello excuse me from asking what may seem to be a silly question but I was never aware of a test of warning lights, would you be so kind as to illuminate me please. Have had bulbs fail and nothing has happened by way of any kind of warning.
Thank you.
Geoff.
jeremy
Over 2k
Posts: 2112
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2005 2:58 am
Location: Hampshire UK

Post by jeremy »

When you turn the power on, rregardless of the accumulator pressure etc the hydraulic light comes on as does the water level light (as well as the stop light and of course the ignition warning light and the oil pressure light.) They all stay on till the oil pressure light goes off then if their sensors indicate that all is well they go off. The water level doesn't mysteriously drop and rise again!

The handbrake warning light of course should be on when you start the engine - so if you have a full house when you start - all are working!

jeremy
Geoffrey Gould
BXpert
Posts: 546
Joined: Sat Jun 25, 2005 7:26 pm
Location: Bristol.UK.

Warning light test?

Post by Geoffrey Gould »

Thank you jeremy I was going in the wrong direction by thinking that there may have been an audable or visual indication of a warning light bulb failure, I was told that the 2 "too late" high water temperature lights ( bottom right of display.) should light up when the ignition was turned on and go off when the engine starts. All bulbs have been changed but they have never lit up.
An XM I had had a test button you could push to test all the warning light bulbs.
Thinks how easy would it be to do the same to the BX. Ile think on that one.
Cheers.
Geoff.
User avatar
Way2go
Over 2k
Posts: 7279
Joined: Fri Jan 13, 2006 3:15 pm
Location: RCoBerkshire
x 2

Post by Way2go »

The high water temperature light does not light up for the test and only illuminates for over temperature. (Sorted Quickly!) Don't know about the amber temperature light though as mine has the guage so believe is not fitted.
1991 BX19GTi Auto
st gilles

Post by st gilles »

CX has the same 'test' facilityas the XM obviously inherited from the CX ....thankfully without the siren for the Aussie cars lol...
Geoffrey Gould
BXpert
Posts: 546
Joined: Sat Jun 25, 2005 7:26 pm
Location: Bristol.UK.

Light test.

Post by Geoffrey Gould »

Thank you gentlemen that clears up a little bit of miss-information about all the lights lighting up at the ign. position.
Cheers.
Geoff.
Post Reply