3b s2 coupe resurrection

[andy10v]

And now it doesnt start

I HATE this car at times

I have a clifford alarm (came with the car)

Normally
to start if you unlock and start straight away the car starts. If the car has been sitting unlocked for a while you turn the key to the on position, press the alarm fob, the dash lights come on and then you can start the car. If you try and start the car without pressing the fob the alarm goes off.

Now
Nothing, no start, no alarm.

Battery is ok, lights etc all work so I assume the immobilizer has shat itself.

Pulled the glove box out





Under the drivers footwell



Just looks like a cluster**** of wires, scotch locks and insulating tapes.

There are bare wires hanging loose, OE wires cut into and not reconnected

As it was working before, and now doesnt I assume I might have dislodged something, or they have tapped into something I have broken the circuit on?

Sunroof motor
roof lights (still work, I plugged it back in)

I am booked on track for Sunday, so kind of need it fixed!

[K Simmonds]

Balls!

Looking at that mess I'd say you've found your problem, I had to remove the remains of three old alarms from mine, if you go at it methodically it won't take (that) long to sort out.

I think most alarm fitters are technically 'adults in need of supervision'

[andy10v]

I have never had anything to do with alarms.

I presume I find all the wires they have split and re connect them?

I take it they "break" feeds and then reconnect them through a relay?

[K Simmonds]

Yep, you've got it, just a case of removing the stuff that's obviously not supposed to be there and joining the OE wires back together using their colour codes as a guide. You may find you need to add some short sections of wire or the ends may well just join straight back together, depends on how much effort the fitter made. Almost all alarms/immobilisers break two or three circuits, normally starter exciter, fuel pump and/or low tension ignition.

I've had to remove alarms on many vehicles including all of my current cars, the longest ones taken me work out is 1/2 an hour, but doing a tidy job of putting things back normally takes a couple of hours with a soldering iron and heat shrink.

[andy10v]

Ok, I will go have a look.

Thanks

[irishs2]

SHould that multipin connector in the top photo be plugged into the alarm? Why is there a brown mark on that connector ? Is it dirt or burnt?

[newsh]

Usually it's the fuel pump circuit that fails as the stupid little connectors and relays are not up to passing the current. Somewhere on here are some pics of the several kilos of wire and mystery boxes I removed from mine. Get rid of it all, just be methodical and you'll be fine.

[newsh]

SHould that multipin connector in the top photo be plugged into the alarm? Why is there a brown mark on that connector ? Is it dirt or burnt?

Yes, that long white multipin looks exactly like the one that plugs into the alarm (unless it's just left over from a previous install/bodge up)

[Error404]

What are you lot on about? That's a quality Thatcham install, one of the better ones I've seen actually. Nearly by the book I'd say, maybe if they'd used more scotch locks id give it the perfect 10.

Rip it all out Andy, like Kit said it won't take long to get it running, takes longer to tidy it up

You can't blame the poor car for that kind of electrical butchery.

[Nuvo]

That looks like you have an old Clifford G4 alarm installed by a barbarian.

Yes, the white multipin connector shoud be plugged into the black metal alarm box. I don't think that relay with the ridiculous number of crimp connector attached to it looks part of the standard install ( I don't remember ever seeing this on my car when I had the dash out).

[andy10v]

Fixed it!



Another bit of quality wiring (where they took the main feed from)



So after being scared of it, really a peice of piss to remove.

Thanks to Kit for the walk through

Tomorrow I will properly join and heat shrink the joints, I just twisted and taped them to check it would start.

I still have 2 wires on each side going into the door area, I presume central locking? I will check colours tomorrow.

[andy10v]

Cheers guys.

It does seem like a lot of wires that really do **** all!

[andy10v]

Any suggestions for a new alarm? (remote locking is nice, and immob beneficial for insurance?)

Toad/Sterling one is recommended in a thread on here

http://www.southerncarsecurity.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&path=95_75_35&product_id=71

[K Simmonds]

Nice one!

The two wires each side may just be the the feeds from the ultrasonic sensors, which will be run inside the A-post trims, otherwise they'll be trigger connections T'd into the central locking wires, normally just inside the doors themselves.

That's another couple of kg's shod.

Edit. Yes a lot of wires and ****** for F all.

If you want you car to be impervious to thief's, the best bet is to come up with a hidden switch or two of your own, I always pull my fuel pump relay if I park somewhere slightly dodgy.

[andy10v]

Car survived another day at Knockhill



Wet track at the start, I spun off coming out the hairpin (by sinking the loud pedal) and slid into the tyre wall backwards Just tapped the bumper though, no damage fortunately. Quattro came in handy for driving back onto the track, no tow needed

Boiled the brake fluid again, which was exciting! Was working perfectly, then on a cool down lap the pedal just went to the floor before a bend, so grabbed the handbrake and slid round the bend and fishtailed down the straight, it was enough to scrub speed, but a brown trouser moment!

The car is running rich, and was sometimes missing at low RPM WOT, drive higher RPM WOT and it was perfect (so was fine on track ), it seemed to get better the more you caned it? It had been sitting for 3 weeks. I checked for boost leaks the night before, all ok, no fault codes.

Great fun day out Last track day of the season, so fixing/modding time for next year.