simonlandy Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 Hi, new to defender ownership and loving them, apart from when it rains I lose indicators, fuel gauge, wipers and temperature gauge. When it dries out they all come back, can any of you knowledgeable people suggest where to start looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted November 29, 2023 Share Posted November 29, 2023 When more than one thing is acting weird it's usually the earths - check all the black wires, earth straps, etc. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmmv Posted November 29, 2023 Share Posted November 29, 2023 What @FridgeFreezer said. To elaborate a bit the earth point on the top of the bulkhead seems a prime candidate, also another on the RH side of the transfer case. Assuming pre-Puma. If you cast around internetly you will be able to download a manual of electrical diagrams and also the Defender Electrical Library. The points named in the wiring manual are often pictured in the Electrical Library so you can see exactly where they are. Lots of good reading material in there (for insomniacs). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve b Posted November 29, 2023 Share Posted November 29, 2023 As above, earth points are the primary suspect. The bulkhead earth point - either on the sloping face near the clutch pedal box or near the fuel filter on the BH just under the bonnet gutter. I usually add an earth from the BH earth point to the back of the engine to give the best earth return. The T/box earth is often missed when re-fitting the boxes after say a clutch change. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted November 30, 2023 Share Posted November 30, 2023 You could try taping over the bulkhead vent flaps and then running a hose over the windscreen for a while to determine if the faulty earth is inside the dash and you have leaky vent seals or if it’s under the bonnet. I rather suspect the latter. Look for a bunch of black wires connecting to the bulkhead near the clutch pedal box, probably covered in crud and rust. Remove the fixing, clean everything right back to shiny metal, smear Vaseline on all of the contacting faces, bolt it back together and add more Vaseline. That should fix it. Likewise if you find it’s a bad earth inside the dash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonlandy Posted December 3, 2023 Author Share Posted December 3, 2023 Thanks for all the advice, I've redone all the earths I can find, but still same issue, but I have found if I click the battery isolator off then back on it all works again. I'll replace this and fingers crossed it'll fix it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted December 4, 2023 Share Posted December 4, 2023 23 hours ago, simonlandy said: Thanks for all the advice, I've redone all the earths I can find, but still same issue, but I have found if I click the battery isolator off then back on it all works again. I'll replace this and fingers crossed it'll fix it. Buy a good quality metal one, the plastic ones are all varying degrees of junk. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb78 Posted December 7, 2023 Share Posted December 7, 2023 On 11/29/2023 at 10:17 AM, FridgeFreezer said: When more than one thing is acting weird it's usually the earths - check all the black wires, earth straps, etc. All he lists are on the same fuse (certainly on 200tdi and TD variants, not sure about others) if that makes any difference here? 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted December 9, 2023 Share Posted December 9, 2023 On 12/7/2023 at 11:17 PM, reb78 said: All he lists are on the same fuse (certainly on 200tdi and TD variants, not sure about others) if that makes any difference here? Hadn't realised that, that's another "common point" then - everything going back to that one fuse / feed would certainly make it suspect. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonlandy Posted December 17, 2023 Author Share Posted December 17, 2023 Problems solved.... New indicator relay was faulty and ignition switch dodgy so when I clicked the isolator off I then restarted it which must've made a better connection. Thanks for all the advice. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted December 17, 2023 Share Posted December 17, 2023 If it's a plastic isolator bin it immediately and fit a decent Hella one or a good clone - ISTR Goodwinch sell a decent clone for about 20 quid. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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