electrical problems

[Deface]

Hello, I have 1992 200tdi 90, and the other week it started turning over really slowly i wasnt too worried at this piont as i knew the battery was on its last legs so i replaced that and it still turns over slowly and takes forever and a day to start, i was thinking down the lines of the starter motor dying but i replaced this a few months ago, is there anthing else i could check??

Also i have fitted 6 extra lights (unsure of wattage) and wired them to come on with main beam, but now every time i put them on main beam my radio cuts out, and ive been told my tailights do the same thing, any suggestions?

cheers

ethan

[outdoor_ian]

Hi

The slow starting does sound like the starter is on its way out, did you replace it with a good new one or second hand?

If you wait for the glow plug relay to go through its complete heat cycle (after you hear the click) then turn the vehicle over is there any difference in cranking speed?

[Deface]

Hi, thanks for your reply i did replace it with new/recon one from a motor factor, it doesnt turn over any quicker when i wait for the glow relay to switch off but obviously it turns over for a less amount of time before finally bursting into life. I do think i need to change the glow plugs (even though they are a year old) as it takes ages to start from cold but after a run it still turns over slow but fires quicker. What also is happening is that when i trun the key it starts off turning over slow but then gradually speeds up to normal.

Any help appreiated

ethan

[dwappat]

Hello, I have 1992 200tdi 90, and the other week it started turning over really slowly i wasnt too worried at this piont as i knew the battery was on its last legs so i replaced that and it still turns over slowly and takes forever and a day to start, i was thinking down the lines of the starter motor dying but i replaced this a few months ago, is there anthing else i could check??

You could carry out a voltage drop test along the starter circuit and back through the body of the starter motor where it earths through the engine block and back to the chassis through an earth strap. This could cause the starter to run slow. Try this website as it shows you how to do a voltage drop test. http://www.aa1car.com/library/voltage_drop_testing.htm

Also i have fitted 6 extra lights (unsure of wattage) and wired them to come on with main beam, but now every time i put them on main beam my radio cuts out, and ive been told my tailights do the same thing, any suggestions?

Have you used a decent sized relay and correct fuse to switch the lights on?, or have you just wired the auxillary lights direct to the main lights? If the latter then i'd advise wiring through a relay or get an auto electrician to wire them up for you. It could be pretty dangerous if you've wired them up direct. It's all ohms/watts laws, get it wrong and it all can get a bit heated or random as far the wires are concerned. (unless your main lighting circuit fuse pops, thinking about it:-)

[LandyManLuke]

It sounds like you've got a high resistance connection somewhere, this would explain the radio dropping out when the lights are on, and the slow starter.

I would check all your earth cables first, but also the supply side of the wiring too.

[errol209]

It sounds like you've got a high resistance connection somewhere, this would explain the radio dropping out when the lights are on, and the slow starter.

I would check all your earth cables first, but also the supply side of the wiring too.

The only things all these circuits have in common is the big red cable from battery positive to the big stud on the starter motor, the connections at each end (since the rest of the car is powered from the stud on the back of the starter too) and the earth from transfer box to battery. You haven't mentioned the "smoking handbrake cable" issue, so I'd guess it isn't the earth side.

Try checking the big red cable out for cuts, scrapes, dodgy connections to eyelets and battery clamps. It should be the thickness of a little finger and typically runs in a corrugated plastic duct above the chassis rail, so you might find it easier to whip the floor up. Happy hunting!