Hello all,

As mentioned on a previous thread I have been having a number of issues with my new 1990 C2's electricals. I have recently had a few developments and would be extremely grateful for any advice and tips on how to get things working again.

The car has various symptoms:
Rear Brake lights don't function
Rear reverse lights do not function
Left hand indicator has started to click at double speed when on.
The car alarm very occasionally goes off when unlocking the car.

Story so far:
When on Donnington Park track day with some other Rennlisters I was informed that my brake lights were not functioning. This was 9 days after I had bought the car from a dealer so was a bit miffed but assumed an easy fix. The brake light housings and central rear light housing had visible water in it and therefore it was clear the seals had gone.
After replacing fuse number 19 the next time I looking into the car was with Frank, a fellow rennlister, and we spent a long time going through possible scenarios, swapping lights and bulbs in and out from his car and mind as well as even checking the brake light switch in the pedal box.
We did find a lot of water and corrosion in the brake light bulbs but no so in the reverse lights.
Therefore problem number 1: Without any visable water corrosion it seems as if the brake lights are not receiving power.
Secondly when we installed Frank's brake lights into my car they did not go on. This was after I had installed mine with a reverse light bulb which worked in the brake light momentarilly and then when turned on again it failed!
Therefore problem number two: The relay does not seem to be sending power to the brake lights. My specialist suggest replacing the DME relay? Would this work at all?
Thirdly there is the problem of water getting into the housing. I really do not want to have to pay the £700 or so to get all lights replaced especially as I think they still wont work (Having had Frank's glistening lights installed for a short period) and therefore need to seal it back up. The dealer suggested sillicone, where do you get hold of that!!

As my brake lights did work for a brief second my only last guess is that putting a reverse light bulb in the brake light socket combined with some corrosion has shorted the curcuit which has lead to no power from the brakes going to the lights. Reverse light is a similar mystery!

It is looking like my arguement for the dealer to sort it out is caput due to PPI not showing any of this up! I am happy to do the work myself or get someone to do it but any suggestions of where to start would be grately appreciated.

Many thanks for any advice,

Tom
P.s. sorry for the essay!

Hi Tom,
Sorry ro hear about your troubles.

Is the dealer refusing to fix this for you / most of the specialsts give at least a 3 month warranty? After only owning it for a few days, I think he should sort it out for you.

Re: Indicator - the speed will increase if a bulb has blown...have you checked?

Can't really help with the rest, but really feel the dealer should be fixiing it for you.

Good luck,
V

Hi Tom - go back to Roly and explain the problem. You do have 6mths warranty and all he can say is no....best case is he gets his tech to sort it at his cost...middle ground could be you having to put a little money towards it (hopefully not). I actually think it not coming up in the PPI strengths your argument for it to be done under the warranty as you would have asked it to be sorted if it had been flagged as an issue.

Hi guys, thanks for the indicator fix, sounds nice and easy. So far the dealer has refused to put any money towards any fixes, just offered the suggestion to replace the DME. His response was surprisingly poor on the matter:
QUOTE:

"There was nothing wrong with the lights upon sale and GT One did not note a problem because one didn't exist.

If you have water in the light units I would advise you remove them, dry them carefully (e.g. overnight in an airing cupboard or similar) and seal any obvious cracks between the lens and casing only with silicone. The rubber seals were deleted in models in later years and don't have any impact on water leaks. Jet washing the car is a good way of getting water into the lights.

A lot of expense went into preparing the car before sale based on your inspection which showed the car perfectly roadworthy. I don't intend to contribute to replacing any more components, whether *** thinks I should or not, although I'm happy to help you to fix the issue."

I do not really want to get into an arguement with dealers, just to find the solution, but I will go back to him when I think I have identified the problem in its entirity and get a contribution for the fix!

Many thanks,
Tom

I am gobsmacked to hear the dealer's response. He has a duty under the sale of goods act to fix faults (not including wear and tear) that occur in the first 3 months. There is no way he can say that a PPI exonerates him from any of this.

It sounds like you have given him the opportunity to fix the problems and he has refused to? In which case I would get the car to an Indy or at least an autoelectrician, get the problem fixed, pay them and then take the dealer to the small claims court.

BTW I doubt if water getting in to the lights is the issue - water gets in to them all the time - there are ventilation pipes from the engine that are designed to dry them out because of this. A proper auto electrician will find out where the issue is for you.

this might be a long shot but has the car had any water damage like when your sun roof drains fail and fill up the floor boards with water?

Tom, bearing in mind that my knowledge of electrics can at best be described as basic, I've been looking over the wiring diagrams and have found the following.

At least one rear light, the reverse lights, fog lights and number plate lights are all grounded at earth point XII or XIV. Which earth point is used is dependent on the car being LHD or RHD I believe. XII is found in the engine bay on the left side, just about level with the rear wheel arch and level with the bumper. XIV is found in the same position on the right side. I would find these, remove the bolt, clean up all the wires connected to it and the face on the chassis around the bolt hole. Put everything back and firmly tighten it down.

If I get time I'll try and find these earth points on mine and take a photo for you.

You've already said that your brake lights and reverse lights don't work. Check the number plate lights and fog lights (rear fogs need both the front and rear fog light ***** to be pulled out at the same time). If those aren't working either I would bet on one of those earth points being loose or corroded.

Fingers crossed.

p.s. If you want to talk to someone who knows a lot more about electrics PM Sten (Baz with the red C4 at Donington).

My 2 cents worth.............

I had a slightly similar issue, tail lights working, indicators working but no brake lights. Traced it to a wire that had chaffed through and was shorting. This was on the wiring loom on the left hand side of the engine bay underneath the relay box.

BTW, you can buy the tail light seals from Pelican Parts (no affiliation etc) and/or possibly you need to drill tiny holes in the bottom of the units. Sounds like a LOT of water.

Cheers

Good mornnig guys,
This all looks extremely helpful with a few good leads. I will look into them this evening and see what comes of the earthing issue, otherwise its off to an electrician.

Thanks again!
Tom

Left side earth point is between the coils:



Right side earth point is by the fuel filter:

Thx Boxsey!