New MOT laws regarding dash warning lights & the Pug 306....

[Shredder11]

As some of you may know the MOT laws have been added to, so we are in line with the usual EURO crap. A common problem with Peugeot 306 cars is the dash warning light for the side airbags and seatbelt pre-tensioners. Often this is simply the wires underneath the front seats becoming worn and not connecting properly, and it can also be other wiring elsewhere around the car. The thing is the MOT in 2013 will be a fail on that one thing alone, and I expect it will for many other 306 owners as it is hard to find one that does not have the warning light on. I've read online of people taking their 306 back and forth to the main dealer and still not solving the issue.

So what do you good people here think of the new regulations in the MOT for April 2012 onwards, and how do you plan on making sure your 306 or whatever passes the MOT? Any ingenious ideas just in case the usual standard repairs like soldering wires together etc do not work? You could just remove the bulb but the tester may look for the bulb lighting up in the first place, and then going off after a few seconds.

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/ca ... -2012.html

[Xaccers]

Same issue under the seat with xantias.
The permanent fix is soldering the wires together, but if you want to remove the seat at any time in the future it might be worth using deans connectors.

[spider]

Its not difficult to use a 555 chip and wire it in so upon first powering up the ignition the required bulb illuminates for a few seconds then goes out. It might actually work with a resistor / capacitor combo too.

Although doing this is really a strictly get you through the MOT as its technically deceiving...

[Harlequin]

Xac

which wires need to be soldered?

[Xaccers]

Xac

which wires need to be soldered?

The issue with the Xantia is most often the connectors under the seat, they're orange push fit.
Disconnect the battery, let it settle for 10 minutes (no idea if that is needed but you don't want to accedently set off any explosives so better be safe than sorry), snip one set of wires, and by that I mean cut one on the car side of the plugs and the corresponding wire on the chair side of the plugs, slip some heat shrink on and solder them together.
Then repeat for the other two wires.

Of course the issue could be elsewhere, and a Lexia will tell you.

[DickieG]

Of course the issue could be elsewhere, and a Lexia will tell you.

Indeed, yesterday I replaced the ring around the steering column connecting the drivers airbag to the SRS loom on a Xantia.

[Shredder11]

Its not difficult to use a 555 chip and wire it in so upon first powering up the ignition the required bulb illuminates for a few seconds then goes out. It might actually work with a resistor / capacitor combo too.

Although doing this is really a strictly get you through the MOT as its technically deceiving...

I plan on approaching the problem from a few angles, so the other night I bought a cheap Chinese clone of the Lexia 3 / Peugeot Planet 2000 OBD-II kit for £64 inc' free shipping. This should hopefully work ok and tell me exactly which sensor to fix and where it is.

Plan B is the 555 Timer chip idea and after some Googling, it seems I need a monostable one shot circuit. Now I am a total n00b when it comes to electronics, i.e. I do not understand the theory behind it so I just need a circuit diagram doing for me and the components to assemble it myself. I suppose it will be best to connect it directly to the ignition feed rather than where the actual dash bulb is, otherwise the car sensor will keep triggering the 555 Timer circuit? Maybe something like this except with just one much smaller value resistor to give a few seconds instead of minutes? http://www.zen22142.zen.co.uk/Circuits/ ... 0timer.htm

[red_dwarfers]

That diagram does look a little more complicated than I remember 555s being. We had the monostable and astable circuit diagrams drilled into our heads at school (not literally), I can't remember them now though

Have a look at this which might be of help. It's a kind of interactive 555 Timer circuit diagram where you can change the values of the capacitor and resistor to see the effect on the time.

Not written by me I must add, I found it on the interweb.

[spider]

I did think perhaps just a cap and a resistor might do it, bulb stays on until cap is charged then goes off, trouble is upon switching the ignition off the bulb would probably light up for a few seconds on its own

[Peter.N.]

How about this.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MINI-SMD-TIME ... 84ba0fee8d" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Shredder11]

Thanks for the info and ideas so far. Where would you choose to connect the circuit; directly from the ignition power feed or using the wires connected to the existing dash bulb? I just wonder if using the wires from the dash bulb would mean the bulb lighting twice, or would one circuit sort of mask what the ECU is doing?

[Shredder11]

Just returning to the thread to bump it slightly, as I hope to be sorting this out during my week off later this month. The Ebay item mentioned by Peter.N. looks good because it seems to be triggered by one power event, if I have understood it correctly:

Principe of work:

When power is on, the relay is activated and keep that position, until end of set time.
By restart power supply - cycle repeat.

Spec and details from the Ebay listing:

Item Description

Time relay with accuracy from 1 to 40 / 90 / 145 / 430 / 660 seconds.( choice time of delay form drop down menu)
Dimensions:

- length - 22 mm
- width 20 mm
- height 23 mm

Wired with 10 cm wires:
Power: + RED, - WHITE. Have protection against reverse supply voltage.

Normally open contact - TWO Monochrome wires/ OJ and Not /

If you need a normally closed contact and use the Ob and Nzat terminals

Power supply - 12V DC

Relay: 15?/125V DC
15A/24V DC or AC
10A/250V AC

Time is adjusted by trimmer PR - 100K

Sun Hold website and datasheet

http://www.sunhold.com/product_2.php?SN ... 8&Vcode=23

http://www.sunhold.com/upload/prd1/23-3.pdf


Finally where exactly do I need to place this device? Behind the dash near the warning bulb light or somewhere else?


Thanks

[CitroJim]

I have to say this thread disturbs me slightly. It is a fix for the symptom rather than the underlying problem. The underlying problem is safety-related and the consequences could be serious.

Imagine you're in an accident and the airbag or seat pre-tensioners failed to trigger when they should have. Or, if the insurers inspected the car after an accident and found this 'modification' then I would imagine your insurance would be null and void.

You could be in a whole world of pain.

Play safe please and fix the underlying problem, not the symptom.

[Oldpug]

I have to say this thread disturbs me slightly. It is a fix for the symptom rather than the underlying problem. The underlying problem is safety-related and the consequences could be serious.

Imagine you're in an accident and the airbag or seat pre-tensioners failed to trigger when they should have. Or, if the insurers inspected the car after an accident and found this 'modification' then I would imagine your insurance would be null and void.

You could be in a whole world of pain.

Play safe please and fix the underlying problem, not the symptom.

I agree !! I`ve lost count how many I`ve done and its always the wiring under the front seats,especially when its a "family car" with things getting stuffed under and the seats always getting moved.All it needs is to replace the crap fragile wires and connectors with quality professional flexible wiring,clear the codes and reset the ECU.

[Shredder11]

I'm with you guys on this one, but I was very worried about the reports of people going to the main dealer time and again, and never getting it fixed. So how come the main dealer does not replace the wires and connectors with better quality ones, or clear the codes and reset the ECU? Is it a case of what people do not know about to ask for, they do not get? By the way, how long are the wires in question and where do they terminate?