Dead Xantia

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 08 Jul 2007, 19:39

Shaker,

Sorry, I have been away most of the day helping a pal swap a clutch in his 309GTi. I've only just seen your earlier post

Right, now I have the diagrams in front of me.

At the ignition switch, on the black connector you should see 12V continuously on pin 1. This is the supply straight from the battery. With the ignition on in the run position, both pins of the grey connectior should show 12V. These pins carry the main ignition switched supplies to the rest of the car. The Brown connector is only live when the ignition switch goes to the start position.

You may see 12V on the black connector only for it to disappear when the ignition is switched on. If this the case it points to a high resistance somewhere between the battery and ignition switch. Don't overlook the two big fuses in the engine bay fuse box. They are between the ignition switch and the battery.

Also, the whole problem could be a duff earth somewhere. Check the battery earth to the body and any earth points in the engine bay. A bad earth can give some very misleading symptoms.

In the interior fuse box, look at the list of fuses and see which show and voltage and those that don't. The Haynes BoL has a pretty comprehensive list.

With the ignition on, let us know where you see voltage and where you don't. From there, pinning it down will become a little easier.

andmcit · Unread post by **andmcit** » 08 Jul 2007, 21:49

shaker wrote:
andmcit wrote: They run from there down onto the lower
cross-member behind the bumper and along to the drivers side where
they cut up between the inner/outer wings and reappear just in the scuttle
area on the bulkhead onto a huge port of about 50 odd wires on the
mother of all multi plugs! This wont be seen easily as it lives under the
scuttle main trim and a splash trim that is a bit of a git to remove without
splitting it in two!

I spliced into a heavy grey feed wire here (there's a couple the same)
where they should be live - it's corresponding end pops up just beside the
top nearside edge of the radiator beside the battery. I used a needle
probe light that illuminates when it finds a current.

Andrew

Managed to get the splash trim out from under the main scuttle trim - you've guessed it, it was a pig to get out and it split in two - and can now see a forrest of wires disappearing into the bulkhead. I think your description of 'the mother of all multiplugs' is underestimating it!

Next problem is that although I can see plenty of grey wires, none of them are heavy guage.

I can see 3 white heavy guage wires and have checked these for continuity by removing some of the insulation and connecting a meter (switched to continuity) between this point and the feed from the battery. 2 of these check ok for continuity with the meter bleeping merrily away, the other shows no continuity. When I set the meter to show voltage and put one probe on the exposed wire and the other to earth, the 2 that show continuity each show 12.4v. However the one showing no continuity then shows 7v. How can it be powered up if it's showing no continuity? Unless the ignition end is live? I suppose I need to break the wire to check it properly?

I'm only guessing that these are the feed wires I should be checking, I'm assuming the offending wire will be heavy guage and these are the heaviest guage in there. There are a couple of thick brown wires in there (maybe 3) of slightly thinner guage, which I'll be checking next.

Any comments gratefully received!

Hi David.

You are indeed quite correct to say there are no grey wires.
MY POOR ADDLED MEMORY IS SHOT TO WHATUMACALLIT!!

There are 8 big bore wires that run through the centre core of the
right hand half of the multiplug! The top 6 in pairs are all live feeds
and run all the main circuits in the car BUT TWO ARE EARTH WIRES!!

There are 4 brown, two white and two green - IIRC the earths are
the white wires but don't quote me on this!!

If it's any help I do remember now it was one of the four brown
wires I spliced a new feed into.

Andrew

shaker · Unread post by **shaker** » 10 Jul 2007, 14:51

I think I've found it!!!

Started to test the thick brown wires, first 2 showed 12v but the third is showing nothing. Put a continuity test on and again nothing on the third wire.

Haven't cut the wire yet as I need to find some heavy guage wire to splice in, but I'll keep you informed. Here's hoping!

shaker · Unread post by **shaker** » 12 Jul 2007, 15:33

Well, got some heavy guage wire, cut the wire that was showing no continuity, attached new wire between the ignition side of the cut wire and the battery, turned the key and WE HAVE LIFT OFF !!!!!

Thanks to everyone for their help in tracing this, I wouldn't have managed it on my own.

One more question - I haven't managed to trace the fusebox end of the wire I've cut (there are a number of wires the same colour and they disappear out of sight all over the place) so I'm thinking of taking a feed straight off the battery. Obviously I will need to protect it with a fuse - anyone have any idea what value of fuse to go for?

Also, for information, I managed to solve the problem of the auto box locked in park before I solved the wiring issue. If anyone gets stuck like I did, prise out the trim panel around the selector lever and you can get a flat-bladed screwdriver down the driver's side of the selector unit. Hook the screwdriver blade behind the flat head of the solenoid locking pin, which you can just see sticking out of the locking mechanism, and you will be able to move the pin out to release the locking mechanism and allow you to move the selector mechanism.

Thanks again for everyone's help

Brian

AndersDK · Unread post by **AndersDK** » 12 Jul 2007, 15:42

Brian -

The fuse rating can somewhat be predicted by the cable gauge. I believe that you will end up with a MAXI fuse, as it will most certainly be beyond the 30Amp max of the standard blade fuse.

The MAXI blade fuse is the type used in the Xantia power distributor box.
Note that the fuse rating primarily is to protect the cable in case of a shortcircuited consumer device.
Thats why the power is distributed further out on smaller rated fused circuits.

Good quality fuse holders & fuses (even goldplated types) are to be found at ICE dealers.

andmcit · Unread post by **andmcit** » 12 Jul 2007, 20:54

Hi Brian - I'm pleased for you on the reading of your success!

It's no fun and certainly not much use when it doesn't want to go and it
feels great getting life back into it again!! You'll need to make thie 'fix'
as safe as you can for ever and posterity!

The original brown ignition wire I sourced ran from the front nearside
radiator area and around the engine bay flat behind the battery and
along into the main +ve feed unit towards the very edge of it's box.

The MAIN fuse circuit into the car is protected to 80amps with the other
main engine compartment fuses being rated at 60 and 40. I opted for
the physically managable 30A conventional fuse/holder as Anders has
already suggested.

Andrew