BX electrical gremlins.

[alan s]

The other week, I was out in the 1989 BX16V series 2 and stopped at a petrol station. I had radio, car phone and both fans were operating as it was a hot day.
I had "one of those" in front of me; y'know the ones that slowly fill the car, lift the bonnet and stroke the chin for 5 minutes, walk around and kick all 4 tyres, play around washing the windscreen, go inside and read the papers whilst standing in queue to get served, then remember they've forgotten their credit card and have to go back to the car to retrieve it by which time they're back at the end of the queue finishing the paper off.
I decided I'd turn the engine off for a while which I did, and when old droopy in front decides to drive off, the BX decides it doesn't want to start; just like a flat battery. I wait for a couple of minutes, hit the starter and bingo it was off.

For a couple of weeks prior to this, I had noticed that my button would no longer lock the car and it had to be locked by the key and a short while after this, it seemed that whenever I went to start the car, as the key moved from accessories to on, it sounded like the servos to the central locking were all activating, although the doors didn't lock.
I also noted that my hands free kit in the car was operating intermittently in as mush as I could hear incoming calls but they couldn't hear me, but a spray of contact cleaner over the pims on both phone and carrier seemed to fix that, but of late, the charging part of the hands free didn't appear to be operating and the battery of the phone seemed to drop off rather quickly if the phone was placed in its carrier in the car.

Yesterday, I went to start the car and it was dead again, so I've left it on the charger to see what happens.
Could this be just a weird battery problem or something associated with the alarm?
It's fitted with a ""Mongoose" system which were fitted aftermarket out here by the importers I understand.

Any thoughts??

Alan S

[AndersDK]

Spot on
One minute all is well - after a stop, all is dead, I mean dead dead.
10 seconds later - no prob at all
Then weeks, even months may pass by and all is well. And then the day you are in a hurry : dead car.

My first point of call would defo be the power splitter/distributor from the battery plus pole. Here you have a couple of huge spade connectors distributing main power to a couple of circuits.
Notoriously failing in our salty environment.

Next test would be the battery clamp itself where it is crimped onto the cable - for the very same reason.

HINT : the cabling is often corroded black/green under the crimping in the spade connectors. You then start off tightening up the spade connector tension at first. All is well. Then suddenly one day : dead again.
A new insulation displacement for fresh clean copper, and a new connector crimped on, problem gone.

Proof : try wriggling a bit on the battery plus cabling - and it will spring into life - or the opposite : do it with ignition on and enjoy clicking relays and blinking headlamps

[bxbodger]

Not that big connector socket for the main battery + cables that hides under the battery tray playing up is it? The diesels have 'em, but I don't know about the petrols- presumeably they have one as well.

[philhoward]

16v's seem to have more in common with the diesels than petrols in some things...

Could it be the igntion switch??