Xantia fire hazard !?

harryb.48 · Post by **harryb.48** » 25 Oct 2004, 22:37

Yesterday when I was using the rear wiper on my estate it suddenly ceased to work and stopped mid-cycle. Of course I did the usual and fiddled with the switches and it came on again intermittently but I then smelt burning and was sure I saw a wisp of smoke from the tailgate area[}:)]
Then I noticed that my indicators and front wipers had stopped too -
blown fuse.It had actually melted the plastic on the fuse as it fell off as a liquid when the box was opened!
So today I decided to strip the tailgate to get at the motor and then unplugged it and tried another (2) fuses - 30amp! - before I noticed that the wiring loom was fused together near the connector , unfortunately as I traced it backwards it was all melted ,right down to the connector at the n/s rear light[:(!][}:)]
I presume the fault occurred due to wires chafing somewhere in the loom (?) Anyway, I now require a length of wiring loom plus two connectors ,in total about 1.5 m long and if I can`t get it from scrapyard will I be able to get it from main dealer?
To make matters (much) worse , I`ve accidentally pulled the connector off my rear demister[:I],where it is "soldered" onto the element and wondered if there is any way to stick it back on? - or any likely place to take it to have it done?
I would appreciate any help or tips on this matter.
Just for a second or two I wish it had caught fire[}:)][V]
PS The haynes manual gave the wrong fuse numbers which didn`t help in diagnostics.

rotodiesel · Post by **rotodiesel** » 25 Oct 2004, 23:27

Silver loaded epoxy resin glue will fix your HRW - available at vast cost in small tubes. I recommend using small rubber wedges to hold the joint tight, and leave them there. I have had total success with this method.
Bad luck with the wiring - a case of cut and splice I think. Make sure you definitely find the cause of the original short, and fit the correct fuse.
rotodiesel.

beezer · Post by **beezer** » 25 Oct 2004, 23:38

I have had success with conductive paint/epoxy too. Maplin does conductive paint and Renault do their own glass bond and heater repair kit - make enquiries here but they are normally trade only:
http://www.tradeproducts.co.uk/glue_and_lubricant.htm

Stuart McB · Post by **Stuart McB** » 26 Oct 2004, 01:10

Careful with that rear de-mist. Had the same problem on my Xsara only last week. When I had a look the metal had come awy from the glass. As I put the trim back the rear screen exploded it cost £50 on the insurancer for a new one. The fitter explained that they some times can become stressed by the small amount of glass that comes awy with the metal. In my case it was quite a chunk.

harryb.48 · Post by **harryb.48** » 26 Oct 2004, 01:54

Thanks for advice all.
Sorry it took so long for reply-I share my PC with a 14-year old and as you can imagine he gets the lion`s share,have to drag him off in the end.
I will look around for cheapest conductive adhesive for the job.
Rotodiesel,all wires were fused together and bare wire everywhere - must have been some heat! so will have to replace the whole length.They were literally fused together in a solid mass,I`ve never seen anything like it.
Is it possible the fault stemmed from the wiper motor?-I suppose it is ;I will see when I get it rewired and if the fuse blows - I may fit a lower rating initially to test it. - It`s ok now with the plug removed at the rear light.
Stuart,the connector came off quite cleanly and appears to have been poorly stuck in the first place as it came off with very little pulling - in fact it just fell off. - so hope there`s no glass residue - That must have been quite a shock for you!
Beezer - Who are Maplins? Never heard of them unless you mean the holiday camp, but then I live up north.

harryb.48 · Post by **harryb.48** » 26 Oct 2004, 01:58

oops -there should be a gap between first an second sentences of last reply!

PowerLee · Post by **PowerLee** » 26 Oct 2004, 02:05

Hi
Check out www.maplins.co.uk
There have many branches around the country & do mail order also

uhn113x · Post by **uhn113x** » 26 Oct 2004, 12:40

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by harryb.48</i>

Rotodiesel,all wires were fused together and bare wire everywhere - must have been some heat! so will have to replace the whole length.They were literally fused together in a solid mass,I`ve never seen anything like it.
Is it possible the fault stemmed from the wiper motor?-I suppose it is
Beezer - Who are Maplins? Never heard of them unless you mean the holiday camp, but then I live up north.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Harry
If the loom was melted right up to the motor, then the fault must be a s/c in the motor itself, or the gearbox has jammed up. The fuse should have blown before the loom melted, though, if it was the correct value.
Maplins - branches in every large city - http://www.maplin.co.uk
Google is your friend [;)]

harryb.48 · Post by **harryb.48** » 26 Oct 2004, 18:24

Thanks for replies guys.
Have actually taken motor out and wired it after solenoid with spare battery and it ran ok.-wires did get hot but that`s normal when bypassing solenoid - isn`t it??
Anyway I now suspect that someone has used a 30 amp fuse when it should only be 15 (at fuse 28 on `96 Xantia estate) according to haynes manual, which would allow some destruction before blowing the fuse.Fuse 24 was also blown (correct rating this time-20amp),obviously the front wipers share some wiring with the rear.
In all there were 8 fuses which did not correspond with the manual-all of them lower than published ,except that no.28.
All a bit confusing ,anyone else have this problem??
Thanks for maplins website Lee and Mike I have looked it up and the Silver loaded epoxy is just £19.99 for a tiny tube.
Funnily enough an American site asked just $19.99 for the same, -no doubt there will be Euroland companies selling for e 19.99
(rip-off Britain again!)
My first job is now to replace the wiring harness - I wonder if by any chance the Hatchback has the same wiring ,as there are many of them in scrapyards but few estates as yet.??
I`m now thinking of looking up an auto electrician to stick back on my demister contacts with his half-full tube of glue and charge £6 or so for the job.What are the chances of that happening.Eh?
Regards

Stuart McB · Post by **Stuart McB** » 27 Oct 2004, 01:24

Shocked is the right word I was walking away with the lead lamp and I jarred my neck when I jumped.

harryb.48 · Post by **harryb.48** » 27 Oct 2004, 20:05

Update on fault repair.
I found an estate in local scrapyard and it was practically the first car I set eyes on,so I eat my words about scrap ones being rare.
Dressed in hard hat and vest ,I was allowed to remove the necessary wiring,closely guarded by an employee in case I tried to nick a gearbox or something,-the cost? -just £5.
Have now fitted it and there are no blown fuses or warm wires even,BUT,I seem to have lost the intermittent wipe function - it just stays on until I switch it off.
Also,when using wipe/wash the wiper just stops at random
positions.I will settle for that just now ,but does anyone have any ideas what`s gone wrong? Did I do it when I put a voltage across motor terminals?
As for the detached demister wire ,I`m still contemplating what to do - mostly because of the high cost of that damn glue.!