45 replies to this topic

[minicooper1.3i]

NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Running late yesterday morning, jumped in the Mini fired it up, put my seatbelt on, and then it just died. No a sound from the boot, just a clicking from behind the dash, in the location of the relay pack when the ignition is turned on.

Going to shove another 12V up the loom again in a moment and see if the pump is really dead or not.

If it's OK, what could the problem be? How can I test the new relay pack properly? And if it is knackered, what's frying them?

Cheers!

[minicooper1.3i]

Ok. Tested the pump again and it's still working. Spoke to Daryl at DC Mini's (next to Mini Spares, Potters Bar) and he reckons it might just be crudded up and perished connections. This kinda makes sense as the only time I messed around with the connectors on the relay pack, was when I replaced the original one with the scrappy one. Which might explain why it worked with the replacement for a bit. Going to nip out in a bit and get some contact cleaner from Maplins. Will post back later.

Anymore suggestions most welcome in the meantime.

Cheers!

[minicooper1.3i]

Update:

Right. I've cleaned up the wiring and contacts going to the relay module and found no signs of damage or corrosion. So I have now started re-checking each component in the circuit. I opened up the original relay module, and witnessed the fuel pump relay working on ignition point I, for the expected 2 seconds, and continuously on ignition point II (crank over). Now although the relay is working, I still need to check that it is allowing 12V out.

What I have discovered so far is that although I could record 12V on the pump loom when disconnected (off load), there is no voltage what-so-ever across the pump when loaded and during crank over.

I'm going to drag the missus out a bit later to help so I can work across the system and try and find the guilty connection.

Stay tuned for the next exciting episode of.......'Bloody Minis. Who'd 'ave 'em?'

[minicooper1.3i]

Oops!

Forgot there's a permanent supply in the relay module. Accidently brushed it against the body........and blew the 30A fuse

Off out for a new fuse from halfrauds.

And a chinese takeaway and a bottle of wine. To make it all better

[minicooper1.3i]

Update again!

It would appear that the fault, wherever it lies, is intermittent and temperamental. After speaking to Daryl at DC Mini's in person, he advised me to check the connections to the ECU, especially the ECU earth strap. I did that today and the earth was fine. Unplugged the ECU and checked the wiring and contacts. Everthing fine there. Re-connected everything, put the test meter across the pump again and asked my missus to crank it over. The bl**dy thing fired straight up and scared the living sh*t* out of me

Anyway, drove for about 45mins across country lanes to pick up the kids, nice and nippy without any trouble at all. When I'd loaded them all up and was ready to go, the poxy thing wouldn't start. Unplugged and re-plugged the connections for the relay pack and ECU, and it very VERY reluctantly and lumperly fired. And it only ran at all by jamming my foot on the throttle and some how coaching it into life.

The driver home was pathetic. There are some pretty strong headwinds down here, but a top speed of 65mph?! That's just embarrasing, especially when a low down chavved up saxo blasts past.

Seriously running out of ideas here now. Going to use some De-Oxit on all the connections in the vain attempt that it helps.

If any of you have any suggestions to make, no matter how unsure you might be, I'd love to hear them.

Thanks very much if you've managed to read this far.

[minicooper1.3i]

Still trying to fix it people! Just been out there and have cleaned all the contacts with my dremel, given them a squirt of contact cleaner and checked all the earths to the ECU. Still nothing. Totally dead (apart from turning over).

Hasn't anybody got any ideas? Please...! Just so you know hoe serious this is getting, I'm on the verge of offering bribary and / or sexual favours here

At the very least, does anyone know any decent Auto-Electricians in the Beds area?

Cheers!

Edited by minicooper1.3i, 25 June 2008 - 08:39 PM.

[cambiker71]

Still trying to fix it people! Just been out there and have cleaned all the contacts with my dremel, given them a squirt of contact cleaner and checked all the earths to the ECU. Still nothing. Totally dead (apart from turning over).

Hasn't anybody got any ideas? Please...! Just so you know hoe serious this is getting, I'm on the verge of offering bribary and / or sexual favours here

At the very least, does anyone know any decent Auto-Electricians in the Beds area?

Cheers!

I reckon it is still the connection to the ECU, as each time you've disconnected it etc it has started afterwards (til now anyway) clean each terminal in turn and make sure the ones in the wiring harness connector are not only clean, but also have enough tension to touch the ECU terminals properly, it's going to take time to do each one in turn, but i would take a guess that this is your problem (rover were always C**p at making terminals) also make sure each wire is connected to its tiny metal terminal in the wiring harness plug, hope this helps

[minicooper1.3i]

Still trying to fix it people! Just been out there and have cleaned all the contacts with my dremel, given them a squirt of contact cleaner and checked all the earths to the ECU. Still nothing. Totally dead (apart from turning over).

Hasn't anybody got any ideas? Please...! Just so you know hoe serious this is getting, I'm on the verge of offering bribary and / or sexual favours here

At the very least, does anyone know any decent Auto-Electricians in the Beds area?

Cheers!

I reckon it is still the connection to the ECU, as each time you've disconnected it etc it has started afterwards (til now anyway) clean each terminal in turn and make sure the ones in the wiring harness connector are not only clean, but also have enough tension to touch the ECU terminals properly, it's going to take time to do each one in turn, but i would take a guess that this is your problem (rover were always C**p at making terminals) also make sure each wire is connected to its tiny metal terminal in the wiring harness plug, hope this helps

Cheers mate! I'll take it out again tomorrow and check each one.

Thanks for reading!

[cambiker71]

Still trying to fix it people! Just been out there and have cleaned all the contacts with my dremel, given them a squirt of contact cleaner and checked all the earths to the ECU. Still nothing. Totally dead (apart from turning over).

Hasn't anybody got any ideas? Please...! Just so you know hoe serious this is getting, I'm on the verge of offering bribary and / or sexual favours here

At the very least, does anyone know any decent Auto-Electricians in the Beds area?

Cheers!

I reckon it is still the connection to the ECU, as each time you've disconnected it etc it has started afterwards (til now anyway) clean each terminal in turn and make sure the ones in the wiring harness connector are not only clean, but also have enough tension to touch the ECU terminals properly, it's going to take time to do each one in turn, but i would take a guess that this is your problem (rover were always C**p at making terminals) also make sure each wire is connected to its tiny metal terminal in the wiring harness plug, hope this helps

Cheers mate! I'll take it out again tomorrow and check each one.

Thanks for reading!

Not a problem, good luck with it, sorting these out is one of my least favourite jobs

[minicooper1.3i]

Cheers matey!

Do you happen to know what each pin on the ECU plugs does? I want to check that I'm getting a good earth from the ground pins. There are two black wires on the black plug, but I'm only getting a good earth from one of them. Not sure it they should both be going to earth or not though.

Cheers!

[DaveRob]

Pin 29 should be the main earth and be black in colour.... is this a single plug ECU or a 2 plug?..... I dont think theirs another black from a single plug ECU...but I stand to be corrected if anyone knows different

As far as I know the following applies

pin 20 BK/PU goes to fuel pump relay coil and from other side of coil in fuel pump relay to pin 11 ECU on a white wire

pins 10 and 15 are the diag connector going to the conector socket on BK/G and W/Y respectivly....

pin 14 is to do with the auto trans inhibitor switch and should be W/LG

pin 21 goes to the purge valve on BK/W

pin 30 is a sensor earth return to the ECU and also gives a base ref to the diag connector

pin 16 is G/BK and is the air intake sensor

pin 33 is the CTS and is P/G

pin 13 is accel pedal switch where fitted and is w/GR

pins 8 and 9 Y/G and Y/PU are throttle pos sensor

pins 3,2,22,27 are stepper motor colours are O/GR, P/BL, O/G, O/BL

pins 31 and 32 are crank sensor BL/PU, W/BL

pin 11 ,BK/W then turns to W at the relay coil in the loom, is other side of fuel pump relay see pin 20 above

pin 25 is W/BK and is for the tacho and coil connection

pin 29 is earth pin and is BK

pin 5 G/BL is to the coolant gauge

This is just as per Haynes and may differ dependant on model.... if anyone has a model specific version Id appriciate a copy.


BL=Blue
BK=Black
BR=Brown
G=Green
GR=Slate
LG=Light Green
O=Orange
P=Pink
PU=Purple
R=Red
W=White
Y=yellow

Hope this helps a bit...

Rob

Edited by DaveRob, 26 June 2008 - 04:32 PM.

[minicooper1.3i]

Cheers! I didn't think to look in the Haynes . Thought I'd be expecting a bit too much form it.

It's bleedin' well peeing down now, so I'll have to look later if it stops or tomorrow.

Thanks to all who are assisting. I'll post back later.

One other thing though. There's a single black wire coming out of the smallest plug on the relay module. Should this be going to ground? Because I couldn't get an earth reading from it.

Thanks again!

[cambiker71]

Cheers matey!

Do you happen to know what each pin on the ECU plugs does? I want to check that I'm getting a good earth from the ground pins. There are two black wires on the black plug, but I'm only getting a good earth from one of them. Not sure it they should both be going to earth or not though.

Cheers!

I'll be honest now, i'd be resorting to wiring diagrams and tracing it from there, looks like good advice has been mentioned above, i've done many different cars over the years and found these plugs are evil of the highest degree once they start to corrode (rover and peugeot seem to make the worst though-corrosion unneeded)

[minicooper1.3i]

Well, after scouring the haynes and Rover manuals, I'm pretty certain I've got a duff earth on the ECU and relay module. According to the colour circuit diagrams in the Rover book, all earth wires are black, and there's a black one on the ECU plug and one on the relay plug, which aren't registering an earth.

Going to check properly tonight (if it isn't raining) and see if I can trace them back properly. They might both be linked.

Cheers!

[DaveRob]

Going to check properly tonight (if it isn't raining) and see if I can trace them back properly. They might both be linked.

They are linked.... under the servo on the bulkhead at the earth point behind the ECU........ and its a common corrosion point that most people dont know is even their.....cause its hidden behind your servo / ECU etc

the black wire from the relay pack is an earth that straps off the Starter relays coil on the side that goes to the auto trans inhibit sw where fitted.......... the other side of that relay coil goes to your ign switch on the W/R and when the auto trans switch isnt fitted ie on a manual car .... that black wire allows the current to flow in the starter realy coil allowing the relay to pull in so you can start your car.

Hope this helps

Rob