skiffler

An excellent how-to; thanks. Prior to doing this I strongly recommend that you check whether the connections are dirty. I've had all the symptoms that people have talked about (on my SDi) and was totally ready to follow this how-to. However, I thought that I'd check for dirty connections first. After having - eventually - managing to get the coolant sensor connector off, I sprayed both the male and female parts with DeoxIT, a cleaner used in the recording industry, plugged the connector in and out a few times, with a final spray for luck. The gauge has now been working normally and reliably for a couple of weeks. DeoxIT dissolves oxidation on electrical connectors, and cleans off any gunge. It also gives it a little bit of protection. I've used DeoxIT to fix my Fabia non working electric window switches (stripped down to the remote-control-like component parts) and the multi-switch on my Mercedes Estate. In all cases the fix has proved to be permanent. DeoxIT is not cheap. I bought my spray can about 4 years ago and it cost £13.95, but it lasts a long time. A quick Google came up with this supplier, but I'm sure it's available cheaper elsewhere (high-end hi-fi stores, professional recording suppliers). It also sorts out noisy volume controls a treat. http://www.stoneaudio.co.uk/?google=592 I suspect that many electrical 'faults' are actually dirty connections, so it's well worth trying this first before getting your hands dirty and your wallet emptied. Hope this helps.

This is exactly the same fault I had on my recently bought sdi. I read the threads about changing the sensor, but before ordering one I thought that I'd apply some of my 'magic fluid' to the sensor connector. After - eventually - getting the damn plug off, I applied said fluid and, like magic, the gauge reads reliably somewhere between a quarter and a half on the dial. A whole lot easier, and cheaper, than buying a new sensor which, clearly, was not needed. I wonder how many 'sensor faults' are nothing more than dirty connections? I also had problems with the switches for the electric windows. I completely stripped the switch down and cleaned up with the magic fluid, and all works absolutely fine now. I was surprised to find that the swiches use exactly the same technology as calculators and remote controls i.e. carbon coated rubber pads onto a PCB. Also used it to fix the dipswitch on my Mercedes Estate (a real switch!). What's the fluid? It's called Deoxit and is used primarily by the audio industry to clean connectors etc. Not cheap though. I paid £13.95 for a can some years back, but it lasts a long time. A quick Google threw up this: http://www.audioaffair.co.uk/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=1150&md=05bfd68cdd17354a427f026ca8f558f4 but it's almost certainly available cheaper elsewhere. Hope this helps.