Just wanted to share a story with you and maybe warn you of something to watch out for.

Last saturday I went to drive my car, but when i turned the key in the ignition...nothing. I raised my eyes to the heavens and thought bugger (i may have said somethign else), the battery's dead. I was incredibly miffed because apart from the hassle of dealing with a flat battery, it was only 6 months old.

So i removed the battery, got the trickle charger out and left it overnight and then re-installed it. It worked fine again.

It continued to work fine until yesterday evening. I had been in derby all day (using a hire car after leaving my car at work) and i got back about 630pm. Went to drive back home in my car and the same thing happened...nothing. It was dark, everyone had gone home, it was ****ing it down and i didnt know whether i had a really big short somewhere or just a really **** battery. So i called out skoda assistance.

When he arrived (after an hour) he checked the battery which apparently was fine and fully charged, but turning the key still did nothin. He started delving deeper into the engine, fiddlin with bits n bobs before he spotted something and then got me to try again....i nearly ran him over (cos id left it in gear).

What hed found was that some clown, either the previous owner or a skoda technician (since i always get my car serviced at skoda) had deliberately cut through the starter motor trigger wire. Not only that but instead of re-splicing it properly, theyd simply butted the 2 cut ends together and sealed with insulation tape!!

This meant that depending on which way the wind was blowing, my car may or may not start. Not best pleased. Im surprised that it hasnt become an issue before, since the green oxidised copper indicates its quite an old job.

Its in such an inaccesable place, that you can only do a proper replacement up on ramps. The guy from skoda, fiddling with one arm blind could only jury rig a new piece of cable onto the starter motor and leave it free in the engine bay. So now if i want to start my car (until i get the trigger wire fixed) I have to 'hot wire it' by turning on the ignition and then opening the bonnet and touching this free wire onto the positive battery terminal!

I can laugh about this now.. sort of. Sorry for the long winded story, just needed to get it off my chest.

Thanks, worth knowing. Once had a similar problem where the wire pulled tight as the engine leant with revs cutting the connection. Took ages to find as everything checked out.

That to me, Looks like it has been like that for a while as you say, becasue the copper has started to go green !!! :eek:

Dean

well, ive got a choice of re-splicing it propery myself, or getting a new replacement fitted by my local garage (possibly the garage that did this).

Im realy not enjoying having to open the bonnet everytime i want to start the car. I got some well funny looks at tescos yesterday

just becuase its broken doens't mean it was cut on purpose.

it could have been nicked or trapped which split the insulation and taped up so it didn't short then over time with all the moving about it has snapped, happens regular in house electrics and they don't go through the same heat cycles or amount of movement that the components in an engine bay do.

so before slating everyone off it was probably a simple error that has escalated unknown to the guilty party.

you may have a completely valid point bengie, but the joint has the appearence of being cut with clippers ie pretty clean and is in such a well tucked away place, so my conclusion isnt that wild.

point taken though.

I completely rewired my house 28 years ago,and have never seen or had a 'nicked or trapped wire'!

I also did many Electrical Installations in premises where I was employed. Having done a Five year Electrical Apprenticeship many years ago ,I would never put tape over such a damaged 240 volt cable.Doing can create a fire risk,even more so if the copper wire has a narrower cross section because of damage. Insulation tape looses its adhesion after a few years ,and has a natural action to unroll itself. The correct way is to replace the whole damaged cable .

In cars and other low voltage items ,tape can be used as a temporary repair only. The correct way is to twist the copper wires together , solder,and cover with heatshrink. This way means you can forget the problem,and not have to wonder if it will cause you a breakdown in the future.

Temporary repairs will catch you out!

Edited 24 January, 200917 yr by AndyPandy

Its officially 230v now /\ :P

Yes officially in Europe it should be ,but mine never goes below 244 volt ,as I am very close to a sub-station.

.

In cars and other low voltage items ,tape can be used as a temporary repair only. The correct way is to twist the copper wires together , solder,and cover with heatshrink. This way means you can forget the problem,and not have to wonder if it will cause you a breakdown in the future.

Indeed. Adhesive-lined heatshrink is best on a car as well.

To the OP- I've had that with an old Golf. It had had an immobiliser fitted, and when it was removed, the wires had been joined with a blade fuse fitted between two blade crimp connectors. The fuse blew :thumbdwn:. I spliced the wire properly, after spending 2 hours finding the bodge.

Yes officially in Europe it should be ,but mine never goes below 244 volt ,as I am very close to a sub-station.

actually the official voltage is 230v +10/-6%

but obvious being a time served sparks you know that and have only ever worked on new build with perfect sparks which explains why you've never seen a trapped cable

Bengie,

you need to read my Post again, I have only rewired 3 houses in my Life ,2 my own,the other my Late Inlaws. I was an Instrument Engineer working in the Paper Industry,and not a 'Sparky'!

Industrial Electronics is far more complicated ,than wiring Houses or Work Places. Instruments have numerous cables to connect them ,all at different standards.Computer Systems also have numerous cables and Interfaces with Instuments. I did not just do 'new build' electrical work, upgrading,and maintenance is always being carried out, unlike house wiring which is almost fit and forget.

You may have 15,000 posts ,if your reply to mine is the standard for you , I am glad I havent read many of them! Quality is much better than Quantity!

:popcorn:

The main point here for me is that your okay and that you managed to fix your car. I'm glad that your safe.

Bengie,

you need to read my Post again, I have only rewired 3 houses in my Life ,2 my own,the other my Late Inlaws. I was an Instrument Engineer working in the Paper Industry,and not a 'Sparky'!

Industrial Electronics is far more complicated ,than wiring Houses or Work Places. Instruments have numerous cables to connect them ,all at different standards.Computer Systems also have numerous cables and Interfaces with Instuments. I did not just do 'new build' electrical work, upgrading,and maintenance is always being carried out, unlike house wiring which is almost fit and forget.

You may have 15,000 posts ,if your reply to mine is the standard for you , I am glad I havent read many of them! Quality is much better than Quantity!

you obviously glazed over the sarcasm in my post

i have only been doing house electrics for the last 5 years or so and before that i did 5-6 years on new build/renovations of everything from entire housing estates, schools, hospitals, factories, universities and their labs, large and small industrial units, royal houses and everything in between. even now i don't do rewires i am the primary emergency electrician for oxford city council and spend all my day fault finding and diagnosing faults in installations upto 30 years old or possibly more in houses, office blocks and recreational centres(swimming pools/parksgyms etc) that have more often than not been tampered with in every way imaginable by people that know nothing about electrics so quite a long way from run of the mill fit and forget house electrics

having a fancy title doesn't make you special

oh i forgot to say, on our installations we also did all the data, communications, alarms and integrated systems including everything from a simple single point telephone system to the alram call systems of a hospital and fibre to desk data installations