Electrical Problem - HELP!

[BadDad]

Hi

 

Had a bit of a brown trousers moment tonight on the way home up the M1.

I'd been driving for a few hours and was feeling a bit tired so I opened the drivers window for a bit of fresh air. When I closed it the car electrics went bonkers! 

 

The dash instrumentation and headlights were rapidly going off and on and the engine felt like it was about to cut out.

After about 5 seconds it pulled its act together and everything apart from the PAS came back. The PAS indicator was on and it was hard work to steer.

I slowed the car down and got off the motorway.. Stopped at a junction at the top of the slip-road and it had another seizure. Exactly the same deal except 

that, when it had finished, the PAS was working and everything seemed to be OK.

 

Prior to this I had a one-off issue a few months ago when driving and using the indicators. I noticed that as the indicators blinked the

headlights and dash instruments dimmed quite badly. I turned off any accessories (radio, heater) and it seemed to resolve the problem.

 

I've also recently noticed that while parked, if the lights are on and the wheels are turned then the headlight dim.

Oh yeah, i also seem to have to replace one of the fuses, the one for the internal lighter socket, on a regular basis.

 

Do any of you guys have an idea about what the heck might be happening.

Is this a bunch of unrelated issues or could there be a root cause?

 

ps

It's probably coming across that i'm definitely no mechanic 

 

 

 

 

[bryanb]

Could be an intermittent short on the cig lighter or it's wiring. Maybe you need a new battery if lights are dimming.

Edited 8 February, 2017 by bryanb

[KenONeill]

Fault codes - It could be an intermittent fault with the steering angle sensor (likely narrative "implausible value"), or maybe an alternator or battery fault.

[Robjon]

Hi BadDad and welcome to Briskoda.

 

I am no vehicle sparky but the symptoms suggest two possibilities:

1) There is a poor electrical connection either at the battery terminals or at the earth connection between battery and car body.

2) As Bryanb has suggested, the battery could be failing.

[BadDad]

Thanks very much for the input

 

Car goes in for fault codes reading in the morning.

 

Saying that, I did have the codes read after the initial weird problem with the indicators\lights but the mechanic said there was nothing there.

I'm used to driving Renaults so I didn't pursue it any further.