Possible Spoiler FIX - Update page 3

[CazzaVR 0]

Just checked in my manual- it's the blue/white wire- engine speed sensor or something. Where should this be? Doesn't look like mine is attached to anything.

[CazzaVR 0]

Bump. Anyone?

[mrbeige 0]

Andy, totally missed this! Your spoiler not working then? If you have anything attached to this wire (blue/white) then disconnect it. Tis the wire that send the signal to the standard radio that the speed is increasin and therefore the volume should increase! The VR clocks do have some protection in them (unlike the 16v and G60 clocks) to protect them against anyone sticking the wrong voltage up that wire so in that respect I'm not sure that is the problem in your case. I've had a look at both Hodgkinson's and STORM2's clocks and found nothing technically wrong with them on the bench (although I might have missed something) so not sure what could cause the issue. The clocks have a protection resitsor that the 16v clock don't have and in both the cases I've seen that resistor has been intact. Tis a difficult one. can't see it being an IC especially with that resistor still in situ and functioning correctly.

[CazzaVR 0]

Thanks mate- had a look and the blue/white wire is disconnected and securely taped up, so it can't be that :?

 

Guess the best fix would be some new clocks...

[mrbeige 0]

Thanks mate- had a look and the blue/white wire is disconnected and securely taped up, so it can't be that :?

 

Guess the best fix would be some new clocks...

 

Possibly, but it might be an idea to try and get an oscilloscope on the spoiler output from the clocks first to see if the signal is ok. Have you tries a different spoiler control module?

[Rpmayne 0]

This output signal from the clocks to the spoiler control, is it a square wave that can be measured using a multimeter with a frequency function?

[mrbeige 0]

This output signal from the clocks to the spoiler control, is it a square wave that can be measured using a multimeter with a frequency function?

 

Yeah it is, and you might be able to use the frequency function on a multimeter. never done it myself, as I've always had an oscilloscope to hand...

[Rpmayne 0]

Thanks mrbeige, don't think I'm getting anything out of the clocks.

 

Between the bl/wh (pin 8 ) and br (gnd) I've got a constant 12ish volts regardless of speed.

 

Between the bl/wh (pin 8 ) and blk/bl (supply through S16) I get 0-1 volt regardless of speed.

 

The stereo isn't in at the moment but the bl/wh was still in the stereo connector. I've now disconnected that at the fusebox.

 

What do you recon? The speedo does still work. I did try changing that transistor you mentioned a while ago but it didn't help. Reading back I wonder whether it was the stereo connector all along, and when I changed that transistor I caused another problem.

[CazzaVR 0]

Think mine is working properly again...

 

Had a good look at the fusebox. Noticed there was a small blue plug with the blue/white wire loose. Plugged it back in to the nearest socket, took the car up the road, put the spoiler up manually, then slowed down and the spoiler went down :) Will check tomorrow to see if it goes up at speed. Fingers crossed!

[Rpmayne 0]

They certainly packed alot of wires behind that fusebox, wonder what's not going to work next everytime I go near it. Hope yours is sorted.

 

I checked continuity and visually chased the connection between the Speedo (pin 7) and the spoiler relay (pin 8 ) and the blue / white wire is connected ok on mine. Have got most of the dash out at the moment so perfect time to sort this.

[mrbeige 0]

Rpmayne, what model and age is you Corrado?

[Rpmayne 0]

MrBeige, It's a '94 VR6.

[mrbeige 0]

MrBeige, It's a '94 VR6.

 

When you replaced that little component in the cluster did you use a transistor or diode? The reason I asked is I've had a set of VR clocks and they are differnet to my 16v ones, as on the 16v clocks its a transistor. the VR clocks have a diode instead as there is some further protection circuitry for the spoiler output elsewhere on the board. With the VR clocks I had, I'd replaced the diode with a transistor and ended up with a very flat 12v signal output, i.e. it had lost its ability to produce a square wave.

 

Its just a thought....

[Rpmayne 0]

That sounds exactly like what I've got, I did change that component to a transistor as per the earlier emails, and I have got a constant 12v coming from the clocks.

 

At the time it didn't rectify the fault so I just left the transistor in and didn't realise it should have been a diode. Funny a diode is in a 3-pin package isn' it?

 

Any ideas what I need to revert it back to how it was, the original diode is long gone.

 

Cheers.

[Rpmayne 0]

Just looked back through my orders and I changed the original part for a BCW66H which is a Lower Power LF NPN SMD Transistor (Maplin part no: N78AC).

[mrbeige 0]

That sounds exactly like what I've got, I did change that component to a transistor as per the earlier emails, and I have got a constant 12v coming from the clocks.

 

At the time it didn't rectify the fault so I just left the transistor in and didn't realise it should have been a diode. Funny a diode is in a 3-pin package isn' it?

 

Any ideas what I need to revert it back to how it was, the original diode is long gone.

 

Cheers.

 

It is a funny package considering that one of the pins doesn't go anywhere either. I'll see if I can dig out the diode you want.......

 

......ah here it is.....package names BAV99 or BAW56 will work as the right hand side of the diode isn't used anyway.

[Rpmayne 0]

Thanks for that mate, will get some on order and see what happens.

[Rpmayne 0]

The diodes turned up so I have just taken the speedos to bits to change it. Looking at the solder on that component I thought I had done a good job.. Looks like I changed the wrong component anyway, shown on the attachment.

 

Any ideas what that component should be and what's it for? Everything works other than the suspect spoiler square wave so if its nothing to do with that I'll leave it alone.

[mrbeige 0]

That is a good question?? You need to ask someone with a VR very nicely to take a piccie of the back of there clocks I think, as mine are different to that. I'd replace that component anyway, just to be sure....

[Rpmayne 0]

The spoiler now works!! I was thinking about that constant 12v signal and thought I better check it was comming from the clocks. With the clocks removed there was still 12v.. Followed the wires back and there was a blue/wh wire with a single connector fitted into a single connector with a red wire. Removed this and the red wire was the source of the 12v. Put everything back together and it works.. Can only think I must have connected them together but god knows when and why.

 

Anyway all sorted so cheers.

 

Just incase anyone else checks this signal, you can read with a multimeter with a dc frequency function. Red probe into pin 8 of the spoiler relay or the common block on the top of the fuse board, black gnd somewhere. 0-60mph is very roughly 0-100 Hz, 12v p-p. Abit tricky reading the meter without crashing.

[mrbeige 0]

The spoiler now works!! I was thinking about that constant 12v signal and thought I better check it was comming from the clocks. With the clocks removed there was still 12v.. Followed the wires back and there was a blue/wh wire with a single connector fitted into a single connector with a red wire. Removed this and the red wire was the source of the 12v. Put everything back together and it works.. Can only think I must have connected them together but god knows when and why.

 

Anyway all sorted so cheers.

 

Just incase anyone else checks this signal, you can read with a multimeter with a dc frequency function. Red probe into pin 8 of the spoiler relay or the common block on the top of the fuse board, black gnd somewhere. 0-60mph is very roughly 0-100 Hz, 12v p-p. Abit tricky reading the meter without crashing.

 

Good job dude, glad you got it sorted!

[STORM 2 0]

The spoiler now works!! I was thinking about that constant 12v signal and thought I better check it was comming from the clocks. With the clocks removed there was still 12v.. Followed the wires back and there was a blue/wh wire with a single connector fitted into a single connector with a red wire. Removed this and the red wire was the source of the 12v. Put everything back together and it works.. Can only think I must have connected them together but god knows when and why.

 

Anyway all sorted so cheers.

 

Just incase anyone else checks this signal, you can read with a multimeter with a dc frequency function. Red probe into pin 8 of the spoiler relay or the common block on the top of the fuse board, black gnd somewhere. 0-60mph is very roughly 0-100 Hz, 12v p-p. Abit tricky reading the meter without crashing.

 

Hi , still havent sorted my problem out yet!

Where did you find this white/blue wire? I looked behind the fuse panel right at the top, where a solitary 20A fuse sits in a relay. Behind this relay there are 3 plugs all with blue or blue/white wires going out of them.

 

When you say you followed the wires back, where from? The clocks loom, spoiler control module, or the fuse panel?

[STORM 2 0]

CazzaVR, is yours working normally now? If so, where did this blue plug go? Was it into the back of a relay at the top of the fusepanel. This relay has a yellow 20A fuse in the front which controls the electric windows.

[Rpmayne 0]

Storm 2, I followed a bl/wh wire back from the stereo connector and it plugs into the top right of the fuse panel. The block it goes into on the fuse panel is just a common block and there were 3 in total; 1 to the stereo connector, 1 to the clocks and the other to the spoiler relay. I think there may have been another but not sure of its function.

 

One of the connectors into this common block had two wires, one of which had a single connector on the end which was attached to the red constant 12v. I disconnected this and it worked again.

 

I couldn't visually follow all the connections so just disconnected all the ends and buzzed them through.

 

Once I found the cable going from the stereo connector to the common block I just disconnected it from the common block to make sure.

[CazzaVR 0]

STORM 2, yep, mine's working. Sounds like the same single blue connector that Rpmayne found too. It was just loose amongst all the other wires etc. Has a blue/white wire. I just plugged it into the fusebox in a gap next to another single blue connector, on the top at the back. Works perfectly now. Hope you get it sorted.