[almera98]

Hi there,

Not sure if this is the correct forum but here we go...

I have two issues with my 2 litre diesel 1998 Almera(Pulsar).

1. When I start the car from cold the engine cuts out within a second. If i leave it about 10 seconds or so the engine starts without a problem.

2. My full/high beam indicative light stays on on the dashboard, even when the light itself is not on high beam.

Both these issues began a couple of days ago so I'm sure they are related. It sounds like an electical issue and perhaps a faulty sensor (coolant sensor perhaps).

Any ideas?

 

[IanH]

well I shouldn't hold your breath waiting for an answer here.
1) you have what i assume is a (N15) RHD
2) its diesel and they aren't sold in the USA, so you have to rely on our few UK, Asia, NZ and Aussie members
3) this is a B14 forum, ie LHD non Diesel crowd

hopefully someone will prove me wrong !!

My thoughts.
1) fuel filter / fuel pump
2) Air temp sensor
However i haven't worked on a diesel since I worked on forklifts at Ford UK.

On the High beam light, poor ground on the cluster, take out plugs (3) and clean with contact cleaner ( don't use anything solid to clean, fluid only.
Bad ground on LH headlight, are you sure that the headlights light up correctly, not out or dim ?
This is from the B14 FSM, your headlight circuit supplying power the warning light may be different.

 

[almera98]

well I shouldn't hold your breath waiting for an answer here.
1) you have what i assume is a (N15) RHD
2) its diesel and they aren't sold in the USA, so you have to rely on our few UK, Asia, NZ and Aussie members
3) this is a B14 forum, ie LHD non Diesel crowd

hopefully someone will prove me wrong !!

My thoughts.
1) fuel filter / fuel pump
2) Air temp sensor
However i haven't worked on a diesel since I worked on forklifts at Ford UK.

On the High beam light, poor ground on the cluster, take out plugs (3) and clean with contact cleaner ( don't use anything solid to clean, fluid only.
Bad ground on LH headlight, are you sure that the headlights light up correctly, not out or dim ?
This is from the B14 FSM, your headlight circuit supplying power the warning light may be different.

Thanks for the reply.
Yep your right its a diesel RHD N15, I saw there was no Almera forum so saw Pulsar and thought well thats the closest

I've had an issue with the fuel filter before had leaked into it and had to be drained. This issue had been causing loss of power and intermittent high revs. I fixed this myself once and the second time it happened about a year later I replaced the fuel filter itself. The car has been running fine since.

This morning the car started fine first time, although the weather wasn't cold so that could be the reason. I'm going to have a look at the fuel filter tonight to make sure its clear of any water.

As for the headlight I've noticed the high beam on one side is not working so it might simply be a job of changing the bulb - and I've noticed the indicative light only stays illuminated when I have the lights on dipped. It's possible that the two issues are completely unrelated.

Thanks for your help, I'll post again when I've checked everything.

 

[IanH]

Well as you can see below the voltage for the indicator light comes from one headlight circuit.

 

[IanH]

what happens when you unplug one headlight at a time ?

 

[almera98]

OK I've found the source of the light problem. One of the h1 halogen bulbs has fried and dissolved part of the headlight connector. Parts of the wires have also burned so I'm going to have to head to a scrapyard to get a replacement connector for a new bulb. The fuse is intact. - At least the car didn't burn down!

The problem starting up didn't happen today at all, I'm waiting for a cold morning to see what happens...

Thanks again Ian.

 

[almera98]

The plot thickens...

ok, I've changed the bulb and the socket and the light is working when on dipped headlights. However, when I switch to full/high beam, it dims a little instead of going to high beam. The other headlight goes to high beam fine.

The high beam indicative bulb stays on whenever the dipped beams are selected in addition to being on when its supposed to.

I've checked the fuses, they are fine. I've checked the voltage on the connector and it stays the same on both settings (high and dipped beams). The bulb is new and I've tested it on the other side so it definitely works.

Can anyone shed any light on the situation ;-)

 

[IanH]

With the headlight connected.
check the voltage on the ground connection on the headlight at the head light.
you say the voltage on the high beam terminal is correct ?
when dipped you get 0 V on the high beam terminal correct ?
when on high what is the voltage on the dipped terminal.
If you cant get a metal contact without unpluging it put a slit in the wire jacket somewhere where you can tape over it when you are done.