Intermittent and Poor Connections
Most intermittents are caused by faulty electrical connections or wiring,
although occasionally a sticking relay or solenoid can be a problem. Some
items to check are:
| • | Poor mating of connector halves, or terminals not fully seated
in the connector body (backed out). |
| • | Dirt or corrosion on the terminals. The terminals must be clean
and free of any foreign material which could impede proper terminal contact. |
| • | Damaged connector body, exposing the terminals to moisture and
dirt, as well as not maintaining proper terminal orientation with the component
or mating connector. |
| • | Improperly formed or damaged terminals. All connector terminals
in problem circuits should be checked carefully to ensure good contact tension.
Use a corresponding mating terminal to check for proper tension. Refer to
Checking Terminal Contact in this section for the specific procedure. |
| • | The J 35616
must be used whenever a diagnostic procedure requests checking or probing
a terminal. Using the adapter will ensure that no damage to the terminal
will occur, as well as giving an idea of whether contact tension is sufficient.
If contact tension seems incorrect, refer to Checking Terminal Contact in
this section for specifics. |
| • | Poor terminal to wire connection. Some conditions which fall under
this description are poor crimps, poor solder joints, crimping over wire insulation
rather than the wire itself, corrosion in the wire to terminal contact area,
etc. |
| • | Wire insulation which is rubbed through, causing an intermittent
short as the bare area touches other wiring or parts of the vehicle. |
| • | Wiring broken inside the insulation. This condition could cause
a continuity check to show a good circuit, but if only one or two strands
of a multi-strand type wire are intact, resistance could be far too high. |
To avoid any of the above problems when making wiring or terminal repairs,
always follow the instructions for wiring and terminal repair detailed in
Wiring Repairs and Connector Repairs.
