Most intermittents are caused by faulty electrical connections
or wiring. Some items to inspect include the following items:
| • | 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 inspected carefully to ensure good contact tension.
Use a corresponding mating terminal to inspect for proper tension. Refer
to Checking Terminal Contact in Electrical Diagnosis for the specific
procedure. |
| • | Use the J 35616
Connector Test Adapter Kit whenever a diagnostic procedure
requests inspecting 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 Electrical Diagnosis for the specific
procedure. |
| • | 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 conditions when making wiring or terminal
repairs, always follow the instructions for wiring and terminal repair detailed
in Wiring Repair
.
