Volt

Inducing Intermittent Fault Conditions

Special Tools

EL-25070 Heat Gun

For equivalent regional tools, refer to Special Tools .

Danger: Before working on any high voltage system, be sure to wear the following Personal Protection Equipment:

Many intermittent open or shorted circuits are affected by harness/connector movement that is caused by vibration, engine torque, bumps/rough pavement, etc. In order to duplicate the customer's concern, it may be necessary to manipulate the wiring harness if the malfunction appears to be vibration related. Manipulation of a circuit can consist of a wide variety of actions, including:

All these actions should be performed with some goal in mind. For instance, with a scan tool connected, wiggling the wires may uncover a faulty input to the control module. The snapshot option would be appropriate here. Refer to Scan Tool Snapshot Procedure . Another option is, with the component commanded ON and OFF by the scan tool, to move related connectors and wiring and observe the component operation. With the engine running, move related connectors and wiring while monitoring engine operation. If harness or connector movement affects the data displayed, component/system operation, or engine operation, inspect and repair the harness/connections as necessary.

You may need to load the vehicle in order to duplicate the concern. This may require the use of weights, floor jacks, axle stands, frame machines, etc. In these cases you are attempting to duplicate the concern by manipulating the suspension or frame. This method is useful in finding harnesses that are too short and their connectors pull apart enough to cause a poor connection. A DMM set to the Min/Max mode and connected to the suspect circuit while testing can yield desirable results. Refer to Testing for Electrical Intermittents .

Certainly, using the senses of sight, smell, and hearing while manipulating the circuit can provide good results as well.

There may be instances where circuit manipulation alone will not meet the required criteria for the fault condition to appear. In such cases it may be necessary to expose the suspect circuit to other conditions while manipulating the harness. Such conditions would include high moisture conditions, along with exceptionally high or low temperatures. The following discusses how to expose the circuit to these kinds of conditions.

If the complaint tends to be heat-related, you can simulate the condition using the EL-25070 heat gun .

Using the heat gun, you can heat up the suspected area or component. Manipulate the harnesses under high temperature conditions while monitoring the scan tool or DMM to locate the fault condition.

The high temperature condition may be achieved simply by test driving the vehicle at normal operating temperature. If a heat gun is unavailable, consider this option to enhance your diagnosis. This option does not allow for the same control, however.

Depending on the nature of the fault condition, placing a fan in front of the vehicle while the vehicle is in the shade can have the desired effect.

If this is unsuccessful, use local cooling treatments such as ice or a venturi type nozzle (one that provides hot or cold air). This type of tool is capable of producing air stream temperatures down to –18°C (0°F) from one end and +71°C (160°F) from the other. This is ideally suited for localized cooling needs. In addition, circuit cooling spray can be used to cool down a component or circuit.

Once the vehicle, component, or harness has been sufficiently cooled, manipulate the harness or components in an effort to duplicate the concern.