Inducing Intermittent Fault Conditions: Notes

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2007 Suzuki XL7. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

Special Tool

J 25070 Heat Gun

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:

Wiggling the harness
Disconnecting a connector and reconnecting
Stressing the mechanical connection of a connector
Pulling on the harness or wire in order to identify a separation/break inside the insulation
Relocating a harness or wires

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, 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, floorjacks, jackstands, 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 Peak 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.