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MG MGF Technical - Indicators not working, please help!

Hi there, I'm just after buying a Damaged/repairable 1998 MGF 1.8L VVC.
I've had it repaired/sparyed up and everything on the car is working except the Indicators.

The garage I brought it to suggested that they may not be working as they reckon the wrong ECU is in the car, that one for a mgtf is in the car rather than an MGF VVC - could this cause the fault or are they just trying to rob me?

They said it'd cost a minimum of 700euro for a new ECU and that's before its fitted which would be another hour or two's labour yet they are retailing on Ebay for just over 100euro.
He also said that I could go change the ECU and it still might not work so I'm really stuck as to what to do.

He said he could check all the wiring for me but that owuld take 10-12 hours and at 60euro an hour its v expensive and I still might after that require an ECU.

Has anyone here experienced such a problem or have any suggestions?
I'm so frustrated with the whole thing as the car has been lying up for the past 3 months while I saved to get the parts and get it repaired and now its looking like I'm not going to have the car on the road til after Christmas at this rate!

Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

Many Thanks!

Caroline
Caroline

Donīt worry ! If it is the indicators not working there is NO reason to do anything with the ECU.
I assume you mean the turning lights,choosen by the column stalk. First check by pressing the hazard switch. Does all 4 corners blink and can you hear the relay click?
If not check under bonet fuse No4 10A fuse. If that one is OK the flasher relay could be faulty,no big cost to replace.
As the car has been re-sprayed etc. I put my money on that a ground lug is loose and nothing else is really faulty ! Probably a good car electrican instead of a regular garage is the place to take the car.
Others will no doubt fill in with more info about this..
Carl Blom

That's a bit tricky to answer without looking at the car - much as the garage seem to have indicated. 1.Does absolutely every single other electronic circuit on the car work perfectly - incl engine, lighting, instruments, radio etc. If so, they could try something like:
2. Do the hazard lights work under any circumstances ie ignition on or off? - they should do without the ignition being on. They have a dedicated fuse which is the first point of investigation.
The answeer to that decides the next moves but if you do not have the car to work on you are rather vulnerable to whatever they want to tell you. If it has been sitting on their forecourt for 3 months they may well be trying to encourage you to take it elsewhere!
There is an ECU connection but to the alarm ECU not the engine management ECU and it is an output not an input.
Try getting absolutely definitive answers to 1. and 2. above first and then let us know.
Good luck,
Charles
Charles

Thank you both so much for your replies, I really appreciate it!

OK I collected the car and neither the hazards OR the front indicators are working - when I put either on there is no clicking noise at all.

Now this is where it gets weird - the garage did check the electrics or at least the fuse box under the steering column and they told me that there is no flasher in the car at all????

Should there be any reason why the car would be missing one or could it have been bypassed?

(sorry for my ignorance, my auto electrical knowledge is limited!)

The car wasn't in that particular garage for 3 months, it was in the spray shop belonging to a friend so I don't think it was that they were trying to get rid of it but then again I don't know!

In desperation I called a few MGF specialist garages in the UK (None here in Ireland grrr!) and they could not understand at all what relevance the ECU would have to the lights.

Thanks again for all your help, you don't know how much I appreciate it! I won't have the car back until next week as there's a final adjustment being done to the bodywork then I'm dropping it into a local auto electrician so I'll keep you posted on the outcome but your advice has been axcellent so I'll pass the info on the auto electrician!

Thanks a mill,

Caroline


PS - I haven't driven the car in 3 months and at that I was driving it gingerly as it was in need of repair....wow I had forgotten how much fun they are to drive!!! Can't wait to get her out on the road! >:D
Caroline

Caroline,
Did the garage realise there is more than one fuse box for these cars!!! Follow Carl's advice and try the more accessible box in front - No4 fuse - they are labelled.
In the light of your answers to earlier questions it does sound like something very simple. If it is not the fuse then the negative connections are also loomed with connectors, one of which may well be not fully connected. Simple things first though - look at that fuse!
Charles
C.R.B. Simeon

I just wonder if this isnīt very simple after all...
Your car has been at the garage for ages. Someone simply "borrowed" the indicator relay from your "F" as it was urgently needed on another Rover vehicle.
It is a common low cost item,can probably be found at any outlet like Halfords etc. Check below the steering wheel ,where the fuses and relays are behind a plastic cover. At work,so cant help with the exact placement of that relay. Someone else to fill in ?
Carl Blom

This thread was discussed between 16/11/2006 and 17/11/2006

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