All dash lights come on when coming down steep hill

[jaycey001]

Hi Everyone!

Micra been running great lately, (although there is a suspected head gasket fault, pressure test tomorrow, but it doesnt over heat or anything as long as I stay under 120Km)
Anyway, this morning I took it out to walk the dog and on the way back came down a very steep hill, in 3rd gear. Temp was way below half way, However I noticed at the bottom of the hill every dash light came was on, battery, oil, hand break, engine management... Just like when you turn the key before starting engine.

I turned off the car and restarted instantly and all dash lights haven't came back on since.... Any ideas?

I checked coolant, battery voltage, oil and everything in perfect. Drove 500 miles yesterday without any problems and it runs perfectly....

Cheers
James

 

[MattInARedMicra]

Temp being below half way when going downhill is a symptom of the radiator thermostat valve being stuck open, which means your engine is running too cold.

The lights on the dashboard sounds like the car stalled while moving. This could be because of your first issue where the car has gone into limp mode or similar due to the temperature sensor readouts being less than expected. But it could also point to issues with engine timing or idle speed... or fuel blockage or lack of strong spark.

As for it overheating at higher speeds I'm really not sure. It's unlikely it could overheat with the thermostat stuck open unless it didn't have enough coolant in it, or the timing being off could also cause it. It's strange to have both issues at once so more investigation and troubleshooting probably needed. Luckily both the timing and the thermostat valve are fairly cheap to sort out if they turn out to be the problem, the leaking possibly a bit more expensive depending what's leaking exactly and where. Other reasons for overheating could be the brakes trailing/sticking

 

[jaycey001]

Quick update.
The car done it again this morning, as I came to the bottom of the hill I dipped the clutch and all dash lights came on (engine still running). This time I did not turn off the car and continued to drive, it didnt feel like the drive train was engaged (almost like clutch not released) I accelerated a bit and there was a thud and then dash lights went out and car drove fine.... could the clutch be sticking when on a steep incline or somthing?

 

[MattInARedMicra]

Quick update.
The car done it again this morning, as I came to the bottom of the hill I dipped the clutch and all dash lights came on (engine still running). This time I did not turn off the car and continued to drive, it didnt feel like the drive train was engaged (almost like clutch not released) I accelerated a bit and there was a thud and then dash lights went out and car drove fine.... could the clutch be sticking when on a steep incline or somthing?

Genuinely baffled, I've never heard of this happening before

The only 2 things that come to mind, is something has chewed through the wiring loom somewhere, or it's some sort of a problem with the components involved in idling.

When going down a hill almost all engines now will cut the fuel to the injectors and the engine is kept going on the momentum of going downhill, the clutch is engaged (driving) when this happens, except the wheels are driving the engine instead of the engine driving the wheels - when you touch the gas again or dip the clutch the fuel begins to be added to the cylinders as normal. If it's happening when you reach the bottom of the hill, it's possible something is going wrong with this system - but I don't even know what the components of it are that could have broken or how that could show as something electrical

Hopefully someone comes along with a bit more knowledge than me

 

[fuzzy-hair-man]

When going down a hill almost all engines now will cut the fuel to the injectors and the engine is kept going on the momentum of going downhill, the clutch is engaged (driving) when this happens, except the wheels are driving the engine instead of the engine driving the wheels - when you touch the gas again or dip the clutch the fuel begins to be added to the cylinders as normal. If it's happening when you reach the bottom of the hill, it's possible something is going wrong with this system - but I don't even know what the components of it are that could have broken or how that could show as something electrical

This would need a clutch switch and probably a neutral switch, for the ECU to know when to bring in the idle system. My cg13 dizzy engine doesn't have a clutch switch, so I doubt it turns the fuel off completely.
I'd be suspecting loose or abraided wiring creating dodgy connections or a short.

 

[jaycey001]

Thanks for reply's! Well I think ive sorted issue out, the battery did not have a battery clamp and was instead strapped down with wire, when I went down hill and dipped clutch to break and slow down the battery was moving forward and causing a short in the electrics. New clamp ordered and battery held down with ratchet strap now and issue has gone... Phew!!

Thanks for suggestions, electrical issue was in right direction.

 

[MattInARedMicra]

glad you got it fixed

 

[Petroda]

Temp being below half way when going downhill is a symptom of the radiator thermostat valve being stuck open, which means your engine is running too cold.

The lights on the dashboard sounds like the car stalled while moving. This could be because of your first issue where the car has gone into limp mode or similar due to the temperature sensor readouts being less than expected. But it could also point to issues with engine timing or idle speed... or fuel blockage or lack of strong spark.

As for it overheating at higher speeds I'm really not sure. It's unlikely it could overheat with the thermostat stuck open unless it didn't have enough coolant in it, or the timing being off could also cause it. It's strange to have both issues at once so more investigation and troubleshooting probably needed. Luckily both the timing and the thermostat valve are fairly cheap to sort out if they turn out to be the problem, the leaking possibly a bit more expensive depending what's leaking exactly and where. Other reasons for overheating could be the brakes trailing/sticking

Hi thanks for your valid suggestions,this sounds like my Micra,when am going downhill or when i try to put the car in neutral,the engine stalls and all the lights on the dash board come on.From your explanation am thinking it could be lack of strong spark as one of the spark plugs does not seem to fire up in a normal way .Some machanic suggested it could also be the reason why it’s producing some smoke because the combustion is not complete.I have tried to change the distributor but nothing has changed,please help on why the #1 spark plug is not working,we tried to swap the cables but again nothing changed.