Additional Relay Box

[Guest NigelP]

1996 Ford Galaxy GLX 2.0 . Neither the Haynes manual nor the Owner's Handbook tell me how to easily get access to the Additional Relay Box which includes, amongst other things, the relay for the heated front screen. Is it simply a matter of removing the Instrument Cluster to get access - I know it's some where there because I can hear the relays operating.

[Guest vr6galaxy]

Neither the Haynes manual nor the Owner's Handbook tell me how to easily get access to the Additional Relay Box which includes.................

 

Isnt the heated front screen relay in the additional fuse relay box in the engine compartment?

[Guest NigelP]

Not according to the Owner's Manual wich references an Auxiliary Fuse Relay Box in the engine compartment and an 'Addtional Relay Box' which is somewhere in the vicinity of the Instrument Cluster.

[Guest vr6galaxy]

In that case remove the cover to the fuse panel and stick your head in the foot well, if you look up into the dash above the fuse panel are a few more fuses and relays clipped onto the main panel! these are easily missed unless you get right down and look for them!

the only thing you find if you remove the clock cluster is the engine managment ECU, the door ajar/bulb outage ECU and a few other bits! but I havent seen any relay/fuse boxes when I have been in there!

I think the relay you are looking for is K164 and the fuse's are F14 15Amp (relay) and F27 50Amp (load)

 

out of interest why do you want the relay? is the front screen no longer working?

[Guest NigelP]

You guess right - the front screen no longer works. The 50A fuse is OK, so there's not much left between 12V and the screen except the relay. The screen is original so I don't anticpate any problems with the connections. Having said that, I can also hear the relay clicking in and out - so it may be that the switching contacts have failed in some way.

 

BTW - I am in Southern Germany where the daytime temp is about -10C at the moment.

[Guest vr6galaxy]

The connection terminals for the screen are behind the trim panels either side of the screen, the main earthing point is up in the head linening above the rear veiw mirror, it's not uncommon for this to fail! pop the digi clock out and you should be able to see it?

the cables to the screen are black/red 2.5mm, if you find the relay pins 2 and 8 are the load in and out to the screen, you could try shorting these terminals out and seeing if the screen works?

 

-10C pah thats a shorts and tee shirt day if ever there was one, if you run out of sun screen let me know and I'll pop some in the post to you, or even better fire up the barbie and I bring it round :D

[Guest NigelP]

Well I eventually get around to checking out the connections to the Front Screen now that the weather has warmed up a little . High temp about 0C today. (Thanks for the guidance on where to find them).

 

Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a lot of continuity between the feed to the screen under the trim panel next to the quarter light and the ground connection adjacent to the clock - which kind of suggests that the actual connection to the screen has failed. My guess is that this is probably the end of the road without going to the expense of a new screen. :(

 

Anyone any suggestions?

[Ivor_E_Tower]

Try measuring the resistance of the screen heaters themselves using a multimeter; IIRC the left and right sides are connected separately, but the 2 earthing wires are almost side-by-side by the clock.

[Guest vr6galaxy]

As Ivor says the screen is split into two halves, the feed for each half splits off about a foot down the loom away from the relay

if the indicator light on the switch is illuminating and the relay is clicking, check that you have voltage at the terminals on the A post, if you do? then either the screen elements have blown? or the ground connection is bad?

I dont have a heated screen, yet! but I do have all the wiring in place (fitted it last week) and I have voltage at the terminals when the switch it pressed :)

[Guest NigelP]

As Ivor says the screen is split into two halves, the feed for each half splits off about a foot down the loom away from the relay

if the indicator light on the switch is illuminating and the relay is clicking, check that you have voltage at the terminals on the A post, if you do? then either the screen elements have blown? or the ground connection is bad?

I dont have a heated screen, yet! but I do have all the wiring in place (fitted it last week) and I have voltage at the terminals when the switch it pressed :)

As Ivor says the screen is split into two halves, the feed for each half splits off about a foot down the loom away from the relay

if the indicator light on the switch is illuminating and the relay is clicking, check that you have voltage at the terminals on the A post, if you do? then either the screen elements have blown? or the ground connection is bad?

I dont have a heated screen, yet! but I do have all the wiring in place (fitted it last week) and I have voltage at the terminals when the switch it pressed

 

Thanks two both of you for the comments. :rolleyes:

 

Current status is that the relay operates, the indicator light comes on, and there is power to the connectors at the base of the A posts. The ground connection to the post next to the clock is also good - however, when testing with a multimeter there is a lack of continuity between the A-post screen connectors and the flexible ground connection. (Actually there is some leakage, the impedance around 5k-10k ohms).

 

As Ivor points out, there are two panels, with a common ground connection. As both sides are inoperative, this seems to point to the ground connection itself. Any further thoughts?

[Guest vr6galaxy]

disconnect the earthing point above the mirror and with the screen switched on see if you get voltage at the cable coming off the screen? if you do make a temporary connection to it and earth it out else where, it could be a bad earthing point? if no voltage is present at this point then it's time for a new screen :)

[Guest NigelP]

Then it's time for a new screen. :) I suspect the cost will outweigh the benefit at this point.