AC Ace Brooklands 1995 - electric hood problem

[AcemanToo]

Hi Max,
   No, haven't sorted the hood out yet but the wiring diagram was quite useful in spite of it lacking any sort of colour coding! I've been sorting out bonnet locks and loose quarter-lights in the meantime, plus the serpentine belt. That WAS an interesting one! I didn't really make a note of its path when I took the old one off so had a very interesting hour or so trying to work out its correct path. Sometimes the belt appeared too long, then too short, but, get the right route and it fits like a glove. I lost a wheel centre some time ago and have turned up with a firm that will make me a set of new ones in CNC machined aluminium. The plastic centres tend to crack around the fixing set screw and no amount of super glueing seems to solve the problem. Thanks for the Peugeot fluid reference - that will help a great deal. I'm still convinced that there's a relay or two involved in the poor hood operation - where the heck they are though is anybody's guess! Anyway, good to hear from you again! If I solve the problem, you'll be the first to know!
   
   Kind regards, Patrick.

[Max Allan]

Patrick. With the ignition on do any of the LED's on the ecu light up? On mine, with ignition on (but before operating dash switch) two reds and three greens illuminate.
   
   Oil's not cheap - £15.28 for 125 ml bottle.[]

[AcemanToo]

Hi Max,
   I didn't know that the ECU had any LEDs!! I take it that you mean the unit that's located in the boot next to the valve/solenoid unit? If that is what you mean, I'll have a look when it stops raining.
   You're not kidding when you say the oil is expensive! And I bet it'll turn out to be something cheap like trolley jack fluid.....
   
   
   
   

quote:Originally posted by Max Allan
   
Patrick. With the ignition on do any of the LED's on the ecu light up? On mine, with ignition on (but before operating dash switch) two reds and three greens illuminate.
   
   Oil's not cheap - £15.28 for 125 ml bottle.[]
   

[Max Allan]

More than likely it’s trolley jack oil (which I have) but I wasn’t about to chance it!
   
   Went through the same head scratching exercise myself refitting serpentine belt following head(s) change. Several months had passed and hadn’t a clue how it went.
   
   Yep – it’s the alloy box with two bundles of wires attached. Point of interest – of the two fuses in the boot the 30 amp fuse protects pump circuit, but the 5 amp fuse has NO influence on hood operation. My hood is working again (touching the woodiest wood I can find []), so out of curiosity I removed the 5 amp fuse and tried raising the hood. Low and behold it worked as per normal !! So your guess is as good as mine what it’s protecting.
   
   If you’ve got no LED lights then the problem has be a loss of 12v supply (+ 30 on wiring diagram), the supply to which ultimately originates at ignition switch. Stupidly, the diagram doesn’t appear to show the dash switch. Unless I’m missing something it can’t be +15 as shown on diagram. +15 sends 12v supply to (a) ecu and (b) coil side of pump relay (negative return to complete circuit and energise relay and start pump is via ecu). But ecu requires instruction from dash switch to raise or lower hood, so by my reckoning there must be two wires from switch not shown on diagram.

[AC Ace Bristol]

Patrick  &  Max.
   
   We  (FAAC (UK) Ltd) use thousands of litres of Hydraulic Fluid a year in our Hydraulic Gate Operators and Barriers, Can you please confirm Specification of the recommended Hydraulic Fluid you are using [?], If the same or compatable we can supply at more realistic price, we have outlets / representation in 72 +  Counties World Wide.
   Temp range -20 degrees C to + 55 degrees C,  viscosity remains consistent/ constant throughout temperature range due to special approved & tested additives.
   
   Cheers
   
   Keith..[]

[Max Allan]

A very kind offer Keith, but haven’t a clue the oil spec other than it has quote – “ highly viscosity index/anti-wear/thermal stability/resistance to oxidation/anti-corrosive/anti-foaming/neutrality to elastomers” - and is also used by Citroen! Theoretically oil in any quantity shouldn’t be necessary unless changing a ram or something – then life would start to get expensive! However, assuming similar viscosity ( and maybe flushing out original oil as precaution) would using a slightly different oil matter much? (It’s not like the old days of vegetable oils when mixing veg with mineral was recipe for disaster.)
   
   Kindest regards
   
   Max