View Full Version : Problem with the magna
Hi boys and girls,
My Bro's magna is currently having a few problems. When they try to diagnose via the comp plug it doesnt come up with anything to say what is thr problem with the magna. Cant turn it over and has a "tick, tick, tick" sound where the glove box is.
KING EGO
04-03-2008, 08:32 PM
Battery is ok.. ECU is around there somewhere.. whats making the sound..? find where its comin from..
BiG 4 CyL
04-03-2008, 08:33 PM
the fuel pump relay is behind the glove box, it clicks on and off when you turn the key to ACC.
is that all its doing or is there more?
Stormie
04-03-2008, 10:06 PM
id put 20$ on that being a dead battery. if you jump start does it go? the other symptoms mine had when this was the case was i could drive it around fine then stop, say for fuel, and come back when the engines warm and try to start it and it dont go... wait 15 mins and it did. eventually i got sick of that (after having it happen in a line for a car wash with heaps of cars lined up behind me :P)(and also the fact that it was happening more and more often).
so i took it to an auto electrician thinking the problem quite more complicated than it was. all they did was replace a relay, and the battery. cost me 180$ or something too, for what i could have done myself. :nuts:.
in summary batteries dont last forever.
TSWAGS
05-03-2008, 08:26 AM
If the battery is all good try giving the starter motor a bang with a hammer while turning the key.
RuSSiaN
05-03-2008, 03:42 PM
the fuel pump relay is behind the glove box, it clicks on and off when you turn the key to ACC.
is that all its doing or is there more?
YEP
However, the ticking noise could be the starter motor, it makes a buzzing noise when you flip the key to Acc!!!
BUT, question is, is it a V6 or 4cyl, as the noise comes from the left on the V6 and right on the 4 cyl.
Fuel relay problem does flash "Check Engine" though, mine did. The fuel relay noise will come from the left near the glove box, as there is no power at all, fuel pump might also be a problem. The noise can clearly be heard from under the glove box.
Simply test the battery voltage to rule this out, then starter motor. The ignition system should be checked also. Failry easy to see the spark plugs, ignition leads, dizzy cap, rotor etc; the bottom of the spark plug will give a good indicator of the engine
There was a very fast clicking noise under the glove box area when the key is on the 'on' position in the ignition. At the exact same time and at the same rate, the 'Check Engine' light would dim.
I do not think it could be the starter motor as it is recently new (5 months).
Last evening after trying to start the engine again, there was a strong electrical burning smell from the cabin within the dashboard region. The 'Check Engine' light does not light up anymore, however, all the other dash lights lights up.
The car is a 92 TR 4 cyc auto.
When trying to start the car it turns over but does not start. There is also no spark. RAC said it is not the distributor. They said it could be the computer or distributor module. All of these are guesses.
The diagnostic plug consealed under the steering wheel area gives out no codes now. It did give out codes three weeks ago, but found nothing to be worried about.
Thanks for your on-going help.
Madmagna
05-03-2008, 07:18 PM
Standard option on the Magna and a lot of other cars, leaking capacitor. The ECU was prob on it's dealt throws and sending dicky signals to the relay, change it over and you should ahve the issue fixed.
It is common, usually they just go but in this case you caught it when trying to start the car, usually people are driving when they burn out.
Standard option on the Magna and a lot of other cars, leaking capacitor. The ECU was prob on it's dealt throws and sending dicky signals to the relay, change it over and you should ahve the issue fixed.
It is common, usually they just go but in this case you caught it when trying to start the car, usually people are driving when they burn out.
Thank you for this information. I have a few questions...
The leaking capacitor Madmagna talks about, is this inside the ECU unit?
Would the leaking capacitor be the source of that strong burning electrical smell?
Is there any reason why the diagnostic plug would not be giving out any codes?
It is best to know the correct source of the strong burning electrical smell before inserting a new ECU into the car, we do not want to "fry" it too.
Thanks for everything so far!
Madmagna
06-03-2008, 05:58 PM
Pop the ECU out, lift the cover and near the plug area you will see a burnt section
The stuff that leaks is conductive and this will cause the burn out
Magna91
06-03-2008, 05:59 PM
From what my electronics class has told me, after the capacitors wear the units are more vulnerable to surges which burns out the entire circuit board, particularly in times of high amperage, such as starting the engine.
Still, if it does turn out to be the ECU then I wouldn't bet on it being the fault of an external source. Doesn't hurt to check though, relays & fuses, etc.
Still studying auto electrical so i'd suggest a second opinion other than mine, but I thought that bit of info would be useful.
Problem solved!
Thanks to all that took the time to reply. Your help was really valuable.
We took out the ECU and noticed the strong burning electrical smell was coming from it. We then purchased another ECU and put it in, then the ECU and diagnostic plugs gave us the codes we needed. Everything is well, we also replaced a relay too.
The car starts well now, so another problem solved.
Thanks all!
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