Automotive/KIA Picanto 1.1 Auto

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Expert: - 10/5/2010


Question
Hi Ernie
Can you help please ,there are no experts on Kia cars so this is a long shot
for help. I have a Kia picanto 1.1 auto from new and the rear fog lights only
works some times. Ive had the car in the Kia garage 5 times since new they
have fixed it each time but it still does not work after some time. They have
put 3 new dash switches and one main light indicator stick, and they say it
now could be a bad connection?? They say the feed comes from the main
beam switch to the dash switch and then to the fog lights..As it works
sometimes and the feed goes through a diode before it goes to the main
beam switch, could it be a faulty DIODE? this has been going on for 3.5 years
now and the last time I had a MOT it failed thee times and three times it went
back in the KIa garage.
Ps When it stops working there is no light on the push switch on the dash.
Can you help PLEASE

Thank you Terry

Answer
This problem does have the hallmarks of an intermittent connection problem, either at a connector or at a faulty switch.  It is also possible that there is an intermittent bond in a diode, but the typical experience with intermittent semiconductor beamlead or junction joints is that they fail completely in fairly short order, rather than linger on as an intermittent over an extended period.

Intermittent connections are, of course, frustrating to locate, and Murphy's Law really DOES appear to play a role in the appearance of such problems, along with the law that dictates that these problems will almost never surface when one is actively searching for them!

Notwithstanding that sentiment, one can locate and remedy intermittence problems if one is prepared to be organised, systematic and thorough.  The point is to make no assumptions, but to check EVERY joint, wire and part in a circuit, and to do so in sequence from one end of the circuit to the other.  Particular attention should be paid to harness connectors and to the terminations on the source of supply, protective devices (fuses or circuit breakers) and the controlling switches.  

Gently flexing connectors can cause an intermittent joint to make itself known, as can the application of "freeze mist", an evapourative cooling aid used in the electronics industry to seek out broken bonds, cold solder joints and defective connectors; this sudden lowering of temperature works by contracting the different materials in a connector or joint at different rates according to their thermal expansion/contraction characteristics, and this will usually open up a gap in joints that are not properly bonded.

Freeze mist is cheap and easy to use ... it was once simply Freon (ie: R12) in an aerosol can before chloro-fluorocarbons (CFCs) were determined to be atmospherically unfriendly ...  to each, ozone, I guess ... !  <sorry for the pun!>

Regards ... EGK

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Ernest (Ernie) Kenward

Expertise

The challenges I most enjoy are thoughtful technical questions of a trouble-shooting nature in both electrical, power electronic and mechanical systems, mainly automotive but also machine control and small-machine PLC applications. Please note, however, that I am NOT a walking shop manual! I DO, however, make it a point to have those manuals and other service literature for those vehicles I DO own, and highly recommend that anyone serious about maintenance or modification of their vehicles do the same; MOST of your answers WILL be found there. For that matter, I do NOT go out of my way to acquire shop manuals for any vehicle I do NOT own! That being the case, any general query to me along the lines of "What is the meaning of this code read from the ECU of my 2015 XYZ?" or "Where is the fuse for the windshield washer pump found?" (try your car's electrical distribution panel for a start!) will not go far. What I do offer is a pretty good collection of literature, insights and hands-on experience with 1950s to 1980's Ford products (plus a developing database of information and practice with the Mercedes diesel cars), along with an engineering perspective and the ability to design and implement custom control, electrical and mechanical subsystems for vehicles. For that reason, I am happy to make my thoughts and efforts available to those who are of like mind and/or are seriously making a point of learning about their vehicles. Use the Opportunity to Learn!

Experience

A key skill in my work and hobby pursuits both is STRATEGIC TROUBLESHOOTING. I am a senior instructor in Electrical Engineering Technology at a leading Canadian polytechnic, my areas being Electrical Power and Industrial Control, electrical and electronics design and manufacturing, and AutoCAD and related CAD/CAE software - plus equipment problem-solving and new equipment design and prototyping. Hobby-wise, I have 30-plus years of experience in auto restoration, mostly in electrical and mechanical systems. Ongoing projects include a 1959 Edsel Corsair, my 1978 Ford E250 class-B motorhome conversion, and the care and upkeep of my Mercedes 300CD. My vehicles become engineering test beds for electrical and mechanical upgrades as ideas present themselves. This includes the design and production of circuit boards to restore or enhance features for which no OEM replacement parts are obtainable, or where better specifications or reliability can be had via newer concepts. Regarding the E250 RV conversion, I designed and continue to revise a custom power distribution system, managed by a Programmable Controller (PLC); this has made most revisions as easy as uploading new firmware as I develop it. The "mini" PLC is a powerful device for custom automotive control systems. One good example (there are many) would be the Moeller "Easy Relay"; these offer a wealth of control, monitoring and variable-and-status display options for such projects. A good example project which has worked well is that one for my RV noted above, which has been on the job - revised in firmware only - for a decade now. It is a load management and charging control system to avoid the sulfation-induced early failure that often befalls deep-cycle batteries used in RV power applications. The battery installed in 2003 lasted long enough to more tnan pay for the PLC that contributed to its longer life ... and the PLC will be there for the next battery as well!

Organizations
IEEE - senior member ... past WCC Student Activities; SME - senior member ... past chair, greater Vancouver chapter chair 318; Edsel Owners' Club - have served in various capacities on chapter executive during seventies; have been Power and Driveline resource on the Edsel Owners' Club "E-team" for more than a decade.

Education/Credentials
Graduate of UBC

Awards and Honors
Certificates of appreciation from IEEE and SME for work in student and chapter activities

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