Captiva 212 Shifter/ Temp gauge sender wire
rlawrence
Member Posts: 8 ✭
Anyone have photos or link to process to remove / replace shifter? I can dig into it and figure it out, but would like a review first. I'm actually just working to remove it and find the short that it is causing to my temperature gauge sender wire. I've tested it to confirm. Something in there is binding it and opening up circuit. Cannot find anything on engine end. I'm looking for ideas.
Comments
the harness that encases the temp sender wire doesn't involve the shifter... the harness has a wire drop out, and then go back in the harness- and that is all... that is the neutral interrupt. the other wires that drop out and back in are the trim wires- and they are also not impacted by the temperature sender.
my guess is you can make this much easier by intercepting the ground from your temperature gauge and place it on another known good ground.... and your problem will be resolved.
now what it 'could' be is the harness has broken a zip tie anchor point, and when you use the lever you pull the harness forward or backward, and it places a strain on the connectors... and those connectors LOVE to corrode... on my 212 i ended up pulling those plugs off and soldering wires to both ends, in effect extending the harness and eliminating the plus which are NOT water tight and invite corrosion... I wager your temp sender wire is corroded and pulling off the connection when the harness is moved.
the speaker behind the helm seat and the little compartment behind it can come out and allow you to see- but it takes some work... a flashlight and a phone (camera) are your friends.
the dash and instrument panel needs to be removed as well... you can unscrew them and lay them, still connected, across your steering wheel and prop the instrument panel atop a beer can(you have beer, right? you'll need beer)...
where the harness disappears behind the bend- going back down the gunnel to the engine- there is a likely 12 pin connector.... almost square white thing. in my experience, this is the culprit of most 'instrument' issues (when it isn't the faria gauge).
that connector isn't water tight... and though there shouldn't be that much water intrusion back there, it still happens.... even if just a mist.... and the connectors in that white block corrode- turning a nice patina green and shearing right off...
it is that block i removed- by pulling the speaker and the panel compartment thingy behind it and cutting a couple zip ties of the harness- allowing a few more inches of 'reach' from behind the dash pulling that white block to directly under the dash.... i then cut wire-for-wire, soldering water-tight sleeve style 'butt' connectors on each and adding about six inches or so of length in the process.
the only gauge i have now that has 'intermittent' issues is the battery gauge. it doesn't bother me it misbehaves because i rarely pay attention to it..
something else i did, too.... I pulled two 00ga wires through the gunnel and terminated them on the panel between the under-dash and the waste container compartment. It's wired to the battery switch. this allows me to have solid clean connections of 12vdc available without relying on the OE harness. that was for accessories understand, like the nav and radio, extra lights and amplifier. However, it's come in handy with other items as well.
the wiring in that dash is horrendous... i mean 'really' strange. i resorted to a meter and pencil in hand, writing discoveries on a tablet, and then pieces of masking tape on the wires to identify them. insofar as standard color codes, 'they' followed them on about 3/4 of the wiring, and tossed in others it seems just to confuse.
there is another white block connector that is your radio/speaker wire harness... i'm not talking about that one... i'm talking about the one hiding around the corner... you may be fortunate and find the wires aren't broken and the connector is simply corroded and something a spray of battery terminal cleaner and then terminal protection spray can cure.
there is a little harness that dives out of the main harness between the shifter and the dash... it has your neutral interrupt and your trim switch wires in it.. you'll know it when you see it.
again, i suggest that white 12pin (i think it's 12 pin) block is your issue, and a disconnect (don't let the end going back to the engine go! i used a zip tie to secure it to the steering cable housing) , clean, protect, and reinstall will set you up back to new function.
.... but before you go diving in that wiring, do me a favor... go back to the engine and find both temperature probe connections... they are just a post and push on connection... pull them both off- slightly squish the connection with needle nose pliars... reinstall... they are notorious for bad connections- ESPECIALLY if they are tied to the same wires IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT the neutral interrupt and the automatic choke wires are connected to... if they are, they will 'ride' the gear/throttle brackets and move ever so slightly which is enough to alter the connectors grip on the sensor/sender post.
i really wish this connection was a spade or a pin connector, even a ring and nut connector.... and guess what? the post is threaded allowing a ring and nut to be introduced, but it is difficult to work in that area... try the squish method first... you may find this is your issue and it's not at the dash at all...
by the way- i've encountered BOTH these issues just this year.