Tips & Help
Intermittent Operation
The system suddenly shuts down and turns on again, a function stops and then restarts. This is almost certainly due to a poor connection somewhere in the system and is most likely due to interconnections. Plugs or sockets may have become loose, check locking devices. The connector terminals may have started to degrade with the electroplated surface wearing away, they may have become corroded or have become contaminated. Simply disconnecting the connector and remating may be enough to clear the fault. Inspect the terminals, they should be bright and shiny. If they are tarnished or corroded cleaning may help short term, they will need replacing to be reliable.
Connectors should also be dry, water ingress may upset data signals and lead to corrosion. Dry them out using a hair-dryer or hot-air gun on a low heat setting. Spray lightly with an evaporative electronic cleaning spray, loosening any debris with a toothbrush or stiff paint brush. NEVER use WD40 or Easystart, WD40 contains lubricants and penetrating oils, Easystart contains cylinder lubricants. Addition of an oil will act as an insulation layer on the contact surfaces and make the problem considerably worse. Long term spraying can also have an adverse reaction on certain plastics causing damage. Keep connectors dry at all times and avoid pressure washers which are capable of penetrating rubber seals.
Least likely is a poor connection in the control boxes but still a possibility, the box will then need to be inspected proffesionally.
Check connections to the power source. Have cables been repaired at some point? Have crimp terminals been used? A poorly crimped connection may result in loose wires and water ingress will corrode the copper strands causing high resistance in the circuit leading to voltage drops. These are fine for emergency repairs but for long term reliability the wires should be soldered together and insulated with adhesive heatshring sleeving (easily available from most auto and hardware retailers).
Intermittant sensor operation, check the sensing end is close enough to the passing magnet or shaft gear to produce a strong signal, has it moved? Are the cables fractured due to being insuffiently supported to prevent movement?
Solenoid valves intermittant, check the Hirschmann type connectors, open the covers and look for corrosion on the terminals, ensure the rubber seals are intact and effective.
