Today I.....

Enjoyed my other half discovering the windscreen wiper earth issue - in my car - .. (my first ever experience of this, this car now sitting on the drive in torrential rain). I've checked with jump leads and the wipers work fine but not without the extra connection.

So now she's got her car I've been nursing with the non-working oil pressure sensor issue instead (occurred during lambda replacement described elsewhere, but manifests as a loud bong, red oilcan symbol intermittently when driving). Also intermittent symptoms of brakelight switch that I was going to try to replace this weekend. This is going to be a fun day.
Fixed it in about 45 minutes. There was an Ebay link in previous wiper earth threads that I used to buy a ~50cm-long thick earth cable with 8mm eyes at the ends maybe 3 years ago and put in a box in the garage in case this happened. Managed to find it, unscrewed a 10mm bolt head on the wiper motor casing next to where the wiper crank comes out, sanded the casing surface underneath, replaced the bolt with the eye and a washer securing, then managed to run the other end to one of the three bolts securing the alternator belt tensioner. Turned the ignition key and wiper springs back into life.

Now onwards!

Thanks to all here who have commented on this issue and potential solution over the years ; should probably have fitted the cable in the summer. Easy fix and one I'm going to repeat on the other cars as a preventative measure.
 
Fixed it in about 45 minutes. There was an Ebay link in previous wiper earth threads that I used to buy a ~50cm-long thick earth cable with 8mm eyes at the ends maybe 3 years ago and put in a box in the garage in case this happened. Managed to find it, unscrewed a 10mm bolt head on the wiper motor casing next to where the wiper crank comes out, sanded the casing surface underneath, replaced the bolt with the eye and a washer securing, then managed to run the other end to one of the three bolts securing the alternator belt tensioner. Turned the ignition key and wiper springs back into life.

Now onwards!

Thanks to all here who have commented on this issue and potential solution over the years ; should probably have fitted the cable in the summer. Easy fix and one I'm going to repeat on the other cars as a preventative measure.
Awesome - I would rub a little copper grease on the connections to ward off corrosion
 
Martin chose the right seat on the train today
 

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Awesome - I would rub a little copper grease on the connections to ward off corrosion
As a foot-note - having then set off and driven to work, the wiper is now about 30% faster in standard wiping than it ever has been in the 5 years I've had the car, particularly evident in the torrent that is coming down this morning, with no need to contemplate going onto the high(er!) speed setting. When the weather is better I will take a photo to show the pre-existing bolts I've used as the anchors at either end - very glad I didn't have to drill and tap something to make this work. I am also buying two more of these earth cables for the other two cars today.
 
Yes the earth lead onto the wiper motor does work. However the problem of water in the wiring plug still exists and can spread to the power for the wipers or cause a short and blow the fuse. It is a good idea to remove the wiring plug from the wiper motor and thoroughly clean out the water / rust in the plug and socket. The contacts can be cleaned and a small amount of dielectric grease applied to help prevent further water intrusion into the plug and socket.
 
Plug is dry and contacts clean (if I've got the right plug - down and to the right from the wiper spindle end of the wiper motor casing - loom then runs around underneath the motor casing to the left and disappears under the scuttle somewhere?) - but the added earth has been a revelation today.

@Alan_uk

I've managed to find the Ebay link for the cable in Ebay order confirmation Emails from summer 2018! Still available from the same supplier (H. Bowers) - ordered two more, although the price has gone up from £3.98 then to around £6.50 each now.

For future reference if someone finds this in years to come - the link on 17th November 2022 :


search term on Ebay - 18" INCH 450mm CAR BATTERY BLACK EARTH EARTHING NEGATIVE LEAD CABLE WIRE STRAP, options
specifications -

450mm Length
8mm Ring terminal fitted on either end
Black PVC insulation
16mm² Conductor (Cross sectional area) Flexible copper cable
8.85mm Outside diameter
110A Rated
 
The earth connection in the wiper motor plug connects to the left headlight earth point. Check for continuity in the earth wire ( pin 4 ).
 
As a foot-note - having then set off and driven to work, the wiper is now about 30% faster in standard wiping than it ever has been in the 5 years I've had the car, particularly evident in the torrent that is coming down this morning, with no need to contemplate going onto the high(er!) speed setting. When the weather is better I will take a photo to show the pre-existing bolts I've used as the anchors at either end - very glad I didn't have to drill and tap something to make this work. I am also buying two more of these earth cables for the other two cars today.
@Spen worth noting that Akoya's wiper was always noticably slower in operation than Audrey's; the latter car has a second earth - Would suggest you do the same mod as Robin (if not done already)
 
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As a foot-note - having then set off and driven to work, the wiper is now about 30% faster in standard wiping than it ever has been in the 5 years I've had the car, particularly evident in the torrent that is coming down this morning, with no need to contemplate going onto the high(er!) speed setting. When the weather is better I will take a photo to show the pre-existing bolts I've used as the anchors at either end - very glad I didn't have to drill and tap something to make this work. I am also buying two more of these earth cables for the other two cars today.
I have a car with an additional wiper earth and the wipers are faster and work better on that one too.

Nice and easy to do and a very beneficial upgrade for all A2's 👍
 
Tested the DEFA aux heater installation on my BHC car by running it for half an hour.

This was fitted over a year ago but I never got round to working it out last year. Decided to plug it in and get a feel for how it works.
The background : external temperature around 14 degrees. Coolant temperature on 15 when I switched it on (ODB reader plugged in with the ignition key turned to just before starting).

When plugged in, you hear a gentle noise of moving liquid rather like when someone runs a tap in a different part of the house emanating from around the coolant / oil heat exchanger and somewhere near the alternator. The return pipe from the oil heat exchanger is where the heater is plumbed in, and the first signs of something happening is that the pipe above the heater immediately warms up. After about 15 minutes you can feel heat in the pipe returning from the oil heat exchanger to the heater, and by 30 minutes the pipe leading to the base of the coolant expansion tank is physically warm. The pipe immediately above the heater by this stage feels like warm bath water - my guess would have been 40˚C or so, backed up by the reader suggesting it was mid 30s ˚C.

I'm now convinced enough by how it works (not that I shouldn't be given how prevalent these are in colder climes than ours), and am going to get a digital timer so that it can be switched on from the garage power point around an hour before the car is needed as it gets colder over the next few weeks. I can also swap on a spare slightly damaged ridged service panel from the garage that I will modify enabling the socket to be accessed through the fourth Audi ring without leaving the whole service hatch open to the elements - probably insert a grommet or something similar.

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Tested the DEFA aux heater installation on my BHC car by running it for half an hour.

This was fitted over a year ago but I never got round to working it out last year. Decided to plug it in and get a feel for how it works.
The background : external temperature around 14 degrees. Coolant temperature on 15 when I switched it on (ODB reader plugged in with the ignition key turned to just before starting).

When plugged in, you hear a gentle noise of moving liquid rather like when someone runs a tap in a different part of the house emanating from around the coolant / oil heat exchanger and somewhere near the alternator. The return pipe from the oil heat exchanger is where the heater is plumbed in, and the first signs of something happening is that the pipe above the heater immediately warms up. After about 15 minutes you can feel heat in the pipe returning from the oil heat exchanger to the heater, and by 30 minutes the pipe leading to the base of the coolant expansion tank is physically warm. The pipe immediately above the heater by this stage feels like warm bath water - my guess would have been 40˚C or so, backed up by the reader suggesting it was mid 30s ˚C.

I'm now convinced enough by how it works (not that I shouldn't be given how prevalent these are in colder climes than ours), and am going to get a digital timer so that it can be switched on from the garage power point around an hour before the car is needed as it gets colder over the next few weeks. I can also swap on a spare slightly damaged ridged service panel from the garage that I will modify enabling the socket to be accessed through the fourth Audi ring without leaving the whole service hatch open to the elements - probably insert a grommet or something similar.

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Hmm I didn’t notice that much of a difference when I last tried my Calix engine heater - I shall try plugging it in for an hour and then feeling the pipes you e described for warmth!
 
Hmm I didn’t notice that much of a difference when I last tried my Calix engine heater - I shall try plugging it in for an hour and then feeling the pipes you e described for warmth!
do you have colour DIS? That could give a readout of the sensor temperature when the ignition key is turned to the pre-start position as well as feeling the pipes.
 
Today I regretted fitting a pair of cheap rear callipers to solve the problem of a sticking handbrake on the near side and generally ward off the problem for the foreseeable future: 3 months later and the offside is sticking 🤯
 
Today I regretted fitting a pair of cheap rear callipers to solve the problem of a sticking handbrake on the near side and generally ward off the problem for the foreseeable future: 3 months later and the offside is sticking 🤯
Ahh! Can you get genuine oem ones still? Or why not rebuild kits?
 
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