[Andi1973]

Hi, have just fitted an in-line cable for dashcam and now have no power/ignition. Button flashes but no ignition,radio,central locking. I have checked all fuses but don’t know if it could be a relay or where to start.

 

[zarbs]

Hi, have just fitted an in-line cable for dashcam and now have no power/ignition. Button flashes but no ignition,radio,central locking. I have checked all fuses but don’t know if it could be a relay or where to start.

Have you simply run the cable for the dash cam or did you connect it to the cars wiring harness to get power on at ignition/start? You have to be very careful when connecting to modern systems as they run what is called a CAN (Controller Area Network) bus. Signals pass over this bus from the computers (commonly called ECU's or electronic control units) of the car to relays and starters closer to the actual system which turn them on and off. The bus usually ends at a relay or controller that, once a valid data packet signal is received, activates a relay which passes power to the system like when you turn on the lights. The advantage of the CAN bus is that multiple systems can communicate at once and a priority is observed by all systems on that bus. It saves having to run power over multiple parts of the harness when a single power circuit feeds all the relays. Mind you this a very simplified explanation. You can check sites like Wikipedia for greater detail.

Cutting into this bus can sever those control signals and the system will not work as designed. Any addition to the car should enter at a point where there is a designated external connection (some can be found in the engine bay relay box) or directly to the engine compartment battery power through a relay. When you patched into the cable you would have got the power required by your dash cam but that voltage is purely used to carry the data packet components of the CAN bus and the splice gets power but cuts the data transmission capability for the section you cut into as the dash cam will suck the power but has no facility to retransmit the packet data of the bus which is effectively the same as just cutting the cable and ;leaving it open ended.

Of course, if you haven't done it this way there may be some other root cause. Can you remove the dash cam and restore the connection correctly to see if things go back to normal? Your only other option is to have it towed to a dealer for rectification. Good luck...

 

[zarbs]

A WORD OF WARNING!!

The ECU's control everything from lights and switches right down to the safety equipment of the car. The airbags, anti-lock brake circuit and the active safety equipment of the EC are all on this bus controlled by specific ECU''s for that task. You MUST NOT drive your vehicle if you have damaged the integrity of the CAN bus as your safety and that of other road users is severely compromised.

 

[Andi1973]

Thank you for your reply. I disconnected the dashcam lead after and restored the loom to its previous set up. I have done a continuity test across the bridged part and there is continuity. All fuses in glove box and engine bay seem ok but I can’t find any diagrams for which relay serves what?

 

[Andi1973]

Also, the cable I spliced had 12v showing on my voltmeter before I joined it to the dashcam, now there is no voltage. This is why I think it is a blown fuse or relay?

 

[zarbs]

Also, the cable I spliced had 12v showing on my voltmeter before I joined it to the dashcam, now there is no voltage. This is why I think it is a blown fuse or relay?

Do you know which wire you cut in the harness? Where was the wire leading to? Which switch?

The system for the CAN bus has a 12 volt carrier. Finding a voltage means little unless you know which circuit you affected. You can find wiring and relay information on the Russian manuals web site at the following URL:

[W/M] Eclipse Cross (GK#)

In the top left corner is a drop down menu which gives access to:

Workshop Manual
Technical Information Manual
Body Repair Manual

These are taken from the official Mitsubishi manual series for the EC. They cover both RHD and LHD versions of the vehicle. Have a look at the Workshop Manual which has wiring diagrams and circuit data. You will need to know what circuit you cut into for this to be of any use though.

A wire that is part of the 12v supply to relays and starters is vastly different to that of the CAN bus. If you have cut into the CAN bus you may have caused an issue with the ECU on that circuit that requires a reset of the ECU to get it back into operation. You may have caused an over voltage event which has fried the ECU on the circuit. Anything is possible. This may be something only the dealer service staff can do.

Lastly, is the polarity of the wire you cut correct? If it is a two wire cable (positive and negative or active and neutral) the two wires must be rejoined with the correct polarity especially if its is a two wire cable of the CAN bus. If the wires have markings ensure the wires with the same markings are joined. If there are no markings then it's trial and error.

Pics of the rough location of the spliced cable and pics of the cable would assist in understanding where you accessed the power...

 

[zarbs]

A side note on the cable. Even though you may assume the cable is a single core power only cable it may also be a two wire twisted pair inside a sheath. Typically, the CAN but wires are twisted pair inside and outer sheath. Look closely at the open end of the cable to see if you can identify two separately wrapped core wires that, you may have inadvertently twisted together thinking it is a single power line. I'm only making assumptions as you haven't provided any pics of the cut cable nor its location. How, and where, did you measure the voltage and the continuity?

 

[zarbs]

An overall configuration diagram for LHD from the workshop manuals (see attached pic)...

Also check this page which lists all of the engine bay relays, sensors and assemblies (hint - click on the pic to open a larger version in a separate window or tab):

http://mmc-manuals.ru/manuals/eclipse_cross/online/Service_Manual/M1/html/M180100031158900ENG.html

 

[Andi1973]

This is on a RHD in the passenger footwell Red wire and green wire

 

[Andi1973]

At present I have a working horn and electric seat adjustment. No remote locking, electric windows interior lights

 

[zarbs]

OK. You need to understand that the wiring loom you have cut into is NOT JUST POWER. All of these wires carry signals between the electronics of the car to control relays and starters for essential equipment. I have looked at the wiring diagram for the Ignition (attached) and there is a plug (marked in red at the bottom) which matches the pinouts of the connector you have decided to use for the splice for your dash cam. This plug (if it is the correct choice) carries signals to and from the ETACS (Electronic Timing and Control System) ECU. This is one of the main ECU's in the electronics setup. If you have caused a short in this system it may well show up as a loss of all the controls you encountered.

As you can see from the flow chart of connectivity in this diagram it connects some essential systems. Any one of these could be the cause of your problem. Also in this diagram are the Stability Control (ASC) ECU and the Engine Control ECU. More importantly, the MUT-II diagnostics connector (bottom left of the page) is the port service staff will use to connect their service computer tool into to diagnose the system. If this is faulty as part of this issue then they may have bigger problems just getting connected to diagnose the fault.

Frankly I am amazed that you would poke around in these plugs with a multimeter and pick one that fits the voltage requirement and just splice into it without any idea of what it is for. Were you advised to splice into these two cables by anyone? I can't help you any further with this as it may cause even greater problems. Your only option is to get your dealer service staff involved as this looks to be a bigger issue than just a fuse. If it is a fuse failure it will be a fusible link as the CAN bus is protected by fusible links and not just standard fuses. If it is a problem you have introduced into the harness then you may be looking at replacing parts of this harness to regain full connectivity. You may also have caused an ECU to go offline or fail completely. I can't offer you any further advice on this. This is a really bad decision you have made.

In the end, I hope I am terribly off the mark with this but only a visit to a reputable dealer will give you the answer. Best of luck...

 

[zarbs]

At present I have a working horn and electric seat adjustment. No remote locking, electric windows interior lights

I'll check in the daylight but I think these work without the ignition on or being in ACC position...

 

[Andi1973]

Problem solved. Turned out to be a 30A fuse in engine bay fuse box, location fuse No 22 IOD? No idea what IOD is but it obviously must be something important LOL. Thanks to Zarbs for the knowledge and links, you're a star. Lesson learnt.

 

[zarbs]

Problem solved. Turned out to be a 30A fuse in engine bay fuse box, location fuse No 22 IOD? No idea what IOD is but it obviously must be something important LOL. Thanks to Zarbs for the knowledge and links, you're a star. Lesson learnt.

You've dodged a bullet my friend. Glad to hear you've had a satisfactory result. I would be getting the service staff to check the history of the systems the next service to see if there are any unresolved issues which remain in the system. They should do this as a normal step during a service but best to be on the safe side.

IOD stands for Ignition Off Current Draw. See the attached pic of the troubleshooting page. As you will see my assumption was correct and it is lucky that you only popped the 30 amp. Take a note of the caution at the top of the pic. This is why I recommend notifying the service staff as there may be other underlying issues that have not been resolved.

The assistance you will get on these forums are not definitive and this site in particular can have minimal input from other owners. Best ask the question first before doing any work. See my posts to the Nudge Bar thread here on may installation of a LED lighter into the electrical system. I ran everything by an auto electrician before even touching the electrical harness. Such a tech would probably have connected you dash cam safely into the proper power bus of the EC.

 

[zarbs]

A final note - this circuit supplies power even when the ignition is off. Is this really how you want to run a dash cam. It will continue to draw power even with the ignition off and drain your battery. I suspect that this is how you found this circuit by searching with a multimeter with the ignition off. You should be connecting to the power on side of the ignition (power bus) at best. This way the dash cam is only on when the ignition is active. An auto electrician can provide this information in most instances.

 

[Andi1973]

Many thanks