Puma Drivers Door Electrical Fault - Earth?

Hello,

Last night I had an electrical problem with my Puma which happened randomly - Yesterday all of the electrics on the car were working normally, no issues at all, I got in the car, put both electric windows down and then drove a short journey home. When getting home, nearly all of the electrics relating to the drivers door were dead and no longer working.. including:

Electric Windows (both sides)
Electric Mirrors
Remote Central Locking
Dash light for 'Door Open' comes on when you press the electric windows switch (with drivers door shut)
Dim interior light comes on when electric windows switch pressed (presumably because of the Door Open issue'

We have managed to strip the drivers door and use a 12v battery to power the window motor directly and that bought the windows back up but the switch inside is still dead, remote central locking still dead and the open door light is still on the dash when electric windows switch is pressed..

Is this an earth issue? and where would the drivers door electrics be earthed? Is there an earth point near there which controls these electrics?

Thanks in advance from a very confused Puma owner

That does sound a bit like an earth or a short issue of some kind, I personally don't know where the earths are located but it all sounds very localised.

Hopefully you can get it sorted soon. I'm sure someone will know where it's at.

Sounds more like a broken wire rather than an earth problem, mostly likely place for a break or a short is where the cables all pass from the door to the car into the door pillar.
As for earth connections, chances are these will be in the same area, probably just inside the door pillar?

Orenthal said:

[post]359836[/post] Is this an earth issue?

Click to expand...

Well, how about we find out? Just run a lead from the earth of the battery and onto the stripped down door (crocodile clip onto a bare area of metal, which you'll have to scrape back to as it's all painted there) and then test. That'll put the earth question up or down in 5 minutes, but yeah, it does look like you have an earth problem.

Orenthal said:

[post]359836[/post] and where would the drivers door electrics be earthed? Is there an earth point near there which controls these electrics?

Click to expand...

The wiring diagrams just make vague reference to the A pillar. But, they also make an equally vague reference to the boot lid earth as being 'In tailgate' and I know for a fact that there they use the hinges to earth that lid. It's possible that they are doing the same with the doors.

With the tailgate, the fix was just to spray loads of WD40 on the hinges and work the lid up and down for 5 minutes. I couldn't see that working and was getting ready to run in a fly lead to the lid as an earth. But no, it worked and 3 years down the road that fix is holding up.

Still seems a strange way to earth things, if you ask me.