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UCH fault? Chattering relay knocking out electrics



X

xena

  2003 Clio dci 80
Hiya, hoping for some help (again!!) with this flipping Clio! :? ;)

Sometimes when I'm driving it, a relay near the UCH area (can't pinpoint which one as I'm driving!) starts chattering like mad, and affects the electrics (definitely central locking, indicators and electric windows, maybe others but not found yet). When the chattering is happening, power to the electrics is interrupted in time with the chattering, so for example the electric window will operate in quick bursts in time with the chattering.

When the chattering stops, my electrics may or may not be working. I guess it depends whether the relay gets stuck in the open or closed position.

Other issues I've had over the past couple of days which are probably related, are that the central locking sometimes doesn't work, and sometimes the immobiliser light stays on solid so the car won't start.

Has anyone had similar and how did they fix it? Definitely UCH? I've seen a link to BBA Reman on here - is that likely to be my best option? If I remove the UCH, will I need to do any recoding, or just re-plug and play? Might it be worth having a look myself if it might just be one relay at fault? Will an auto-electrician be able to help or will he only see the fault if it happens at the time he's looking at it?

I've tried disconnecting the battery for 10 mins but didn't help.

Cheers!
 
X

xena

  2003 Clio dci 80
UCH:
UCH.jpg
 
F

fletch8

  Audi A3
sounds like the UCH yeah.

i had a similar problem with mine and had to get a new one, at a cost of around £460.
 
Jonny1*2

Jonny1*2

  Golf GTD Mk7
Could be the UCH. Could be a loose wire to the UCH, might be the relay itself. It has been know for water to get into the UCH, so maybe have a look at it. mick at diamond knows these systems better than most.
 
mitch1503

mitch1503

  172
im wondering if mines a loose connection as if i wiggle the black connector i can make it do it or sometimes i do it to stop it lol
 
Jonny1*2

Jonny1*2

  Golf GTD Mk7
Indeed they are Paul. UCH has to be sync'd to the Ecu otherwise its a no no. Renault will tell you they cannot be recoded, although the ecu can. You need to swap over a UCH/ecu/key set to check the wiring system.
 
mitch1503

mitch1503

  172
p@blo said:
Aren't the UCH coded fella? Had a similar problem with my old 1.6 ph2 with the wipers. :(
Click to expand...
they inded are but all i need is the lighting function etc which works as its the security features which are coded so wont be a problem plugging 1 in to see if the lighting problem comes up as Mick at diamond motors pointed out to me when i said the same thing
 
SkidMarx

SkidMarx

  172
When mine was playing up I played about with all the relays and plugs to see if it was a bad connection, didnt make any difference at all. Lights flickereing was completely random, It'd be fine for a while then start playing up again. I even removed the UCH, stripped it and checked for water ingress of which there was none, It doesnt take long for a PCB to turn green so very confident it wasnt that.

Replaced mine and the problem went for good.. Its pretty scary when the lights flick off when your driving at night! On a couple of occasions I had to put front fogs on and pull the brake light switch out the pedal just so I had some kind of lights!
 
JustinS

JustinS

  Clio 172, Pug 106
My UCH modules goosed on my clio.... indicators do what they want, keeps telling me that doors are open adn today decided that the abs,service and traction control light would come on!!!

Will get round to getting it fixed soon!
 
mitch1503

mitch1503

  172
SkidMarx said:
When mine was playing up I played about with all the relays and plugs to see if it was a bad connection, didnt make any difference at all. Lights flickereing was completely random, It'd be fine for a while then start playing up again. I even removed the UCH, stripped it and checked for water ingress of which there was none, It doesnt take long for a PCB to turn green so very confident it wasnt that.

Replaced mine and the problem went for good.. Its pretty scary when the lights flick off when your driving at night! On a couple of occasions I had to put front fogs on and pull the brake light switch out the pedal just so I had some kind of lights!
Click to expand...
yeah its scary on a unlit road i do same thing with putting the fog lights on lol.. hadn't done it for 9 months but since the bump and it getting fixed i now noticed another little problem... when i put itin reverse and press the brakes my right indicators light up.. going to give everything a clean up next w.end as it was sat for 7months and iv noticed some connections have started to go green
 
X

xena

  2003 Clio dci 80
X

xena

  2003 Clio dci 80
Just an update, Renault said they'd charge £68+vat to read the fault codes, but the local auto electrician quoted £30 so I took it to him. False economy I think tho, cos he didn't pick up any faults from the UCH, just that my glow plugs weren't happy!

So I guess my choices now are:
1) take it to Renault for a proper diagnostic, or
2) remove the unit, check for damage,then either buy that refurb unit (linked above) for £108 or try BBA Reman (price?)

Any further comments welcome, and I'll update with my progress.
 
MicKPM

MicKPM

ClioSport Trader
  Clio16v/Zoe Z.E.50
Probably a bit too far to travel then. Sometimes these units can be repaired and it will hold but other times you just keep repairing a track only for it to blow again after a few days/weeks/months.

I believe BBA offer a 12month warranty in there repairs but just bare in mind it may be back to them more times than you'd like. Sometimes, a new unit really is the best course of action and they're around about £380 supplied and coded at the minute.

Mick
 
X

xena

  2003 Clio dci 80
MicKPM said:
Probably a bit too far to travel then. Sometimes these units can be repaired and it will hold but other times you just keep repairing a track only for it to blow again after a few days/weeks/months.

I believe BBA offer a 12month warranty in there repairs but just bare in mind it may be back to them more times than you'd like. Sometimes, a new unit really is the best course of action and they're around about £380 supplied and coded at the minute.

Mick
Click to expand...
Urgh, nearly 4 hrs away :( Thanks for your advice tho! :) £380 is utterly out of the question I'm afraid - I'd rather break the car. I've only had the thing a week and already wish I'd never laid eyes on it, the amount of problems I've had!! I've found that hitting it is currently working... not sure how long for though! (Does that mean that it's just a loose connection / dodgy dry joint, hence more likely to be repairable?) Do you do a postal service for these UCHs or do you prefer to have the whole car in?
 
MicKPM

MicKPM

ClioSport Trader
  Clio16v/Zoe Z.E.50
I personally prefer to have the car as sometimes the fault lays in the wiring but if you want me to take a look and test/repair (if possible) your UCH then you're more that welcome to send it in to me.

Address is on my website: www.diamondmotors.co.uk

Mick
 
X

xena

  2003 Clio dci 80
rZm said:
My clio have the same problem

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyTpjjtVUYo

1st the lock gets crazy, then the wipers and the side markers don't don't. The UCH can be repaired, or need a new one?
Click to expand...

I saw the video - it does look exactly the same as the problem I was having. Mine's not doing it any more tho. When I listened really closely and used my finger to feel where the clicking was coming from, it seemed to be coming from one of the relays affixed to the side of the UCH box. I swapped 2 of them round and the problem seemed to go away. About a week later, the alternator stopped charging, so I swapped the two relays back in case that was the problem. The alternator still wasn't charging, so I put a new alternator in. This was back in December. So the car is back using the same relays as it was when it was chattering like mad, but I no longer have the problem.

I guess there's 4 scenarios:
  1. The relay had a bad connection, which was fixed by reseating it
  2. The dodgy alternator was causing the problem
  3. There was moisture in the UCH and by taking the cover off to look, the moisture was released
  4. It's just biding its time and will be back shortly...
 
R

rZm

  Clio DCi80
xena said:
I saw the video - it does look exactly the same as the problem I was having. Mine's not doing it any more tho. When I listened really closely and used my finger to feel where the clicking was coming from, it seemed to be coming from one of the relays affixed to the side of the UCH box. I swapped 2 of them round and the problem seemed to go away. About a week later, the alternator stopped charging, so I swapped the two relays back in case that was the problem. The alternator still wasn't charging, so I put a new alternator in. This was back in December. So the car is back using the same relays as it was when it was chattering like mad, but I no longer have the problem.

I guess there's 4 scenarios:
  1. The relay had a bad connection, which was fixed by reseating it
  2. The dodgy alternator was causing the problem
  3. There was moisture in the UCH and by taking the cover off to look, the moisture was released
  4. It's just biding its time and will be back shortly...
Click to expand...

IN the last days (sunny here in Portugal) the problem don't appear, So I believe that's caused to the humid of the rainy days, etc.

Next week will go to the anual service and the UCH will be taken to a Specialist to check if it have any problem
 
X

xena

  2003 Clio dci 80
xena said:
I no longer have the problem.

I guess there's 4 scenarios:
  1. The relay had a bad connection, which was fixed by reseating it
  2. The dodgy alternator was causing the problem
  3. There was moisture in the UCH and by taking the cover off to look, the moisture was released
  4. It's just biding its time and will be back shortly...
Click to expand...

Ugh... gave me 6 months of peace, then back with a vengeance today, along with big clouds of black smoke (EGR valve I think) and finally the back wheel locking on me (detached brake shoe I think).

Well they do say things come in 3s, but I could cheerfully have dragged it straight to a scrappy today!!
 
tariq86

tariq86

  renault
mitch1503 said:
yeah its scary on a unlit road i do same thing with putting the fog lights on lol.. hadn't done it for 9 months but since the bump and it getting fixed i now noticed another little problem... when i put itin reverse and press the brakes my right indicators light up.. going to give everything a clean up next w.end as it was sat for 7months and iv noticed some connections have started to go green
Click to expand...
hello dear

I have seen an old post from 2012 about an issue that you had with your car back then, I have the exact same car and same issue, do you remember how you get it fixed !?
I'm dealing with a flickering headlight just by touching the USH but it's not a sage solution, and it comes also the indicator working with reverse gear
I wish you remember the problem and the solution
thx
 
mitch1503

mitch1503

  172
Holy batman thread revival!

Yeah replaced UCH,ECU & Decoder ring as the UCH was the problem.. For rear light pull the light off & clean up the connections
 
tariq86

tariq86

  renault
the rear light, number plate light and the dashboard light is connected to same issue, it\s now flickering up to few times in the first 2 min when I start the car and thats it... but i can't trust it I already had it off once in the darkness, it's not funny at all ..... thank you guys for replying I'll try somethings before deciding
 
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