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Renault Clio 2 - Loose Wiring Loom Cover Cutting Into ECU Loom*FIXED*

175K views 83 replies 54 participants last post by  Paulios 
#1 ·
Hi guys

I read a few posts on this forum and elsewhere on the Internet about the tamper proof black box at the back of the engine working loose and cutting through wires.

I've checked mine out and indeed I also have the same problem. My wires are still intact (just) but I'm wondering how to tighten the box back up? Also my box looks like its lost one half of itself and its lid? It appears I only have the left hand side remaining!

Can anyone confirm this is what it should / shouldn't look like and how to tighten it back up? Thanks. The car is a 2002 plate extreme.

 
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#3 ·
Hi and welcome, Im not too sure what this is but.. A friend of mine has the same problem so it must be a fairly common problem .. but he cant start his car unless someone shakes that box.. its a strange one.

Im sure someone on here can tell us what it is! Especialy with a clear photo!

Barry.
 
#4 ·
Had so many 'sensor problems' on the clio 16v 1.2, but so far every sensor has tested good.
Now time to replace the loom, anyone know where I can buy one without paying Renault main dealer prices?
(did see a post quoting £46.60 - but can i find it now???)

Please email directly or post here. thanks
 
#59 ·
Had so many 'sensor problems' on the clio 16v 1.2, but so far every sensor has tested good.
Now time to replace the loom, anyone know where I can buy one without paying Renault main dealer prices?
(did see a post quoting £46.60 - but can i find it now???)

Please email directly or post here. thanks
after finding the black box protecting the ECU conecter had worn through some of thr wires and insulated theese my fault returned managed to solve this as ths abs problem was just the same again turns out that the ECU conectors where the pins go into the plugs are filled with a silicone after you remove the plugs it leaves a residueon the pins the residue causes shorts when the plug is replaced as the residue gets pushed to the bottom of the pins and hay presto all number of faults appear hope this is of some hlp to all those who have been so frustrated with ECU problems
 
#9 · (Edited)
No probs Truckbusuk (i just didn't want to reply to dead threads).:)

Clio 1.2 16v (D4F Engine)

My original problem was the car would cut out whilst driving; the ECU engine warning light would come on on the dashboard and the car wold go into 'limp home' mode (preventing me to get any faster than about 35 mph)

I can't garauntee that this will solve your issues but since doing it 6 months ago i've not had this problem again (touchwood).

The loose black box at the back of the engine is a 'tamper-proof' cage that protects the wiring loom where it enters the ECU.

This should be solidly fixed to the car. Unfortunatley they have a tendency to rattle off and chafe through the wiring loom as it enters the box causing a short circuit.

Check if your cage is loose and whether the wiring going into it has been worn. If so this could be the cause of your electrical problems. The steps below may help.

I'm no welder and could find no way to reattach it to the engine block. The solution was to remove the lid, reinsulate the wires and pack the cage out with padding so tightly as to prevent it rattling around. I could find no way to remove the cage completely.

To sort this you'll need:
  • 1x small mirror (the girlfriend's make up mirror from her handbag will do... just don't get dirt on it!!)
  • 1x Right-angled pick or strong piece of wire bent at 90 degrees at the end - i used a small Allan Key about 1-2mm in diameter
  • Insulating tape
  • Foam pipe lagging or something similar to pack out the cage
  • Maybe a torch
  • Patience

If you put the mirror down the back of the engine behind the Black Box you should be able to see a small brass wheel at the back left of it with holes in.

This wheel is sited on a bolt which when turned will cause a catch inside the cage to slide to the left and release the lid.

You need to stick the Right-Angled pick (or Allen Key) into the hole at the bottom and 'pull' it to the top (turning the wheel). You need to keep repeating this, turning the wheel until the catch is completely free. This will take quite a while -maybe 15 minutes!
The wheel maybe stiff to move at first but will loosen.

Once free, the lid should lift off.

You should be able now insulate the worn wiring. I used plenty of electrical tape.
If the wiring has actually worn right through, you'll need to solder on a new piece to bridge the gap - strip back a bit more insulation first from the problem wire so its easier to work on.
Once finished insulate all bare/worn/thin wires with electrical tape.

-Optional- Whilst the lid is off you may want to unplug the wires to the ECU and spray a little Electrical Contact Cleaner on the connections to drive out any moisture. **If you choose to do this be VERY careful when plugging/unplugging this cable incase you bend the pins. You could end up damaging you ECU!!**

Renault UK are apparently aware of the chafing problem and modified the Black Box by putting a small rubber grommet aroung the hole in the Black box. This has probably fallen out and is no use if the cage has detached and is rattling.

I used pipe lagging (the grey foam tubes with a slit in) to wrap around the wiring loom (like a collar) where it enters the box. Packed out tightly, this will insulate the wires, prevent the metal box from rubbing the wires and prevent the box from rattling/moving around at all.

Once your satisfied that the box is firm and wont rattle any more, rotate the brass wheel downwards to slide the catch back to the right.

Replace the lid and push it down firmly, the catch should 'click' holding the lid in place. If it doesn't click, lift the lid back off and adjust the catch right or left to line up with the tab on the lid. Fitted correctly you should not be able to lift the lid off.

You're done. Go and have a cup of tea!

Hope that helps - thanks must go to P Drage from another forum (do they exist?!) who helped me out with my problem ;)
 
#11 ·
That's a very good post there by Louis and I would agree if there is a FAQ section it could be put into it certainly deserves it. This is a very common problem with this Engine only on Clio's and causes lots of running and none starting problem when the wiring shorts.

When I replaced my engine my old wiring loom had started to rub through and exposed wire could be seen. I never went quite as far as you and simply left the cover off and I have never had any problems although your method is probably better as it will be there for a reason.
 
#16 ·
Mine had the rubber insulator/grommet on the edge of the box, but had still worn away the insulation on two cables. Took the box apart, wrapped plenty of insulation tape around the bare wires (the wire itself wasn't badly chafed) then cut a piece of 3mm silicone sheet to fit (basically a square that just went into the box, with a tang on the left side to provide further rubbing-resistance on the repair) and refitted the box top.
 
#17 ·
I've just had a look at the black box in my car and it is very loose. The lid just came off in my hand! Was wondering how I should go about getting the rest of the box off, or at least out of the way enough to be able to wrap insulating tape all the way around the wires? Cos at the moment the box is in the way and I can't get to the bottom of them.
 
#18 ·
Hi Laura44

You can't really remove the base of the black box even though it's loose.

If you take the lid off and unplug the scart-like plug that's inside the box. It's pretty stiff and you wont move it very far but it should be enough to insulate the bottom of the wires.

I also wrapped a piece of pipe lagging foam around the wiring at the point where it entered the box to stop the edge cutting into the wires.

Pack it out fully and you should stop the box from rattling when the lid is on securely.

**Be careful when you remove the plug not to bend any of the pins 'cos if you do you may need to replace the ECU!!!
 
#20 ·
If you take the lid off and unplug the scart-like plug that's inside the box. It's pretty stiff and you wont move it very far but it should be enough to insulate the bottom of the wires.
I managed to re-insulate mine by cutting lengths of insulating tape about 3in. long, then making sure they were soft/flexible by gently warming with a hair-dryer.

This allowed them to be wound quite tightly around the affected wires without needing to disturb the ECU plug.
 
#19 · (Edited by Moderator)
Re the loose black box,

I reported this to VOSA after it cut out on me on the motorway (SCARY!)

They never looked at my car but asked Renault to carry out there own investigation (Turkeys voting for christmas?!)

VOSA recently got back to me saying the response from Renault means there is insufficient evidence to warrant any action and that this defect was NOT attributable to a design or construction deficiency nor is it likley to cause significant risk, injury or death.

Furthermore they have NO RECORD of similar reports on their databases!

-This means the Renault dealers will continue to turn a blind eye to this defect and continue to hook your car up to their computer (for a fee), tell you its the throttle potentiometer that will need replacing (for a fee) and when that doesn't work you'll need a new wiring loom/ECU or both (for a fee!)

Renault were aware of this problem and modified the black box to add a rubber grommet to it - this clearly hasn't worked.

Rather than fleecing already unhappy customers why can't Renault issue an advisory notice to dealers that this model is prone to this problem? Cheap and easy solution (maybe that why they don't do it - new ECU's are much more lucrative!!)

I am appealing this decision as it clearly isn't a one-off and definatley is a risk of injury.

I would ask that ALL people who have had this problem contact VOSA to report it.
Head it: Renault Clio - Fuel injection computer inviolability casing loose on engine causing the wiring loom to abrade against the inviolability cover

The more who do, the less likely future drivers will get fleeced by dealers and the car manufacturers will take more responsibility for their products.
 
#21 ·
Can this fault also cause problems with the electrics? not just the engine?

I have some bizzare faults on my girlfriends clio which has confirmed that i will never bother buying renault or french again... should have learned from peugeot.

But basically at first, when you wound up the drivers window with the one touch function, the right hand indicator would flash, and keep flashing as long as you held the button. After research i checked all the wiring to the control box (UAH or something), i opened this box too to see what relay was clicking and if there was any obvious damp damage or similar (seemed to only happen after heavy rain).
Nothing strange was seen, all wires were firmly back in place, and the fault has disapeared again now (although not straight away).

HOWEVER, now the car doesnt think the doors are shut, its not the boot. Neither does it seem to be either of the sensors on the doors, i have checked both with a multimeter, and they are operating. From what i found out, the swtiches are push to break... So when unplugged from the sensor this means that the doors should show as shut, which they did for a while, but then the open doors light came back on.

Now it seems to come on randomly, flickering at times, with movement of the seat, reving of the car etc...

Its a bit of a nightmare, as you get it to work out the doors are closed, but later that night, the car will think you've opened the locked door, and put the interior light on. Then that will turn off after 15 minutes, but in that time, the car has got a messed up signal saying the doors have opened again.

Now i imagine most of this is done by the control box (UAH or whatever), but im wondering if it would also talk to the main ECU via this wiring loom that gets worn through?

Any help would be appreciated, my girlfriend just brought this car... so a bit disheartened about it.

Whats strange is not ONE of these problems showed themselves when we looked at the car (for quite a while too)... very unlucky for us.
 
#22 ·
I've been living with this irritating and dangerous problem for at least a year now...when it first happened I had no idea what it was and called the RAC who towed me to the nearest garage (Birmingham, when I live near Gloucester!) They ran a diagnostic (for a fee) and decided there was nothing wrong except loose wiring which they charged me a total of £80 for. It didn't happen for about a month but since then (last May) the light has been coming on roughly once a week, sometimes more sometimes less. Quite by accident I discovered that if I stall the car and make it jump, eventually the light goes off and it drives fine, til the next time. However, this weekend the light has come on immediately as the ignition is switched on, and there is NO power whatsoever. Before, I've always had small amounts of power, enough to travel between 10 and 20 mph but now I can floor the accelorator and nothing happens whatsoever. I have just bought a house (in Sheffield) and came to pick the keys up yesterday and now it looks like I'll be stranded here for a while until someone can sort it for me to drive back home.

I don't want to call RAC because they'll insist on running a diagnostic again, but I don't really know enough of what I'm talking about to get my usual mechanic to do something. :(
 
#24 · (Edited)
How to remove the base of the ECU tamper proof cover

I recently bought a Clio (52 Plate 1.2 16 valve Extreme) for my daughter, it started having problems with warm starting and I found this forum very helpful in sorting the problem.

Found the ECU upper engine cable loom had been damaged by the "Black Box" as per many other contributors.

I took the cover off the "Black Box" (tamper proof cover); it was not too difficult to carry out this part of the job, but I found that the screw was loose to start and became stiff when the cover was ready to be released.

I found 3 wires had been damaged, not completely worn through but all with the conductors showing.

The cover had the rubber grommet to "protect" the cables but it had not been totally useful!!!

Following advice found here and on other forums, I replaced the Crank Sensor and also opened up and cleaned every sensor plug break on the engine with Contact Cleaner spray and protected the pins with Vaseline (petroleum jelly). The 3 relays at the front of the under-bonnet fuse and relay panel were also removed and cleaned. Only one of these relays had a little corrosion showing on the pins, but careful cleaning removed it and the Vaseline will protect from further damage.

Part of the work included removing the plug from the left hand side of the ECU. This plug is very easy to get off and there is very little chance of damaging the fine pins when reconnecting, providing the plug is applied square in line with the socket.

I realised the "Tamper Proof Cover" would only damage the loom again if refitted and the base was so loose it would also potentially pose a significant risk of damage. I decided I needed to remove the base but had to figure out how.

TO REMOVE THE BASE OF THE TAMPER PROOF COVER

While the plug was disconnected from the ECU it was simply a matter of slightly spreading the base part of the tamper proof cover, it is open on the right hand side (viewed from the front of the car) and then after twisting by lifting the edge of it nearest the engine simply pull gently to release it from around the ECU electrical socket.

The base is not secured by any mechanical device but is simpy wedged into place between the ECU and the engine. The ECU upper engine Loom Plug when connected prevents it being removed.

The damaged cables were cleaned with Isopropanol Alcohol and then when dry, they were wrapped with several layers of insulating tape.

Since carrying out this work there have been no problems experienced with warm starting, the engine fast idle is much smoother when starting from cold and the car drives significantly better.

The Crank Sensor cost £21 + vat from a local motor factor
 

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#25 ·
Wow ! thanks Spanner-do, I got the blackbox top off and found just 1 wire showing, I was going to unplug the wire loom but was afraid of breaking something, I see there is a clip you fold down but there also seems to be a cable tie and you have to be so carefull with these modern cars, do you have to cut the cable tie or does it come off with the loom plug ?
The latest thing is the car doesnt want to tick over from cold until you have driven it a few minutes, then at low revs it has very little throttle response!

thanks again for the help.
 
#26 ·
No need to remove the cable tie as far as I can remember.

If you look at the last pic I attached, you can make out the cable tie on the left hand side of the plug plastic cover, this cable tie holds the loose cables onto the plug body after they exit the moulded rubber of the loom . I guess that is the one you are thinking about.

So when you get the loom free from the ECU just check that no cables at the back or underneath were also damaged by the "Tamper Proof" cover.
 
#27 ·
I have this exact problem with my Clio and need advice please!
For a few weeks now the electrical warning light has been coming on at low revs and often the car would cut out. It would start up again and eventually the light went out.
Went in today to a local independant garage for mot and service, and I mentioned it to them.
They told me some of the wires going into the 'coil pack' were worn and touching, and had taped them up to try and stop the problem. Their customer service and work on the car was excellent, except...
When I drove it home (they dropped it off at my work) it was misfiring/juddering really badly at low revs, and idling very badly.
Sounds like the same wiring problem? I haven't paid yet and they said bring it back if any issues, so I do trust them. I'm hopeless at diy so what do I need to say to them? Am I looking at a new wiring looom? There is a renault specialist (independent) near me but I don't really wanna use him, would rather go back to same place?
 
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