Need help from someone with soldering equipment and experience

[Pyramix]

I have a 2003 Hyundai Tiburon GT and the left blinker started going bad a few days ago where it would sometimes got stuck and stayed on. Then, day before yesterday, it stopped turning off completely, and just stayed on all the time (even when I turned off the car). It drained my battery and my search led me to this DIY:
http://www.newtiburon.com/foru...t=102241&highlight=bcm

I am looking for someone in the Research Triangle area who can remove the old relay and solder on the new one onto the circuit board for me. Please see the link above for the details. You will need some decent soldering tools (otherwise it can take a while, from what I read). I can bring the circuit board and the replacement relay to you this weekend (on Saturday). Please PM me if you can help.


Moved from General Hardware to The Garage.

AnandTech Moderator
mechBgon

 

[Pyramix]

Does anybody know of a local store which can do this for me?

 

[DarkThinker]

Originally posted by: Pyramix
Does anybody know of a local store which can do this for me?

As an Engineer, my advice is that your best bet is to hit the Engineering department in the nearest University or the nearest Technical institute (Electrical or Computer) and talk to any of the electronics enthusiast students, most probably they would be willing to help you out and for no charge. This can't take more than 10 minutes to do if you have the right relay. I don't see more than one part being soldered out and one part going in instead.

Back in school we used to help many folks with all sorts of simple stuff and advice on hacking circuits and repairing devices.

Edit:

Now Granted the relay is the issue, but HOW can one be sure it's not something else?? What if there is a blown capacitor somewhere? What if there is a broken weak solder point? What if, What if...

And that's why I think it would be better for you as I suggested, to have a (knowledgeable) Engineering student check it out for you and give it a quick look over.

Make sure you buy an NEC EP2-3N1ST relay, also TELL the student to grab his equipment and test that relay! This is to make make sure that the relay in question is bad to begin with before removing it on a bad assumption. If it's bad, the assumption might be true that the original relay is bad, then have him test the new relay to make sure all is well before putting it in.

If the old relay is good, further investigation might be due before you give up and pay several hundreds of dollars for another board.

Also, should you remove the board from the car, MAKE sure you handle it properly, so if at all possible try to get an anti-static bag..like from a computer motherboard or something and put that board in. You might damage it otherwise. (Oh and make sure you touch a grounded metallic surface in your car before touching the board)

 

[lurk3r]

If you attempt the university, remember to pay in their universal currency, $beer$

 

[bruceb]

From doing electronics work in the past (and still do) while it is possible the relay has failed or contacts are no longer making proper contact, what I have seen quite often is a Cold Solder Joint at a relay terminal. Most of the circuit boards are put together with Wave Soldering which does all the connections at one time. This works fine Provided the Terminals were properly Cleaned before going into the board. It only takes 1 terminal with Oxidation on it to cause a cold joint and all sorts of problems. So if you do pull the relay, be sure the solder lugs on the new one
are nice and shiny. Maybe even use some DeOxit on them to be sure. And some pc boards are 2 sided, in which case care must be taken not to
damage the foils on either side when removing the part. I personally use a desoldering iron which has a Hollow Tip and a Suction bulb to pull the solder right out of the hole. Solder wick also works, but I like the other tool better.

 

[DarkThinker]

Originally posted by: bruceb
From doing electronics work in the past (and still do) while it is possible the relay has failed or contacts are no longer making proper contact, what I have seen quite often is a Cold Solder Joint at a relay terminal. Most of the circuit boards are put together with Wave Soldering which does all the connections at one time. This works fine Provided the Terminals were properly Cleaned before going into the board. It only takes 1 terminal with Oxidation on it to cause a cold joint and all sorts of problems. So if you do pull the relay, be sure the solder lugs on the new one
are nice and shiny. Maybe even use some DeOxit on them to be sure. And some pc boards are 2 sided, in which case care must be taken not to
damage the foils on either side when removing the part. I personally use a desoldering iron which has a Hollow Tip and a Suction bulb to pull the solder right out of the hole. Solder wick also works, but I like the other tool better.

Absolutely, using flux to insure the removal of any oxidation remnants on the terminals creates a better long lasting solder point, that might be something to consider in this case, which is why I suggested that the old relay be tested while in and out of the board.

 

[Pyramix]

Originally posted by: lurk3r
If you attempt the university, remember to pay in their universal currency, $beer$

Noted.

 

[Pyramix]

Originally posted by: DarkThinker

Now Granted the relay is the issue, but HOW can one be sure it's not something else?? What if there is a blown capacitor somewhere? What if there is a broken weak solder point? What if, What if...

And that's why I think it would be better for you as I suggested, to have a (knowledgeable) Engineering student check it out for you and give it a quick look over.

Make sure you buy an NEC EP2-3N1ST relay, also TELL the student to grab his equipment and test that relay! This is to make make sure that the relay in question is bad to begin with before removing it on a bad assumption. If it's bad, the assumption might be true that the original relay is bad, then have him test the new relay to make sure all is well before putting it in.

If the old relay is good, further investigation might be due before you give up and pay several hundreds of dollars for another board.

Also, should you remove the board from the car, MAKE sure you handle it properly, so if at all possible try to get an anti-static bag..like from a computer motherboard or something and put that board in. You might damage it otherwise. (Oh and make sure you touch a grounded metallic surface in your car before touching the board)

Thanks for all your great advice. I am quite sure it's the relay (there are just too many cases of people with '03 Tiburons with the exact same problem), but I'll have it tested before I remove it.

 

[fbrdphreak]

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