Vauxhall Meriva A MPV (2003 - ) - 04 1.6 - meriva indicators

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Sat 29 Mar 2008 20:34
04 1.6 - meriva indicators - potatohead
Anyone know where the flasher unit is on a Vauxhall Meriva,or where I can get a manual to find out for myself?
Rapid flashing of interior green arrow on dash when indicating left,and no indicators on nearside of car,so I'm assuming its a faulty flasher unit--unless anyone has any other suggestions?
Cheers in advance

{3 separate requests, but still failed to include them}

Edited by Pugugly on 30/03/2008 at 03:29

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Sat 29 Mar 2008 20:36
meriva indicators - zookeeper
sounds like a bad earth
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Sat 29 Mar 2008 20:44
meriva indicators - elekie&a/c doctor
Not totally sure about this model,but if is anything like Astra and Corsa variants then there is no "flasher unit" as such.However you may find a double yellow relay in the fuse/relay box that controls the left and right indicators and they can fail on one side.hth
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Sat 29 Mar 2008 23:55
meriva 04,1600cc indicators.. - potatohead
thank you to both respondents.I'll check for the yellow relay, which I assume will be behind the fuse box,because thats where the "click"comes from when you operate the indicator.Any further advice would be much appreciated,in case replacing the unit doesnt solve the problem
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Sun 30 Mar 2008 00:45
meriva 04,1600cc indicators.. - potatohead

just read on another forum of someone who has had exactly the same problem,and that the indicator relay is under the scuttle panel below the windscreen wipers,passenger side,so I'll check that out tomorrow.
Apparently this is a common failure with Merivas.
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Sun 30 Mar 2008 10:54
meriva 04,1600cc indicators.. - elekie&a/c doctor
Sounds like the same as Corsa c models.The relay is in the central electric box located by the left hand bonnet hinge.You will need a torx driver to remove the plastic top cover.hth
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Sun 30 Mar 2008 17:25
meriva 04,1600cc indicators.. - potatohead
Thanks..Ive just got at the relay and removed it,having ripped my arms to bits because I couldnt get the wiper off to remove the scuttle panel and make access easier.Trip to Vauxhall tomorrow,I guess--not sure whether motor factors would stock something like this.
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Mon 31 Mar 2008 11:37
meriva 04,1600cc indicators.. - potatohead
Done now-bought unit from Vauxhall for just seventeen quid,including discount for knowing a former parts manager.Have posted details on another thread to assist anyone with the same problem.

(No need to post in a separate thread. A forum search will find it regardless of whether it's on its own or tagged onto the end of your current post)

Edited by Webmaster on 31/03/2008 at 13:56

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Mon 31 Mar 2008 12:10
2004 1600cc,indicator failure - potatohead
Posted this on another thread,but now that Ive actually solved the problem thought I'd post the details to assist anyone else who experiences what appears to be a regular fault, on even low mileage Merivas--possibly other Vauxhall models too.
Problem:indicators dont work on one or both sides,or work intermittently,with internal indicator audible and visual warnings going like the clappers.
Problem is flasher unit..this is housed in a relay box which is under the scuttle panel in front of the windscreen,passenger side, by the bonnet hinge.Access is much better if you can remove the passenger side wiper because then you can lift the entire scuttle,but if like me you cant and you dont have arms like pipe cleaners, prepare for some pain because youll be struggling to gain access via a pretty small gap.
Customary warning...disconnect the battery,saving any radio code,etc.
Unseat the rubber bead which sits across the front of the scuttle,lift the small hinged panel in front of the wiper,peer into the darkness within and you will see a black plastic box with a lid which is secured by three No 20 torx screws,two obvious ones at the front and a less obvious one on the top right as you look at the lid.Remove these--prepare for skinned knuckles--then you should see the single yellow relay to the right of the relay box as you look from the front of the car(there are also several yellow relays on the left of the box,but they arent the ones you should be concerned with).With considerable wiggling in the confined space the relay pins can be disengaged and the unit lifted and removed,noting as you do so the pin arrangement, for future reference.
Prepare for more pain and swearing as you fit the new one(it'll take a fair bit of fiddling to house the new unit,but you'll know when you get it right because the pin engagement is quite positive)test the indicators,refit the relay box lid,tighten the torx screws and replace the scuttle beading.
Youve probably saved yourself a fair bit of money on the cost of having the job done at a dealer,so have a well deserved cup of tea as you watch your indicators winking charmingly in gratitude. Hopefully.

(moved to original post as related)

Edited by Webmaster on 31/03/2008 at 13:57

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Sun 10 Aug 2008 23:53
2004 1600cc,indicator failure - jomoj
I followed the advice here (thanks) and was able to fix the problem - just wanted to add a tip to make it a bit easier.

Removing the 2 screws that hold the scuttle to the inside of the engine bay will alow you to pull the panel forward just enough to ease access. Once done, I was able to get my arm in the gap up to my elbow which made replacing the relay (which is plugged in quite tightly) much easier

Edited by jomoj on 10/08/2008 at 23:57

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Thu 24 Dec 2009 15:10
2004 1600cc,indicator failure - easytreasure
Driving along, about to turn right or left , and instead of the usual tick tock, tick tock.
You start to get tickety tock tickety tock. If you have kids in the car they find this really funny. You also notice that sometimes when you get out of the car that the indicator is stuck on or as you work the central locking only one indicator flashes .It?s a bulb you are thinking. Its not though. It?s the flasher unit. This is a common Meriva problem. Its just as well to buy this from a Vauxhall dealer. About £21.68 I paid for a genuine part. You don?t want to be changing this too often. It?s an oblong plastic relay about 50*50*25 mm with six pins sticking from the bottom. Fitting is tricky to say the least, but this is how to do it.

Lift up the bonnet. If you are safety conscious disconnect the battery before you start. Just undo one lead. Looking from the front of the car. Try to remove the passenger side wiper arm this will make things easier. I could not get mine off though. There is a nut under the shiny plastic cap on the arm. The nut comes of easy but the arm is on a spline and mine was stuck fast. Worth a try though. Next undo about 6 small black bolts that hold the plastic trim in place under the wiper arm. This makes thing a bit easier. There is a plastic door in this trim. You have to bend it up and look inside. A torch may be some help here. The first item to look for is an oblong black plastic box that contains some large fuses. No need to look inside this. Just wiggle it a bit with both hands and gently pull up till it unclips from the bodywork. Gently move this box down and to the centre. Out of the way. Now look inside again with your torch. There is a larger flat plastic box that contains most of the cars relays but you have to get the top off to get at them. There are 3 screws about 3mm torkx type head. The two on the front come out easy. But there is one on your the right that is hard to get at and needs a short screwdriver about 80 mm long. Once you get all three screws out the lid should come off quite easily. There is another plastic catch at the front. A normal screwdriver will release this no problem. Now calm down a bit and take your time with the next part. There are a couple of traps waiting. Looking in with your torch you will see the flasher relay over on the right at the back. Have a good look at its exact position in relation to the other parts. You must put the new one back in the exact same place. You need to put your hand in. Grip the relay and pull up and wiggle. Its about as stiff has a stubborn 13 plug to pull out. You must make sure when it comes out that you look at the pins and make a mental note of the pin positions. You will have trouble trying to get the new relay in the wrong way around. I managed to put the new relay in about 25 mm too far over to the left. On testing it clicks OK but now you have no indicators at all ( suicidal almost ). So make sure you study the exact position of the old relay before you pull it out. With the new relay in you problem will be gone. Just need to put everything back as it was.
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Mon 5 Jul 2010 11:44
2004 1600cc,indicator failure - Zeppo

Have just had exactly the same problem and can vouch that the above solution does work., or it did for me.

Points to note for anyone else

1.Having previously booked into main Vauxhall dealers its £75 (05.07.2010) JUST for an hours diagnostics. Then parts and labour on top. My replacement switch was £22 from their parts dept at which point the counter guy said "we sell a lot of those!!". Of course the reception dude is not going to let slip how you can save but I guess theres a figure not far off £120 when the final bill comes through.

2.If you have `chunky` arms forget the above method or bribe a small child. Prepare for skinned knuckles indeed but moreso skinned elbows as its impossible to put an arm straight in to where the switch is located, you have to go in sideways and then bend your arm once inside the scuttle panel.

3.Use a screwdriver with a magnetic head, if you drop a torx screw in there it`ll never come out again if wedged further down the engine.

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Sat 17 Jul 2010 17:35
2004 1600cc,indicator failure - Meriva Seadog

Thanks for your super article on changing Meriva indicator relay. I am a retired mechanic and did not have clue where to look for the relay. As someone else mentioned, the symtoms with my car (only one side not working properly) looked like a bad earth. The thing I did not do was look carefuuly at the position of the old relay. I had to get my digital camera in there and take a few pics. All OK now. No aftermarket relay available so main dealer part.

seadog

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Tue 17 Aug 2010 20:59
2004 1600cc,indicator failure - uphallst

Thanks for your super article on changing Meriva indicator relay. I am a retired mechanic and did not have clue where to look for the relay. As someone else mentioned, the symtoms with my car (only one side not working properly) looked like a bad earth. The thing I did not do was look carefuuly at the position of the old relay. I had to get my digital camera in there and take a few pics. All OK now. No aftermarket relay available so main dealer part.

seadog

This problem is obviously more common than I thought. My flasher went in Aug 2010. Thanks to all for the previous advice. A friend got me the yellow relay for £1 at a sc*** yard. (Plus a spare just in case) I put some WD40 on th wiper arm the night before then followed the instructions to the letter. The job took me 20 minutes. A mini rachet made the job of removing that awkward screw very easy. Thanks to everyone for the help.

uphallst

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Fri 26 Nov 2010 20:44
2004 1600cc,indicator failure - bluetone
Thanks for posting this. Saved me a few quid in tough times and made my meriva safe after months of dodgy indictators. I couldn't get the wiper arm off either and after a few goes found the only way I could get to the awkward screw was to lay face down on the engine looking away from the screen and get my arm in backwards! I also put the relay in 25mm to the left which does leave you flummoxed and without any indicators. At this point I nearly gave up but read your article once more and moved it across. What a nice feeling when they came on! Cheers once more.

Tony
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Sat 24 Jun 2017 16:00
2004 1600cc,indicator failure - Mark Hitchmough

Thanks you so much for this, although this thread is 9 years old, I've just used it to solve the indicator problem on my daughter's Meriva, many thanks to everyone!

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Sat 27 Nov 2010 02:23
04 1.6 - meriva indicators - 1litregolfeater
Just an alternative idea before you go searching or taking bits off.

On my Corsa C the flashers would sometimes stay on, suspected dodgy switch. Proved to be poor clipping and settling of the rubber, which is more robust than the stalk itself.

Fine now, next time I'll just cut the rubber off before investing in a new switch, which are actually only cheap anyway.
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Tue 3 Jul 2012 18:36
04 1.6 - meriva indicators - TootsMacTait

I.ve just spent the afternoon on this very problem and would like to add my tuppenceworth! (Meriva 1.6 '04)

I found it a lot easier accessing the terribly situated relay box, having removed the scuttle panel completely. My wipers came off easily with a persistent, gentle, back and forth rocking motion.

I also removed the 2 mounting bolts that fix the wiper mechanism on the passenger side, just to gain another useful couple of mm access.

To get the hidden Torx screw out, I made short work of it by using a 12 inch long Torx screwdriver, taking care not to scuff up my bonnet.

With the battery disconnected, i found it easier getting the flasher relay out, having first removed two of the grey relays that sit in front of it. I could then get a small screwdriver under the relay to help gently prise it out.

Now, I work with pernickitty relays in my job , so thought I'd have a look inside before rushing out to buy a new one. The top pops off these type of relays very easily.

I found that there were small metallic slivers bridging out one of the contact pairs. A quick squirt with some switch cleaner and a blow out with some Air-in-a-can, i popped it back in and Bob's your Aunty's live-in-lover, all indicators are working again!!!

I'll let you know how long this fix lasts. The contacts in these relays are piddily so getting emery paper in there to clean out any high resistance depositsis impossible, but the switch cleaner should have cleaned that off. Only use NON Trichloroethylene switch cleaner though. That stuff is nasy and can cause cancers.

Thanks to all the previous posters for putting me on the right track. I must remember to come to Honest John's first in future. It would have saved me trying to find a duff bulb that wasn't there!! Cheers.

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Tue 17 Jul 2012 22:37
04 1.6 - meriva indicators - BazzaM

Glad I read this posting. It made me realise I what was wrong and not to do it myself.

Halfords autocentre did the full repair for me straight away in about an hour (main dealer wanted me to wait a week), and charged me £62 all-in and they replaced a faulty valve on a tyre they hadn't supplied f.o.c.

Think I'll use them again

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Sat 27 Oct 2012 23:28
04 1.6 - meriva indicators - kerbed enthusiasm

Just a quick note of thanks to all who contributed their experiences. I followed the instructions given above (most especially the use of penetrating oil 24hrs before the removal of the wiper) and replaced the relay without too much difficulty. It does, nevertheless, make one wonder why any manufacturer would position an important bank of electronics in such a bizarre and inaccesible place!

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