Intermittent and Poor Conditions

Most intermittent problems are caused by faulty electrical connections or wiring. When an intermittent failure is encountered, check suspect circuits for:

- Poor mating of connector halves or terminals not fully seated in the connector body (backed out).
- Dirt or corrosion on the terminals. The terminals must be clean and free of any foreign material which could impede proper terminal contact.
- Damaged connector body, exposing the terminals to moisture and dirt, as well as not maintaining proper terminal orientation with the component or mating connector.
- Improperly formed or damaged terminals. All connector terminals in problem circuits should be checked carefully to ensure good contact tension. Use a corresponding mating terminal to check for proper tension.
- The J 35616-A Connector Test Adapter Kit must be used whenever a diagnostic procedure requests checking or probing a terminal. Using the adapter ensures that no damage to the terminal will occur, as well as giving an idea of whether contact tension is sufficient. If contact tension seems incorrect.
- Poor terminal-to-wire connection. Checking this requires removing the terminal from the connector body. Some conditions which fall under this description are poor crimps, poor solder joints, crimping over wire insulation rather than the wire itself, and corrosion in the wire.