It's a beautiful day, with hardly a cloud in the sky, and already warm when I take the convertible out of the garage...
Let's get all sweaty working under the bonnet, eh? 😆
Half an hour before commencing work, I'd given the wiper trim joint a fair spray of penetrating oil. I remove the battery cover, scuttle cover and pull the scuttle seal off. I then remove the two front screws on the ECU cover.
Crouching down at the side of the car, I remove the trim clip and then try to see if the wiper trim has any 'give' in it. No joy.
No matter. I remove the wipers and then gently l manually prise the wiper trim up to try to gain access to the rear driver's side screw. I have a wide selection of tools to try to do this, and it would have been easier if it had been a hex head bolt, as I could get good access at a slight angle. No good for a torx, alas.
Eventually I pull the trim up as much as I dare and jam a small block of wood between it and the ECU cover...
This gives me just enough room to get a tiny ratchet driver with a T30 bit square onto the screw. I can turn about 10 degrees at a time, but it's a fine tooth ratchet and makes short work of it.
I then undo the other side and the slightly difficult back screws. So far this has taken me about an hour - but I'm taking my time trying not to damage anything.
I juggle the cover about and get it off...
...to reveal the ECU, held in place not by bolts, but by a large spring clip. I'm pleased to see everything looks watertight and like new in this area.
I undo the clip, carefully lift the ECU out of the way and there it is...
...relay 614.
I pull it out (even access to do this is a challenge 🤦♂️) and have a look...
As expected, it's the original fit in the car, and the contact blades are showing various degrees of corrosion. I spray a little contact cleaner into the sockets in the car.
So, out with the old and in with the new. I wet the contacts on the new Herth relay with contact cleaner and wiggle it gently into place...
Right - time to start reassembly. I replace the ECU and secure its spring clip, then clear all tools etc from under the bonnet, plug in my OBDeleven, open the App and start the engine. I do a full scan and find three faults:
All three are Code 01304 - saying there's some problem communicating with the radio. I am expecting this, as I have an afterrmarket stereo fitted in the car.
More importantly, it does NOT have a fault code 1314. The fix has worked. 😎👍
So - time to put it back together. Weirdly, it took very little time - the driver's side rear screw (which I'd put some rubber grease on, as it was a bit dry and rusty) went in finger tight until about a turn from set, the other screws also behaved themselves. I refitted the scuttle cover, seal and battery cover, then put a dab of copperslip on the wiper splines before refiittlng them.
Time to take it out for a spin, I think... 😎