Problem with Asta H (Faults 050074,161450,161600.)

2008 Vauxhall Astra 1.7 Z17
Car: Vauxhall Astra
Year: 2008
Variant: 1.7 Z17
Categories: Electrics, ECU, Warnings & Lights
Hello, Good evening, I have an Astra H 2008 model van with z17 engine imported from england, I have bought this around 6 years ago, And it's always garaged, And i always disconnect the battery from the van When i bought it, It had 70K on the mileage now after 6 year's of barely being used it has 71K mileage. Now i have a problem that in Malta, Nobody can resolve it, Even the agent in Malta. When i connect the battery and start it it works fine after around 15 minutes of being driven the cluster of the dash starts flickering and the front lamps turn on automatically and I'm unable to turn them off,They turn off only when the van is switched off When i turn on ignition again the cluster doesn't turn on and no power is given to the ignition even with the ignition on ,Then i found out that when i put on the front lamps the cluster turns on,Everytime i turn off the van this is repeated, for it not to do this i have to disconnect the battery and reconnect it again and still after the first time i turn it on after around 15 mins the cluster starts flickering again and the same problem with the headlamps. When i made the pedal test i got these results: 050074,161450,161600.In Malta nobody can get a handle of this and i was told something like this was never seen.I would appreciate if i can get some help towards this problem Thank you for reading.
Problem added: Mar 13, 2021 (3 years ago)
" The first problem with the 1614 and 1616 faults sounds like a problem with the CIM (column integrated module) which is located behind the steering wheels. Some people have reported that this problem is solved by updating the software loaded into the CIM, while others say the problem is only sorted by replacing the CIM."
Answered Mar 13, 2021 (3 years ago)
I see, Thanks dearly for those, I will try them out, Do you by any chance have an idea regarding the cluster and lights randomly turning on?
Answered Mar 13, 2021 (3 years ago)
I can only suggest checking all battery earths / grounds also wiring at alternator and especially ground from gearbox to body .In regard to the flickering , check alternator output as it may possibly be overcharging .I have also had on some cars the alternator back feeding causing all sorts of problems .The ignition switch was problematic also on that vehicle .
Answered Mar 13, 2021 (3 years ago)
Sorry for the late reply, Where exactly is the earth strip from body to engine located? thanks in advance
Answered Mar 14, 2021 (3 years ago)
Not really sure , varies from vehicle to vehicle . On some Astras it was connected to one of the starter motor bolts at the rear of the engine and then to the body . Other vehicles have them from engine or gearbox bolts to body .
Answered Mar 14, 2021 (3 years ago)
Ok,I will put some research into it, Do you know anything about the fact that my car's headlights turn on randomly? I know there are some certain cars that turn on when it's in a tunnel for an example Mine doesn't have this it just randomly turns on and its a huge pain to turn off,To turn it off i have to turn off the ignition and when i turn the ignition back on the dashboard doesn't turn on and nothing on the starter aswell,afterwords i disconnect the battery and i reconnect it and it goes back to being normal.In malta even the agent couldn't find a solution for this,At that time after i pay them and they say it works,Until i drive it back home it starts again,Also could it damage it the fact i disconnect the battery frequently and leave it disconnected for long times? Sorry for the long message,And i appreciate your help alot,Thanks loads
Answered Mar 15, 2021 (3 years ago)
Could try replacing light switch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ8DO224yHI
Answered Mar 15, 2021 (3 years ago)
I see, I will try that, About ''The ignition switch was problematic also on that vehicle .'' What do you exactly mean by that? Thanks in regards for everything,Im noting everything you are saying so maybe i have a chance for this van, Thanks from the heart for everything
Answered Mar 16, 2021 (3 years ago)
'.The ignition switch was problematic also on that vehicle', Is there any chance of you explaining a bit more on what you mean by this? And maybe a link about how it should be replaced? Because sometimes the cluster when i switch on the ignition it starts flickering and when i switch on the van the rev counter increases for example 5000 revs when the van is only idle and then switches on the headlamps alone then i switch off the van and when i turn the ignition on again i have no power anywhere with the ignition, Like i am without battery
then i disconnect the battery and i reconnect it again and it's all good after that
then after around 30 minutes this repeats itself,Again thank you for everything you helped me out alot,I hope to fix this soon
Answered Mar 29, 2021 (3 years ago)
Disconnecting the battery as often as you do and with so little use , is not good for todays cars . Doing so means the alternator is always working overtime when running to replenish the battery which it will never do with so little usage .They also suffer from instrument cluster faults which I don't think is helped by your actions ,

http://www.clusterrepairsuk.co.uk/repair/model/vauxhall-astra-h-instrument-cluster-speedo-repair-service
Answered Mar 29, 2021 (3 years ago)
The problem is the van is always in the garage so im scared it catches on fire, That's why i disconnect the battery, About the flickering lights, What do you think can you cause this?
Answered Mar 29, 2021 (3 years ago)
As per link ,

VAUXHALL ASTRA (H) INSTRUMENT CLUSTER SPEEDO REPAIR SERVICE.


Common faults
Background illumination failure.
LCD has pixels missing or is completely blank.
Warning lights flickering or dim.
Gauges flicker till vehicle warm.
Intermittently vehicle does not start.
Intermittent loss of power to the complete instrument cluster.
Complete power failure to instrument cluster.
Answered Mar 29, 2021 (3 years ago)

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