Faulty compass I'd disconnected (9)
I believe the answer is:
spasmodic
'disconnected' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'faulty compass i'd' is the wordplay.
'faulty' is an anagram indicator.
'compass'+'id'='compassid'
'compassid' is an anagram of 'SPASMODIC'.
(Other definitions for spasmodic that I've seen before include "Occasional" , "Intermittent" , "Done in brief irregular bursts" , "Done in short bursts" , "fitfully" .)