Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Maintenance & Repair Electronic Gremlins: Electrical Problems That Are Driving You Crazy
1085 messages, Last post on Oct 29, 2009 at 11:41 AM
You are in the Maintenance & Repair Forum. Your Host is mr_shiftright
|
The next thing to check on this is cheap. Check the alternator output when the car is stone cold. NOT JUST VOLTAGE! Load it up and check the amperage output. Sounds like not enough amps until alt warms up. Good Luck! |
|
|
Yes guys this one drove us nuts at first too. If you have mystery intermittant signals and all of the usual suspects check out ok the hazard switch is bad. Thats right kids. The signals are wired through the hazard switch. Take it to the dealer if you are in or close to warranty . If not far out of warranty and the dealer balks at warrantying the repair ask him for the # for cust assist. 'cause you feel this is a safety issue that GM should take care of. ALWAYS BE NICE! Remember, your car is out of warranty and they dont have to do anything for you! And don't expect help if your car is WAY out of warranty, especially if you've not spent dime one in this service dept. Good Luck! |
|
|
|
| is there anybody who knows if i can find wiring schematics on the inter net? thanks. | |
|
Here: http://www.batauto.com/cgi-bin/Forum/db_TalkToMeV2.cgi?forum_name=domestics |
|
| I hope you remember me....I have a different name now! NGPRO already gave me some xlnt advice and I'd like to get yours, too, before I head for the dealer on Monday. Over a year ago, you fixed my 99 Isuzu Trooper! Now it has yet another electrical thing that no dealer can find. A week ago, I put the cell phone charger in the cig. lighter, and it made an electrical crackling sound, and (this is weird) while it was in there, the same noise happened when I applied the brakes! I took out the adaptor and the noise did quit. But now, if I turn the heater on, the car dies in traffic. Now the transmission diagram light has gone out. I took it to the dealer who ran diagnostics on it and couldn't find anything. The cell phone adaptor, by the way, works fine in another car. After several dead batteries, I put in a new one. The battery still dies if I miss a day of driving.....the Auto Club has had to start me 3X since then. NGPRO said it might be a loose connection between the alternator/ battery, or I might need new alternator. I have 36,000 miles on this car! I'd like to gather all Info I can, like last time.....and watch their little jaws drop at the dealer when I KNOW things! That's the only way it got fixed last time.....I took all your advice in there and waved it at them! Thanks again, friend. | |
| I have a 97 Jeep GC Laredo, 4X4, 4 spd auto, 4.0L with about 87,000 miles on it. This past week the ‘lamp out’ indicator panel indicated a problem with the taillights. It comes on one the vehicle is put into reverse, but I can’t find a problem with any of the lights (center stop, stop, taillights, turn signal, back-up). I haven’t had any electrical problems before (just the usual brake rotor and axle issues). Has anyone run across a similar problem that could provide some insight? Thanks | |
|
More than likley, a wire melted in the fuse panel. It is the only common denominator. First thing the need to do is to do a draw test. Find out what is drawing the battery down. I think that once the draw on the battery is determined, the rest of the problem should be obvious. To check for a draw, you disconnect the Negative battery cable, attach one end of a voltmeter or teslight to the battery terminal and the other to the battery post. If the light illuminates or the voltmeter shows voltage, there is a draw. Then it is just a matter of pulling fuses or disconnecting circuits until the light goes out to find the circuit that is the draw. Once the circuit is determined as to what is the problem, then it is a matter of locating where the wire is shorting or what unit is causing the problem. Off hand, I am suspecting that either the power plug(cig lighter outlet) or the wires in the back of the fuse panel are the culprits. |
|
| I will take this information with me to the dealer the day after Xmas. You have no idea how you have helped me.....both in the past, and now. It's very mind-boggling to me that one can't turn a vehicle in to a dealer and rely on it being fixed. Instead, the only place it seems one can get real help is through this forum. Don't the manufacturers insist that their mechanics train to repair their own products? Anyway, I can't thank you enough, and have very merry holidays! | |
| Oops! Found it. Neglected to check license plate lamp. Thanks | |
|
Well, at the risk of getting blasted from those who are pro dealers, they teach their mechanics to be parts replacers. See, independant shop mechanics don't have that luxury. They have to diagnose the problem and find out what the cause is to fix it. Dealers, the mechanics get paid a flat rate for warranty work, so if the manufacturer will pay warranty for throwing parts at it, then that's what they do. I'm not saying ALL dealer mechanics are like that, but that is what they push for. I walked into a dealer once to have them check out a warranty deal on a truck that was making a noise out of the water pump. The bearing in the water pump went, I knew it, but the truck only had 18,000 miles on it and I had to keep from laughing when the mechanic brought out the scanner to hook up to the computer. An obvious problem and the mechanic (oops! that's tech) had no clue where to start. Now that gives you confidence, don't it? Ok, I feel much better now. LOL! |
|
You are here:
Forums
Maintenance & Repair Electronic Gremlins: Electrical Problems That Are Driving You Crazy
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
