ti2tmax

iTrader: (18)

Long background. I changed my altenator a week ago or so. Every once in a while my radar detector would flash off with my headlights and my ABS light would come on on the dash, but engine would continue to run fine so I figured it was just a bracket shorting out over a bump every so often. So I got that set up and out of the way and it didn't do it for a whole day.
Then the trouble hit:
I was driving at night on my way home, with headlights/fogs on, radar detector on, rear defroster on. I honked my horn at a friend and it didn't honk but it shut down the detector the lights, the defroster and my tach. Horn worked immediately afterwards but tach never came back online. Lights and detector continued to flicker off for about a mile then they all shut down and the car started dieing and slowly came to a stop and shut down. Alot of idiot lights on the right side of the dash came on and got brighter when the brakes were pushed. Battery tested at 12.56volts with the car off, and idleing it was about 14.60 without accessories on. I had my code reader in the car so I hooked it up and it pulled the P-0180 Fuel temperature sensor, a circuit malfunction. In my haynes manual it says it's a fuel tank temp sensor. I will be able to check the fuel temp sensor tomorrow morning, but I'm not at all convinced that that would be what is causing all these electrical problems like the idiot lights staying on all night with the key out of the ignition? Any ideas or help is GREATLY appreciated!! Thanks!!

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

You have an electrical problem, most likely a grounding issue as our cars are notorious for that.

Check your battery cables, ground points and the main fuse box area.
Once you get your electrical issue solved, clear Fuel Temp error and see if it comes back.

ti2tmax

iTrader: (18)

One other issue was that the BCM relay was clicking when trying to use the romote last night. And when I tried to start the car there was a clicking ontop of the engine with the same sound. It keeps pointing to a ground. Doesn't the car have 5 main grounding points? I'm not very electrically endowed but if it's a pretty easy to find stuff then I'll give it a shot. I'll search and see if I can find any threads on finding the grounding points.

ti2tmax

iTrader: (18)

UPDATE:
Had the car finally towed to a garage. They checked it out on their computer and the battery showed a fault so I replaced it and almost got it home before the car shut down again, I pulled the p0180 Fuel temp sensor code again. So I just got home from picking up the sending unit and got it in, the car still acts bad, it's not quite shutting down. The tach still doesn't come on, and the temp gauge on the dash raises and lowers depending on how much electronics I have on, eg. Headlights, reverse, radio, rear defrost. ALSO I pulled two new codes p0154 O2 sensor CKT no activity Bank 2 sensor 1 and p0134 O2 sensor CKT no activity Bank 1 Sensor 1. My EGI relay clicks even when the car is off and key out of ignition and the battery, oil and CES light stay on if my code reader isn't plugged in the car. ANY ideas??

Timothios

Sounds to me that maybe the ecu is going out.

ti2tmax

iTrader: (18)

I had given that a little thought because it's across such a broad range of items that I didn't think it could be any one thing unless it was the ecu. When I shut it down the time before last it sounded like an injector was clicking on the firewall side of the engine. It seems like the radiator fans aren't coming on when they are supposed to either.

whitegold

iTrader: (1)

Sounds like something is shorted out and your blowing fuses/relays, or just frying equipment. Check every wire and wire harness you came in contact with or were close to.

If not, maybe its the ECU but those rarely go bad?

ti2tmax

iTrader: (18)

Most of this was happening when they ran the computer on it and they said no shorts or ground issues...

ti2tmax

iTrader: (18)

So just checked on her again, she runs almost normal as long as my actron code reader is plugged in.(it only reads codes, nothing special) but the connector on the car has gotten so hot it melted part of the connector on the code reader around two of the prongs! WTF this is getting so frustrating!

mrmagicpapi

i think its ur ecu, wat else wud be self powering an idiot light? If i were u, i wud not be driving that car, too much 2 lose. At this point, i wud have specialist look at it.

mrmagicpapi

i think its ur ecu, wat else wud be self powering an idiot light? If i were u, i wud not be driving that car, too much 2 lose. At this point, i wud have specialist look at it.

ti2tmax

iTrader: (18)

seems like some things are getting too much power and some things not enough.

3.5jnz

I had very similiar problems with the lights dimming, and abs on and CEL light on, my car kep dieing I went through the whole diagnostic like you, checked the battery, alternator and fuses, I ended up replacing the ground wire that goes to the battery and sanding off the contact point, that kept it from dieing, now temp. needle will go up when it feels like, if I turn off my lights or something it goes down where its supposed to be, P0180 fuel temp sensor code, I got one from the junk yard and it was good for a day than went again so im thinking thats it, ill get back to this asap and maybe we can help each other...

Amerikaner83

iTrader: (17)

I don't think you can help each other....this thread is 5 and a half years old.