Grounding issue? Car starts, int. lights work, wiindows/radio/climate control don't
 

Hi everyone -

I replaced my thermostat and coolant today (good), but removed a few brackets near the alternator. After reinstalling everything, I have the following situation:

1. Car turns on
2. All interior lights seem to work fine.
3. Windows don't roll up (2 are currently down)
4. Radio (aftermarket) does not turn on
5. Auto climate control receives electricity, but there is no blower action
6. Automatic door locks do not work (all 4 doors must be locked/unlocked manually)

Full disclosure - I spilled 2-3 ounces of coolant on the alternator.

Any thoughts? Other threads lead me to think this is a grounding issue, but I'm (very) open to suggestions. Thanks in advance!

Good chance fuse 40 is blown upper right hand corner of underdash fuse box.

Check your vanity mirror lights if they work fuse 40 is ok if not it is blown.

If that's not it check what else may not work? wipers? sunroof? powerseats? Mirrors?


More likely a fuse than a grounding issue.

Thanks Nopike. Update:

Fuse 40 - working
Fuse 6 - blown. Changed, but it didn't fix the problem(s)
All other fuses in underdash fuse box - working

In regards to the other questions -

Powerseats - don't work
Mirrors - don't work
Sunroof - don't have one
Vanity mirrors - work fine
Wipers - work fine

Other suggestions, no matter how wild, are welcome. Thanks in advance!

I can almost guarantee you that fusible link "a" is blown it's either 120 or 140 Amp and located in the under hood fuse box. If you were to pour coolant in the alternator this is one of the few fuses that you could blow and it would cause all the problems you mention. You should also check fuse #60 (7.5AMP) I think it's also in the underhood fuse box, it could have blown at the same time as fusible link "a". .


If the fusible link continues to blow it's because you still have coolant in the alternmator, maybe you can blow it out with compressed air.


If the above does not help (unlikely) check fusible link "f" it's 30 Amps and also located in the under hood fuse box. You can try swapping it with one of the 30Amp links next to it just to make sure.

Glad I could help.

Ladies and Gentlemen - Nopike's status as Electrical Czar is reaffirmed!

Fusible Line 120A was blown. Initially was annoying to remove, but the easiest way is:

1. Remove the battery
2. There are 4 clips in between the fuse box and the car body - start at the left, use a needle nose plier or small screwdriver, and just work through them.
3. Once the fuse box is free from the car, there are 6 simple clips towards the bottom side of the fuse box. Undo these.
4. As you pull the top black body of the fuse box away from the bottom base, you will see two screws. Undo these.
5. Replace the fuse. Reverse the above directions.
6. Your (my) horn will start to go nuts. Start the engine, then turn it off.
7. Thank the org for another $100? repair saved with 30 minutes and a $5 part from autozone/kragen/etc.

Safe driving everyone! Lovin' the org-y,

triax37

Thanks, I did not realize those fusible links are such a pain to change, thought they would swap out just like a fuse. Glad you got it working.

I'm having a similar problem as NoPike. Recently, as the weather got colder, when I turn on my car it idles and drives fine, the headlights, interior light, and wipers all work, but the dash, climate, seats, and turning signals all have no power going to them. Up until today, this had only happened a couple of times and only lasted a minute and then everything came alive. However, today it happened while I was driving. After puling into a parking lot, I turned on my emergency lights and noticed that they worked, even though they did not turn on when I used the turn signals on the column. It seems like something is interfering with the power source for all of these components but I don't know enough about the electronics to diagnose it. I drive a 99 GLE. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Your problem will probably be a little harder to diagnose. What we want to do is fix one thing if we find the cause of that problem then it may also fix the others, alto these problems don't look like the should be related..
The power seat is pretty simple lets try and fix that. I guess thats what you mean by seats. I know you explained what is happening but, Is the problem happening now? Does it happen all the time? Are both seats not working? The more information you provide the easier it is to solve the problem.

You need to check the underhood fuse box also check the 30Amp fusable link "f" swap it with another one that is there, also CB1 is a possibility it is mounted under the drivers dash area.

Sorry, to be clear, I was referring to the seat heaters. I haven't checked whether the seats move or not. I will and will post afterwards.

This is a problem that has occurred about five times. Up until today, it only happened when I started the car up after it had been sitting overnight. Today, it happened for about five minutes while I was driving.

Would a fuse fail intermittently like this? Any chance these components all run through a separate fuse box than the headlights, starter, etc.? If so, maybe there is a problem with the wires that are powering the fuse box.

Thanks for the advice Nopike. I'll check the fuses you mentioned tomorrow.

Forget those fuses unless your power seats don't work. This is an example of why you really need to describe the problem clearly. Intermittent problems are harder to fix than all the time problems.

Fuses genearally are not intermittent problems unless someone did not install it in the socket completely. That is unlikely. Have you or anyone done any electrical work to the car? That's where you should look first.

Anyway unless there is some wiring issue due to someone working on the electrical system your problem is very likely caused either by a faulty ignition relay or more likely a faulty ignition switch . Probably none of the things you mention can work without the ignition switch and thus the ignition relay turned on. The ignition relay is the middle of three relays just to the left of the underdash fuse box. I'm not sure but if either of the relays next to it are the same type just swap them and see what happens. If that does not help it's probably your ignition switch ( most likely) just try jiggling it a little and see if things start working. I understand the switch is fairly easy to change and inexpensive. I think I'm on a roll, :spin: Let me know how you do.

Ignition switch makes a lot of sense because all the components that don't work are the components that only operate when the ignition is engaged. I'll check it out tomorrow and post back the results.

Thanks,

check final stage resistor

i have an 00 5th gen and both my power windows and all dash lighting does not work... power lock work though.. im dyin here and if anyone has any ideas pleasee help me.. thanks

Its amazing what you can find using the search function! I love the org family!

We just had a similar problem to triax37 in my dad's 95 Maxima.

Thanks guys!