Gremlins

[cherrington17]

I'm starting to feel like nate with these trouble threads...

Yesterday, as i got in my car to go home, i noticed my turning signal lights in my dash were both on. (barely lit... but lit) So i tried my turning signals... they didn't work. I drove home (< 2miles) and trouble shot it in the garage.

Turning signals barely lit, don't work.
Hazard doesn't work
Wiper fluid button doesn't work.

Wipers DO work
headlights/high beams work

Then.. magically, the slight illumination stopped, and everything worked fine.

SO I checked it this morning. Turn the car over, and they are slightly lit again... and don't work. This is where it takes a turn for the more screwy. I turned my highbeams on, which while on, the turning signals hyper blink. Fog lights off, causes regular blinking headlights. Both on, regular turning signals, both off, no turning signals.

BOTH TIMES I was testing this... after a short period of time.. the dim lit part, goes away and they work fine. When dim, hazards don't work either, after they go out, the hazards work fine.

I'd think this has something to do with my new wiring... but i didn't get near the back half of the gauges at all. nothing near the turning signals.


the multiswitch seems to be working.... i don't know wtf is going on...

[Nate's Alero]

dirty multiswitch contacts, and possible hazard button... huh, mine's great now, looks like the badness went to you :-D

[jayson_waltz]

^x2 hazard switch and multifunction switch. those are really the only possibilities.

[cherrington17]

its my week.

another oddity, that my center vent started blinking... for reasons unknown. I popped the panels out and looked at the wiring... and its fine. reconnected it all and it works flawlessly again.

also... i just replaced the blue light behind the bottom of my speedo.. it worked fine. last night as all my lights were going haywire... it blinked out. NOTHING IS NEAR THAT. that one led (blue only) IS ALWAYS OUT. wtf.

FFFFUUUU blue speedo led!

[Nate's Alero]

wtf? you need to clean EVERY GROUND in that car

[cherrington17]

Originally Posted by Nate's Alero

wtf? you need to clean EVERY GROUND in that car

no freak'n kidding...

I think i have a spring break project to organize/clean/fix wiring.

[AleroDrime]

lol my floor led's have a bad ground, with the bass real high it shakes it and it flickers, i gotta pull the dash apart again and fix that

[Nate's Alero]

if you want that FPR, let me know

[Gr1m]

Originally Posted by AleroDrime

lol my floor led's have a bad ground, with the bass real high it shakes it and it flickers, i gotta pull the dash apart again and fix that

^you grounded it to the dash? lol

[cherrington17]

ok... fogs on, lights no workie. fogs off, lights hyper blink.

how do i get to the multifunction??????? I see the screws in the bottom to free up the plastic cover, but i don't see how your suppose to get that off.

[JLw7123]

damn that suck I had the same problem just ripped them out and got new ones everything new fogs wiring and a new switch.

[kwhauck]

i hatez teh gremlins....

[colonel6632]

multi function just clips to the top part. on my friends malibu there were only 3 screws holding it on, then it pops off.

and also check on the driver side by the air box, there is a relay of sorts there. mine fell off and wasn't grounded anymore and all sorts of wierd things happened. so try getting that thing a good ground. it grounds through the bolt its on

[AbHeLlRaZoR]

Here I thought we were talking about the AMC Gremlin.

[cherrington17]

Originally Posted by colonel6632

multi function just clips to the top part. on my friends malibu there were only 3 screws holding it on, then it pops off.

and also check on the driver side by the air box, there is a relay of sorts there. mine fell off and wasn't grounded anymore and all sorts of wierd things happened. so try getting that thing a good ground. it grounds through the bolt its on

ok... but what about the big plastic shield that covers the top part? i can't get that off in any direction.



and my fogs burnt out the other day (bright flash of light i saw in the garage, i racked up to my HIDS possibly blinking) I'll see if those possibly have anything to do with it, since... well... the foglight switch/relay are directly involved.

[99alerogirl]

damn.



that's all i have to say. no useful advice.

[cherrington17]

gotta be a ground splice pack, thats gone bad.

Fog switch ON:
Turning signals barely lit, don't work.
Hazard doesn't work
Wiper fluid button doesn't work.

Fog switch OFF:
Wipers DO work, fluid motor spins, no/minimal leaking fluid
headlights/high beams work
turning signals hyper blink, start slow, get faster.
Hazards are normal speed.


---
all turning signal bulbs are intact, and multifunction switch is squeaky clean.




When i have problems... i go ALL OUT.



so where is the fog lamp ground? Where is the turning signal grounds?
and are they common to the other problem area grounds?

[cherrington17]

well... the problem went away before i could find the definitive problem.

i DID find a loose ground wire in my center console, but i don't think it would have caused all the problems i was having.


ran into another problem.... in taking the multifunction switch off... i somehow lost my horn. When i originally put the multi back on, my horn would beep, going over bumps. I repositioned the switch and it stopped... but now i have no horn at all. And the plastic ring the multi sits on, makes a popping noise when the wheel is turned.

I hate causing problems by trying to fix others.... How do you replace that plastic ring? and whats up with the horn?

[colonel6632]

Did you check this little relay/box. it does do stuff with the signal lights, so maybe the fogs are related. you can see where it used to be screwed to my fender, but the bolt head broke, so now i just ran a temporary wire to ground it again. i get all kinds of crazy things happen to my car. my cruise will work, but stop then work again, the turn signals light up but dim, or when i signal it blinks super fast. i never tried the washer fluid though

[cherrington17]

looks similar to mine. i was going to clean the connections on it, and it broke off. So i ran a wire to the negative and haven't got a new screw for it yet.

...but the electrical problems are gone now. I assume it was all caused by that one stray ground that wasn't connected. Odd... i don't see how that circuit could interrupt the others.

and even more weird.... my car starts better now. i'm still gonna fix/replace the other things... but its really REALLY weird that one 22ga illumination wire might have been causing such havoc.