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electrical dead circuit
#1
Posted 28 October 2012 - 09:12 PM
#2
Posted 28 October 2012 - 09:41 PM
Have you checked both fuse boxes, the one in the engine bay and the one under dash?
Check the grounds in the engine bay, up on the drivers front corner and behind both struts. Battery terminals good and clean?
Has this been going on for awhile or did it just happen?
#3
Posted 28 October 2012 - 11:31 PM
#4
Posted 29 October 2012 - 09:27 AM

Oh, and it just came up out of nowhere - the part where the radio quit working and the dome light, etc. Car worked on Friday, but then got in Sunday morning and a groan followed by the "click, click" of a dead battery (and no radio, domes, etc. when good battery attached) I suspect the battery was dying before that (an Interstate, still two years left on the "warranty"), but it always started normally. I do believe the alternator is charging, starter good, etc. Everything works fine now that new battery in as far as mechanics go. Just not those items mentioned (and maybe others that I haven't noticed on same circuit or circuits)
Edited by sammich, 29 October 2012 - 09:39 AM.
more info
#5
Posted 29 October 2012 - 07:49 PM
1. Make sure the charging system is good. It may still have a problem. If it were me, I would charge the battery, or jump start the motor, so you can drive the car. Then, I would take it to an auto parts store that tests the car's charging system at no cost. They will tell you if there is any issue with the battery or alternator. Be aware that even a new battery can be bad. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen.
2. If the charging system checks out good, then you know for sure that it is an electrical problem. If there is a bad short, then a fuse will blow. If you are not blowing fuses, then like you say check for broken wires or bad grounds. These to me are always a pain in the butt to find, but if you wiggle enough wires, or play with enough switches, the problem can usually be located.
#6
Posted 29 October 2012 - 08:45 PM
Lots of lights share a comon ground so if you lost the ground the lights will not work.
On a 97 Impreza, some younger mechanics has cut the radio harness and saw 12vdc on one of the wires. They thought it was the power for the radio, when it was really the ground for all of the dash lights. The ground was provided by the radio or ash tray light.
Get the wire diagrams and see where the ground and power are for all the circuits you are concerned with. I bet there is a common wire.
#7
Posted 29 October 2012 - 09:50 PM
#8
Posted 29 October 2012 - 11:00 PM
The clock is part of the instrument cluster, correct? That would mean the whole instrument cluster is losing power when the key is turned off.
The only thing I can see in the wire diagrams that might make sense, is blade fuse number 2 (should be 15A) in the under-hood panel might be blown, or may have a poor connection. Fuse number 2 provides power to the radio memory, the instrument cluster memory, and the interior/dome lights.
If the radio does not work at all, that could be related, depending on how the radio works internally, or how it was wired by the installer. Installers do not always use the correct harness power wires for memory and main power.
#9
Posted 31 October 2012 - 10:19 AM
#10
Posted 31 October 2012 - 03:02 PM
Did you check for voltage in the fuse panel? Specifically at the number 2 fuse.
Any other electric components not working? Blower fan, rear defrost, glove box lighting, horn, signal/hazard lights, gauges?
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