My car suddenly developed a strange electrical problem. My power windows will not work, my power mirrors will not move, the radio is dead. The blower fan runs on setting 1-4 but dies on 5. When I switch the fan from 4 to 5 the fan cuts out and the radio turns on for about a second and then cuts out too. I should not that I am in Canada and it is freaking cold out ( -20C ) so it may be something with the battery and/or alternator. Unfortunately, my garage is freaking cold too so just letting it warm up has not been enough. I can drive it well enough, but the lack of a radio is driving me nuts. Anyone have any thoughts on what to check? It's been too bleepin' cold out for me to check all the fuses under the hood just yet. The radio is getting some power as the dashboard lights are illuminated and the radio is keeping time and its stations. (I can tell this by that one second of life it gets when I switch the fan from 4 to 5.)

Cheers!

Hmmmmm...No clue on that....Maybe someone else could jump in with an answer.....Also....Seen this is your first post...Welcome

I have heard that a weak battery will cause a miriad of electrical problems. Given your enviroment I would start with the battery. But first check all cable connections to the battery and fuse block in the engine compartment.

I changed my battery 2 weeks ago.

The old one failed suddenly and the dash lights did strange flashings evertything, even the ABS lights the brake light...I just change the battery and that was all.

Alex

Thanks Guys!

I checked the fuses and they seem fine and there is no one fuse that controls all those components so it must be some basic electrical issues (again).

With all the cold and road salt around here at this time of year, the first thing I will do is clean the battery terminals and the where the big ground connector bolts to the body.

The battery is not that old and the alternator was replaced last summer.

I've been reading lots of data on the Internet about the GP's and they seem to have lots of grounding and electrical issues...

I will keep you posted on what the fix eventually was when I figure it out.

Great site here... I love all the great mods people have done.

Cheers!
Jim

Hey RealTime, I live an hour north of London I have not yet had any of those problems have you checked the battery connections to make sure they're tight sometimes they can get loose from
the cold and heat of the engine. Try that first it's werth a try. Let us know if that helps.

I found the problem!

I went to check on the ground connector where it bolts to the body just below the fuse box under the hood. It looked pretty rough with corrosion but the connection was tight. I decided to clean the contacts anyway and make sure the contact with the body was snug and free from rust.

Anyway while pokeing around that area I saw the bundle of thick red wires coming from the back of the fuse box as it entered the wiring harness toward the firewall. On one of these red wires, I noticed that one was a little bulged at one point and there was a bit of green/blue powder coming out of a crack in the insulation. On closer inspection, I noticed the wire was completely rusted out and just being held in place by the insulation. It broke in two when I grabbed it to have a closer look.

At one point, the insulation must have been cut and with water and salt and other crud getting in there, it was just a matter of time before it rusted away.

Anyway, I disassembled the fuse panel to get more slack on the wires and make room to work. I stripped the ends of the two broken wire halves and tinned each end with a soldering iron and mated the pair of wires again with more heat and solder and wrapped the re-joined halves with some electrical tape.

One thing I can say is it's a lot more difficult to solder in -18C ( -30C with the wind chill ) with 14 gauge wire with a precision solding iron meant for electronics while your vision is obscured by your own breath. (Note to self: find friend with heated garage...)

Well, when everything was put back together again, my interior accessories (radio, PW, power mirrors, fan on full, rear view mirror auto-dim, etc.) were back in business! I imagine I saved myself a few bucks not bringing it in the the garage and/or a few hours tearing my dash apart.

Woo Hoo!

Jim

Good job. Glad to hear it's all fixed.

you should go to "Grand Prix Problems" on this website and put your problem and repair procedure so others can benefit from your experience.

bad problem but great diagnoses and repair, you deserve a beer.

maybe this will help....