Author Topic: I think I broke my car (Read 739 times)

Chairboy · « **on:** March 31, 2005, 01:54:16 PM »

This morning, I was messing around with something to fix a wire, and I think that the accessory line from my stereo shorted w/ ground for a moment. The stock radio died, the check engine light came on, the warning chime bonged once, and all my gauges dropped to zero.

I shut the car off, then turned it back on. The check engine light was off, the car seems to run normally, and the warning lamps all light up properly during the startup sequence, but the gauges all remain bottomed out. Tachometer, speed, fuel, etc. The odometer stopped incrementing, but the digital display containing the information lights up and displays the last mileage.

I checked the fuses, and sure enough, the radio fuse was popped. I'll replace it, but I doubt that the radio fuse being out would disable the tach/odo/etc.

The car is a 1999 Buick Regal, anyone have any ideas? BTW, I checked all fuses (with multimeter) in the driver compartment as well as in the engine bay. Additionally, I pulled the fuse for the ECM and let it sit a half a minute before putting the fuse back. The car runs fine, everything works except this.

Well.. there's one other thing, the A/C doesn't seem to be producing cold air. The HVAC circuit seems to work, all the blowers come on as commanded by the temperature hold circuit (I can still dial in the target cabin temp, and it looks like it's trying to cool it there) but the air doesn't seem chilled past ambient outside temp.

BlueJ1 · « **Reply #1 on:** March 31, 2005, 01:57:46 PM »

LePaul · « **Reply #2 on:** March 31, 2005, 02:01:42 PM »

This is why I love professional installations.

Skuzzy · « **Reply #3 on:** March 31, 2005, 02:17:10 PM »

Your A/C is probably not cooling due to the fuse to the compressor clutch on the compressor being blown. They are normally not in the fuse box, but inline (could be fusible link).
Easy to check. Open hood, statr engine, turn on the A/C, set it to as cold as possible. See if the compressor clutch is engaged. If it is it will be spinning, if not, the pulley will be free-wheeling on the compressor.
There should be a wire leading from the compressor clutch (turn off engine before looking). Check for an inline fuse or check the wire for continuity.

The gauge panel may be toast. Shorting the raido lead to ground carries enough current to fry a gauge panel quite efficiently.

There could be a fusible link going to the ground for the gauge panel. GM likes to use (or used to anyways) fusible link. It look like wire, but it is actually a fuse. The insulation for it is quite heavy, but very pliable if it is blown. Find the ground lead for the gauge panel and check it for continuity.

mora · « **Reply #4 on:** March 31, 2005, 02:28:09 PM »

You've done about all you can, except checkking the fusible link as Skuzzy said. If you have a circuit diagram you might be able to figure out the problem. Otherwise save yourself from the trouble and take it to a professional. It shouldn't be too expensive to troubleshoot and to get a cost estimate.

If they say it's the the gauge panel you could try to pull it apart yourself and see if there's a burned connector or a component in the circuit board that you could change yourself and save $$$.

ASTAC · « **Reply #5 on:** March 31, 2005, 02:36:57 PM »

who need guages....just keep up with traffic...and keep plenty of gas in it:D

Chairboy · « **Reply #6 on:** March 31, 2005, 03:47:56 PM »

Status change!

I was sitting in traffic, contemplating the problem, when I remembered back to something that happened a few months ago. I had run the battery down to zero by accident and the car, when jumped, would power up but the starter wouldn't engage. I ended up disconnecting my carputer (an actual installed computer w/ video, music, gps, etc) from the OBD-II port (it's hooked into the diagnostic computer for the car) and that reset the computer and it worked.

So I was sitting in traffic with another computer logic problem (eg, the car's brain seemed half dead) so I reached down, disconnected the OBD-II interface, and instantly the car chimed at me, lit all the diagnostic lamps for a second, and the gauges came back to life.

I turned the car off and on again, and now everything is working perfectly. The A/C cools, the gauges spin, the odometer updated itself to show the actual mileage (it was still being tracked somewhere in the computer), and life is good.

Thanks for the help anyhow! The fusible link is a great step, I'll remember that for the future.

Siaf__csf · « **Reply #7 on:** April 01, 2005, 12:20:46 AM »

Cars and computers shouldn't be put together.

Just way too many things can go very wrong and be very expensive to repair.

Chairboy · « **Reply #8 on:** April 01, 2005, 12:31:11 AM »

The same can be said for... almost anything. Heck, putting music in cars has caused thousands of deaths due to accidents.

...but we still listen to music because the risk/reward calculation is acceptable.

mora · « **Reply #9 on:** April 01, 2005, 08:14:48 AM »

Why is your carputer connected to OBD-II? Does it read data from there?

Siaf__csf · « **Reply #10 on:** April 01, 2005, 11:04:03 AM »

It's different with music chairboy you can turn it off if you want. You can't turn off the automation in your car if it malfunctions.

I've read literally dozens of horror stories of cars with computer related problems. Analysis showing bogus error reports, mechanicians having a wild goose chase and customer paying the bill.

J_A_B · « **Reply #11 on:** April 01, 2005, 11:50:54 AM »

I don't know if the Buick Regal has the option, but the climate-control system on my Roadmaster also provides onboard diagnostic capability and all kinds of information not usually available to the driver.

My Cadillac also had such a system so it seems fairly common on GM vehicles.

J_A_B

mora · « **Reply #12 on:** April 01, 2005, 12:02:57 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Siaf__csf
I've read literally dozens of horror stories of cars with computer related problems. Analysis showing bogus error reports, mechanicians having a wild goose chase and customer paying the bill.

Cars are the most cheaply made products there is. This leads to all kinds of problems including electrical. It's impossible to build a car without computers simply because you cannot comply with emission and safety regulations without them. Also no one would buy a car without all the equipments which are considered standard these days.

The after sales situation has improved considerably in the past 5 years because the dealers have been forced train their mechanics properly. Sure there are some places that cannot fix the most siplest problem, but they are thankfully getting more rare.

vorticon · « **Reply #13 on:** April 01, 2005, 12:16:05 PM »

"Analysis showing bogus error reports, mechanicians having a wild goose chase and customer paying the bill."

shouldent the mechanic, if hes any good, be able to figure out what the problem is WITHOUT a computer?

Siaf__csf · « **Reply #14 on:** April 01, 2005, 01:28:56 PM »

Vorticon in most cases the only problem with the car was a worn out bunch of wires in the heart of the control system.

There was nothing wrong mechanically, just wires shorting out and confusing the whole system.

My next car will be an S-class mercedes that was built before the computer mania. They have thier problems too, but at least they're mostly mechanical.