QuestionQUESTION: I have a short draining the battery, so I have been connecting and disconnecting negative battery terminal because I don't want to maybe spend $400 to locate.After doing this many times, all of a sudden, security "set" light comes on on the dash and the temp, fuel,battery charge info disappears. The lock unlock of doors doesn't work. Car still starts. I removed glove compartment and can pull the 21 pin plugged with engine running you talk about in another post. You said that will disable the alarm. Now if I do that, will my dash gas, temp etc. info come on like it use to. Thanks a lot.
ANSWER: Hi Edward,
Disabling the security alarm will not affect the operation of the instrument cluster. I assume that you have the conventional cluster (non-electronic display). The operation of all the gauges is powered by fuse #8 in the fuse box to the left of the glove box but that fuse powers many other modules so if only the cluster is 'out' you may find that fuse to be o.k. but check it out. The current from the fuse flows to pin D of the red plug on the back of the cluster on a dark blue wire and from there the socket pin for that wire is soldered to the circuit board. So if the fuse is good and you have power on the dark blue wire with the ignition "on" then either the solder joint is "cold" (reheat it with a soldering pencil) or the ground wire for the cluster is loose or its solder joint on the board is "cold" (that is a black wire on pin G of the same red plug at the cluster). So verify that wire is grounded (shows zero resistance between it and any shiny metal structural part of the body nearby). So either the power to the cluster or the grounding of the cluster, when repaired should restore the cluster function.
The power door locks are powered from fuse #13 so check that out.
As to the short circuit draining the battery, if you had a volt-amp meter you could but it between a battery clamp and its post to measure the current when everything is "off" including any courtesy lights. It should be less than 100 milliamps. If not, then start removing the fuses, one at a time, in the main box under the hood and let me know which one(s) cause a large reduction in the current reading. Then we can check out the items on that circuit. I suspect you may find the glove box or trunk light to be 'on' all the time.
Please read the PS (below) and respond to it.
Thanks for doing that,
Roland
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thanks for response. I have the electronic display cluster and it seems to go out when that security "set" light on the dash is on and I also don't get any electronic info from electronic box on the car top above the windshield along with no info from dash. The lock unlock doors doesn't work statement had to do with me trying to get the security "set" light to go out and things work right. That pulling fuses and using ampmeter is great idea which i will do. All I'm trying to do is get that security "set" light to go out and info from some other post says it can affect electronic cluster. Thanks.
AnswerHi Edward,
The electronic cluster also uses fuse #8 and its blue wire arrives on pin 11 of the red plug at the cluster. Its ground wire is on pin 7 and that black wire goes to a screw under the dash at the center vertical lower reinforcement. The cluster uses a twisted pair of digital data wires that also goes to the overhead console and the body computer so it is possible that one of the devices that shares the data has gone bad and is taking down the others' functions though that would also be noticeable in the engine/trans functioning were that the case. . But check out the fuse.
Similarly fuse #13 is involved with the door locks.
On the security alarm it may be the wire from the door lock on the driver door is broken but the passenger side door lock is probably good so try lock/unlock on that door as an alternative. There is also a 30 amp circuit breaker in the relay module located above the fuse box that provides power for the door lock system and it could be stuck 'open' (it also operates the headlamp doors if those don't work). If you can't deal with the security system, then do disconnect the 21-pin plug with the engine running.
Please do a rating and nomination of me if this has proven helpful to you.
Roland
