Ford: wierd problem, car cd player, daytime running lights

Question
hi thx!  i have a 95 escort and after i installed a cd player, it began having wierd electrical problems.  now after i shut off the car and remove the key the heater fan keeps working.  i have to turn it to off or it will keep going.  also my daytime running lights stay on too.  if i pull the ebrake they go off.  also the dimmer for the instument illumination wont dim anymore.  ive un-installed the cd player and made sure none of the wires were touching, and ive checked every fuse and still the problem.  i wonder if i caused a short in some relay somewhere but dont know what my next step in troubleshooting this should be. any help you have is much appericiated.  

jay

Answer
hey what's up Jay.

that is pretty friggin' weird, and i'm no expert in the electric systems of cars.  one thing did come to mind, though.  A lot of the time, CD players will automatically go into STAND-BY mode after they're turned off.  in stand-by mode, cd players still need a bit of electricity so that they are ready to play as soon as you hit the on button, or insert a cd.  so when the car is turned off, the cd player is in stand-by mode and so it still draws a little bit of electricity from the battery.  don't worry, it's not enough to drain your battery, otherwise the company wouldn't sell it as a car cd player.  but when it draws some power from the battery, it keeps the battery active.  an active battery controls the fan, the lights and all that stupid stuff.  the ebrake takes quite a bit of power from the battery to run, so if it is delivering power to the fan, the lights, the cd player and the ebrake, something has to give.  ie, the fan and lights turn off, since they don't have stand-by mode.  perhaps the cd player's wattage is too much for your electrical system?
 but this is all i can think of.  i'm not exactly the best person to ask about electronics.  if you're really stuck, take it in to be looked at, or ask a nerdy friend.  hope this helped, man.   cheers.