Question-------------------------
Followup To
Question -
Some/all of these happen after the car has sat overnight:
1. The door locks don't respond to the remote. If the car is opened manually, the door lock switch won't work and the interior lights do not come on. The lock switch will work after the car is started.
2. The radio won't turn on. After driving for some time, it may come on, but its clock has been reset.
3. The trip computer loses its memory. Elapsed time and trip mileage reset to zero. (The car also has a trip odometer on the dash. That one works fine. Only the odometer that is part of the trip computer resets.)
4. The 'stay-on' headlamp feature fails. (They should stay on for about 30 seconds after turning them off.)
A similar thing happened a few years ago, but disappeared. (So there was no point in asking a mechanic about a car that worked.) Now it has continued for over a week.
(You may post this message.)
Answer -
Hi Paul,
There is one fuse in the power distribution center (under the hood, next to the battery)that is involved with many of the systems that are giving you problems: fuse #28 (10 amp): radio, door lock system, remote keyless, mini-trip computer, body module (lamp delay). So begin by taking a look for that one and if it has a visible internal conductor see if it is blown or has a crack which might open when current is sent thru but then recover when it is not drawing any current. Also check its tightness in the socket and that the contacts of the socket and fuse are clean and shiney. Unfortunately I only have the Haynes manual not the full Chrysler manual but I have identified that fuse as a crucial one. Let me know what you find or if anything improves and what doesn't.
Roland
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Hi, Roland,
Thanks again for your prompt, and, I believe authoritative, reply. I looked in the owner's manual and although the listing of fuses in the PDC only goes to 16, I found something a couple of pages earlier, under the heading of
"VEHICLE STORAGE
If you are leaving your vehicle dormant for more than 21 days you may want to take steps to protect your battery. You may:
Remove the mini fuse #28, in the Power Center labeled IOD (Ignition Off-Draw)."
So I opened the PDC and found that, although the fuse pattern does not match the picture in the manual, and there don't seem to be numbers, there is one fuse that is definitely smaller than the others and it is for 10 amps.
I determined to remove and inspect it, and to my amazement, it practically came out when I touched it. I don't think that's the way fuses are supposed to be put in. So I removed it, scrubbed its feet a bit, and put it back in more firmly, I hope, than before.
I did not mention that the previous incidents occurred on trips to Cleveland, and so did this one. We have driven this car cross-country twice, and to Florida several times without incident. (You can skip the remarks about Cleveland, my daughter lives there.)
Alas, our next trip to Cleveland is not scheduled until next June, so I won't have a definitive answer until then. But I will let you know what happens in the next few months.
Many thanks,
Paul Klarreich
AnswerHi Paul,
Thanks for the report. That ignition off-draw resistor is exactly the one I was referring to because it is powered by the battery all the time, even when the ignition is off.
It is responsible for those things that need to be kept powered even when the car is sitting or you lose memory of varius sorts which were the items you were having trouble with. So I'll be hoping that most of the issues are going to be resolved. Let me know if there are residual ones and I'll give them a look.
Roland
P.S. Thanks too for the kind feedback evaluation.
