starting issues, any of you electrical guys have any ideas? Options

[nightryder]

alright, so I had my viper alarm installed about 2 years ago. since then, I havent touched my tilt wheel (just never had to).


Now the other night, I got in my car and for one reason or another, I moved the tilt and heard a slight crunching in the movement.



so i get in, start the car, and when I turn on the headlights, the car turns off. Now im getting nothing, but my oil light, my battery light and my check engine light are lit n my dash, nothing else. No dome lights, nothing.



So i check fuses, fine. Then i remember i have my code reader in the trunk, so I take it out and as soon as i plug it in, all my interior lights turn on and the car starts.


now i find the car will not stay started unless i have this code reader plugged in!


anyone?

[stevest202]

have you checked to see what was crunching thinking it might of damaged something maybe alarm or wiring shorting due to damaged partsbeing broken by this crunching sound

[nightryder]

im going to pull it all apart today, i just thought it was so weird that maybe someone could shed some light on it for me.



oh and when the car turns on without the code reader plugged in, it only stays running for about 3 seconds, then it shuts off.

[CelicaST_CALI]

mabye u broke a wire and when the code reader is somehow connecting it...

[nightryder]

i think i may have figured it out....



so if i had severed a ground wire , that would disengage the ignition.



now when i plug in the code reader, because of the nature of the reader, it grounds the ignition to the obdII scanner.



i guess now all i have to do is find that ground?



sound reasonable?

[Galcobar]

Sounds like your alarm wasn't installed with attention to detail.