Interior electrical/radio issue Options

[deathsythe]

Hey all, long time lurker, first time poster here, let me just start by saying you all are great.

I've got a ST205, and she's my baby. I've been doing a lot of interior lighting modifications, footwell tubes, LED dash, LEDs behind my vents, etc, and everything has been great until recently.

All of the sudden, I turned on my car the other week and realized that I did not have a working radio, clock, overhead light, nor the courtesy lights on the doors nor the trunk light. Everything else was working fine, all the extra lights I put in were working fine, the cigarette lighter was working fine, headlights, taillights, gauges, etc.

I replaced several of the fuses that could have been the culprit, nothing was blown, but I still had no luck. I replaced the dimmer switch (which from what I read online and saw in the wiring diagrams could have been culpable), still no luck

Can any of you guys help me out here? I checked out the wiring diagrams in my two manuals for the car and I cannot seem to trace out the problem that would isolate just those problems while leaving everything else, namely the cigg lighter really.


Thanks in advance!

[Jamchell]

Death Scythe
DMG: 97
Delay: 528
Additional effect: HP Drain

Lol, reminded me of a game I used to play way back when..... Anyways I think the lighter is on a different fuse from the interior lamp circuit, but same as the radio. It's very possible you knocked a ground loose while doing all of the other wiring. Also, unless you are the 1st owner of the car, make sure someone didn't swap some wires around on you previously.

[deathsythe]

Haha, no worries. FFXI I am guessing?

I am the second owner of the car. Bought it from my cousin. I am certain though that he did no work on it whatsoever. I'm not sure where I would have hit a ground out, but I'll make sure I have all the connectors pushed in proper again.

I'm honestly debating taking it to the guys that did my radio install and telling them to fix it. It was working fine after I did my work on it, all of the other stuff seemed to crap out unrelated to my stuff.

[Jamchell]

Yep that's the one.

Now that you mentioned the radio install I think taking it back to them first might be a good idea. Be prepared for them to suggest you caused the problem though. Just walk in there with the wiring diagram and state you didn't touch any of their work.

[deathsythe]

Well according to the guy who did my radio install I need to take it to a mechanic or a dealership to get the ECM/ECU put back in, that is why I don't have lights. Evidently there was a wrong size fuse in one of the ports... I don't recall ever putting anything that wasn't the known size in there, but ok... balls.

Any idea how much this is going to run me? Ebay has em goin for a few hundred dollars. Also - if this is the culprit, is the ECU swap something I can do on my own? Or is it overly complicated and I should have a mechanic take care of it?

Also - does that even make sense considering the only lights that are out are the overhead, trunk, and courtesy door lights?

This post has been edited by deathsythe: Jun 30, 2010 - 5:07 PM

[SwissFerdi]

Okay, I know this is off-topic...but how the hell do you have an ST205 in Jersey? I, for one, would really like to know how you got it here.

[deathsythe]

Sorry, that was a very blatant/bad typo, it is an AT200. I WISH i had an ST205.
So sorry for the confusion. It was late when I made my original post.

[deathsythe]

Sorry for the double post, but I wanted to update you guys. I got my baby back this afternoon when I got back from class.

They charged me like $90 to fix it. Based off of the printout they gave as a receipt I blew something with my interior lighting mods, and they had to replace a connector and run a new wire. Whatever, I have my radio/ipod back and it wasn't too terrible. They told me that the lights not working I would have to take it to the dealer or a mechanic and get a new ECM/ECU. (this part still strikes me as odd considering a good majority of my other lights are working fine, just not my door courtesy, dome, or trunk ones.) Regardless, that will be my next fix I suppose.


As of right now I've disconnected my vent lights. If they were in fact the culprit, then I will need to redo the connections a little better. I feel like maybe I had a ground-out somewhere along the lines (I was using banana jacks behind the center console to do the majority of the connections w/ a 2x20 ga. shielded twisted pair running to the LEDS, switch, and cigg lighter. I'll figure out a better way to insulate them next time around I suppose, but like I said, for now I'm just happy to have music again.