Electrical Problem

[ettore]

Ok, explanation of the situation:

I drive 7.5 hours north of here to visit some family .... I get into my car on the way back home and I get the following situation.  I turn the key to "on", I hear my A/C turn on, interior blower turn on, ABS make it's clicky thing and my DRLs fire up ... about 1 second later, all of them turn off at the same time.  I turn the ignition to off, turn off my blower, start the car and everything works fine ... even after I turn on my AC again.

I make it the ENTIRE 7.5 hour trip home without a glitch.  Next day, at around 4:00am, I go to start my car, and my DRLs are "blipping".  They are off, and after about 5 seconds they turn on for about 1/10th of a second then off again.  This happens a few times and then they stop doing it.  My heater motor isn't working, nor are ABS, or my AC (obviously) or my DRLs.  As well, my alternator isn't charging.

I drive to where I have to go, only about 5 minutes away, and my car lives.

8 hours later, I go back to my car, start it, everything works peachy keen.  However, since that day (this was two days ago) none of the accessories I spoke of that turned off are working UNLESS the remote start is keeping the car running!

So, I decide to do some diagnostics.  The only difference between when my car is running using the key or using the remote start (from the fuse box's point of view) is that the remote start makes fuse 4 and 8 go hot.  This leads me to the conclusion that whatever feeds 4 and 8 (right beside each other) is toasted.

What I wonder about is:
a) why would my DRLs do the blipping thing?
b) why would it stop working randomly then work perfectly for 7.5 hours?

Some history is that I have been using my DRLs without the "light sensor" attached for about 1 year; this causes them to always be in low-beams-on mode.  I reattached the light sensor about a week ago, just a few days before the long trip.

So, if anyone can tell me what feeds fuses 4 and 8 as well as why questions a and b happened, I would appreciate it.  If anyone has diagnostic help, I would appreciate that as well.

If it matters, I don't believe my Beretta had DRLs when I purchased it ('94 from the US of A) but I installed a '96 Corsica DRL module so I could have the low-voltage highbeam option.  As well, obviously, my car is a '94 Beretta .. Z26 if it matters.

[Money pit Beretta]

On my 90GT's fusebox cover it shows #4 as 5amp alternator and #8 as 25amp heater and air conditioner. I would say you have a short, overload or an incompatability(I'll bet you already know that).

[1988GTU]

I'd test that remote start system out.  Make sure it's not taking a dump on you.

[ettore]

Remote start system is working fine; all it does is feed some random wires power (namely ACC#1 and ACC#2) that are helping my car out.

I decided to check, and the only 4 relays that are attached to my starting system (these make up the remote start) are AOK.

This is frustrating ... my power windows dies today as well.  And, again, they work fine when the remote start is running the car.  I am starting to think my ignition switch is somehow f'ed up.  Thank God I threw out my two spare columns a few weeks ago.

[ettore]

.. oh ya, and I am ruling out short since the remote start makes the system work.  If I had a short, I would either be melting wires or blowing the fuses for my remote start relays.

[ettore]

WOOHOOOOO !!!!!

I finally got a chance to get under the dash ... looked around, didn't find much.  So, I spun the fuse box around (it's held in place with just one screw, once removed, you can spin it and see the back of it).

Fuses 4, 8 and 12 (power windows) are all fed with a thick orange wire.  I go back under the dash, look around ... note that my remote-start has this thick orange wire ... but it immediately goes into my nicely loomed and taped wiring so I am not cutting that crap apart.

I keep looking and, lo and behold, my ignition switch has all the big wires going into it ... namely my orange wire in a black connector.  Everything looks fine but I decide to test the connector anyways ... I press on it to see if I can hear that familiar "snap" sound of when a connector that feeds power sparks ... or the connector making a firm connection.  Bam, everything comes to life.  It turns out the connector had somehow come loose ... probqably from when I took my dash apart to install the manual.  It has been like 9 months since then so who knew.  I am very happy is all I have to say; woohoo.

So, it turns out hte power windows were ALWAYS an issue ... I just use them so rarely that I never noticed.

Thanks for the replies; I appreciate anyone who read this and thought about it even for just a second.

Regards,
ettore

[Money pit Beretta]

That is good news, by the way I can't see the photo of your car, the link is not working.

[ettore]

Ya, I am rebuilding my server (I have been for months).  But, the parts are ACTUALLY going to be here in a few days so all this crap should start working.  For some reason, my band-aid router won't allow links to work to my current computer; lame

[Money pit Beretta]

Ok I'll check back later.