Electrical Gremlins

[SantaGuy]

I hesitated to mention this eariler because I figured by the time I reported it here it would be resolved.

I have a Gremlin running around in my PT. Here's what he looks like but the Dealer has not been able to find him.



It started a week or so after I bought the car. Driving down the road and the radio would go out. No notice no warning just gone. It would eventually come back on sometime after the car had been parked and I came back out to it. Just like nothing has happened. The dealer ordered & then replaced the radio.

I got almost 2 blocks away before it went out again but this time it came right back. It did this everyday once a day until I could get it back to the Dealer. They diagnosed and ordered a new PCM (Power Control Module). Several days later it came in and now we are on trip 4.

They installed the PCM and this time it lasted a whole weekend. Saturday night I was waxing my wheels (What else is there to do on a Saturday night?) with the top down listening to a CD. I opened and closed the passenger door and everything when away. No lights, no radio, nothing electrical worked. It came back pretty quickly.

Yesterday I was driving to work when the radio went out the car stuttered and the battery light came on. When I got to the stoplight it died. I put it in Park and it cranked back up. No problem.

Last night after a meeting my wife closed her door and, you guessed it no power. It came back when I worked the door lock. When we got home it happened again. This time it lasted longer than before.

The Cruiser is at the Dealer again! At least this time they have something to go on. I hope.

[prettybluewoody]

What with the recession and all, did you have to lay off any elves lately? Maybe they're doing it!

[Hooligan]

Gremlins, gremlins NOT elves!!!!!!!

[quicksilverdon]

My hunches - ignition switch, or, clean and tighten the battery terminals.
How many miles on battery? Many have reported that when battery is near end of life, gremlins appear...

[slartyblarfast]

Yep... Most likely it's an ignition switch. Fits the symptoms.

[oldcoach]

The alarm system can make for a lot of funney stuff happening with the power.

[SantaGuy]

I picked her up today and the Service Writer said the problem had set several active and past codes in the computer. They took the door panel off and repositioned the wiring harness and the codes all went away and they could not replicate the problem. Both a technician and the Service Manager drove her over rough roads and opened and closed the door several times.

I've got my fingers crossed. So far so good.

[quicksilverdon]

The harness in the door impacted the radio???

Hey, if it fixes it... I'd have never guessed...

[SantaGuy]

Hey Don,

I suspected all along it had something to do with the security system. It was not just shutting down the radio but the whole car's electrical system.

It sounds odd to me too but then again I've never had a car that put the window down slightly when you opened the door either.

[Matt42]

Not meaning to hijack the thread, but am I the only PT owner who used to own a Gremlin?