2006 GT Turbo fully loaded

[Grimy]

I have a 2006 GT Turbo, every option you can get except convertible. It has a random starting problem but I have found a sort of fix. First let say that the random starting problem is like the battery is dead. I mean DEAD no juice then some times it will have enough to turn on the dash but not start. Other times just barely crank over but not fast enough to start.

This can be 1 day , 3 days or a week in between the concurrences. It has been driving me nuts. Between each of the dead occurrences it starts fine. I changed the battery then I was thinking of changing the alternator but I have been told that the 2006 year they used a generator and all the power goes through the computer and the computer sends the charging power to the battery. I dont know if thats true or not.

Here is the fix sort of.

The only way I can keep it starting 100% of the time and not be an unreliable piece of crap is:
In the fuse box in the engine compartment there is a double fuse covered with a white piece of plastic. I pull this up until its loose but it does not come out all the way. dont try you may ruin the plastic piece that holds the 2 fuses. Anyway its called the shipping fuse. it lets the car only get power when the key is on. After its started you don't get Dome lights, key fob radio, dash radio and may be more. I just know of the ones I mentioned, anyway it will always stay charged and start every day every time while that shipping fuse is pulled.

While the fuse is pulled the dash will say "noFUSE"

Has anyone heard of anything like that?

all stock:
2006 PT Cruiser only 35500 miles on it
Turbo GT 5 speed manual transmission
6 Cd Boston Acoustic Audio system
Heated power seats
High performance suspension
Power sun/moon roof

[CREWZIN]

Both the first (00-05) and second (06-10) generation cruiser have this fuse called the IOD (Ignition Off Draw). However, yours being a 2006, the whole electrical system was changed to something called a CAN-BUSS system. Very complicated compared to the earlier models. Your sounds like something is drawing power when your not actually using the car, but you might have already figured that out by pulling the fuse. It's going to take time finding the culprit that's drawing power.

[Busa_Powered]

Welcome to the forum!

If you had every available option you would have the autostick 4 speed transmission, it was almost 1000 dollars more than the standard 5 speed manual

Just sayin

Originally Posted by Grimy

I have a 2006 GT Turbo, every option you can get except convertible. It has a random starting problem but I have found a sort of fix. First let say that the random starting problem is like the battery is dead. I mean DEAD no juice then some times it will have enough to turn on the dash but not start. Other times just barely crank over but not fast enough to start.

This can be 1 day , 3 days or a week in between the concurrences. It has been driving me nuts. Between each of the dead occurrences it starts fine. I changed the battery then I was thinking of changing the alternator but I have been told that the 2006 year they used a generator and all the power goes through the computer and the computer sends the charging power to the battery. I dont know if thats true or not.

Here is the fix sort of.

The only way I can keep it starting 100% of the time and not be an unreliable piece of crap is:
In the fuse box in the engine compartment there is a double fuse covered with a white piece of plastic. I pull this up until its loose but it does not come out all the way. dont try you may ruin the plastic piece that holds the 2 fuses. Anyway its called the shipping fuse. it lets the car only get power when the key is on. After its started you don't get Dome lights, key fob radio, dash radio and may be more. I just know of the ones I mentioned, anyway it will always stay charged and start every day every time while that shipping fuse is pulled.

While the fuse is pulled the dash will say "noFUSE"

Has anyone heard of anything like that?

all stock:
2006 PT Cruiser only 35500 miles on it
Turbo GT 5 speed manual transmission
6 Cd Boston Acoustic Audio system
Heated power seats
High performance suspension
Power sun/moon roof

[VNT]

Buy a digital meter. with the car off and your master fuse in, measure the ignition off draw in milliamps.

Now pull that fuse out and see what the draw is. Now reinstall that fuse and start pulling some of the others, see which circuit is drawing the current to isolate. You probably have something bad, radio, body control module or what ever.

Originally Posted by Grimy

I have a 2006 GT Turbo, every option you can get except convertible. It has a random starting problem but I have found a sort of fix. First let say that the random starting problem is like the battery is dead. I mean DEAD no juice then some times it will have enough to turn on the dash but not start. Other times just barely crank over but not fast enough to start.

This can be 1 day , 3 days or a week in between the concurrences. It has been driving me nuts. Between each of the dead occurrences it starts fine. I changed the battery then I was thinking of changing the alternator but I have been told that the 2006 year they used a generator and all the power goes through the computer and the computer sends the charging power to the battery. I dont know if thats true or not.

Here is the fix sort of.

The only way I can keep it starting 100% of the time and not be an unreliable piece of crap is:
In the fuse box in the engine compartment there is a double fuse covered with a white piece of plastic. I pull this up until its loose but it does not come out all the way. dont try you may ruin the plastic piece that holds the 2 fuses. Anyway its called the shipping fuse. it lets the car only get power when the key is on. After its started you don't get Dome lights, key fob radio, dash radio and may be more. I just know of the ones I mentioned, anyway it will always stay charged and start every day every time while that shipping fuse is pulled.

While the fuse is pulled the dash will say "noFUSE"

Has anyone heard of anything like that?

all stock:
2006 PT Cruiser only 35500 miles on it
Turbo GT 5 speed manual transmission
6 Cd Boston Acoustic Audio system
Heated power seats
High performance suspension
Power sun/moon roof

[Grimy]

I tried the multimeter option, never get more then a .03 draw which seems normal for key fob radio and such.

yeah the part about every option, I didn't know about the auto-stick option so for me I thought it was every option. I did not purchase it new, I got it after it was a couple years old and only had 12000 miles on it. It did not start showing this problem until we had it over a year or so.

[Busted_PT]

Originally Posted by Grimy

I tried the multimeter option, never get more then a .03 draw which seems normal for key fob radio and such.

yeah the part about every option, I didn't know about the auto-stick option so for me I thought it was every option. I did not purchase it new, I got it after it was a couple years old and only had 12000 miles on it. It did not start showing this problem until we had it over a year or so.

Were there anything changed or added at around that time?

[Grimy]

Nope still the same as when we bought it. Other then the problems that is.

I wonder sometimes if it isn't some kind of short somewhere that's random, or possibly something randomly stays powered after key off when its not supposed to.

Does the 6 CD Boston acoustic audio have a powered sub somewhere that maybe stays on randomly?

Could a bad computer be randomly keeping something powered up after key off, and or not keeping the battery charged like it should? But then it most likely would not work like it does with the fuse pulled.

I have thought about having a new computer put in it but that costs so much to try without knowing for sure if it will fix the problem.
All I know is without finding the power draw, if there is one or detection of the problem I can not trace it down without just replacing parts at random ideas. That's just a too expensive thought for me.

[Busa_Powered]

When it's parked just pull the battery cables off and be done with it

[Cruiszr]

The Boston Acoustic system came with a sub located at the extreme rear of the car on the driver's side. The same space is a storage compartment on most other cruisers without the sub.

[njsteve1]

Originally Posted by Busa_Powered

Welcome to the forum!

If you had every available option you would have the autostick 4 speed transmission, it was almost 1000 dollars more than the standard 5 speed manual

Just sayin

If I remember right the 5 speed was a $200 option over the autostick on my 05 GT Vert