The Oldsmobile Connection

85cieraholiday · Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2004 8:17 pm Post subject: Electrical problems.....

When my aunt gave me the Olds back in January, she told me that the radio and other things inside of the car didn't work :roll: . She says that one day when listening to the cassette player, there was a smell much like that of a lit match, and then everything when out. By everything I mean the radio, power antenna (it didn't always work anyway),horn, inside lights, clock, cassette, and the sounds for leaving your lights on, door ajar, etc. She had her mechanic disconnect the power antenna (thanks a lot aunt mary) :roll: , and change the fuse. The fuse will work for a few seconds (like enough to honk the horn 3-4 times). The odd thing is that the power button for the radio works (you can hear the speakers turn on) and so does the volume switch (you can here the static get loder from the speakers). Any ideas :shock: ???

strokercutlass · Joined: 09 Jun 2003 Posts: 379 Location: Wis

85..it sounds like you may have a dead short in one or more of the circuits. Many of the systems you mentioned are powered by a full time 12 volts...horn, inside lights, door ajar warnings, etc.. The power antennas were also problem areas, but if it was unhooked you can probably rule that out. What fuse is it that burns out? In the owners manual it should list what runs off that particular fuse, IF you still have the owners manual. If we knew which particular fuse burns out, we'd probably be able to help you out more, as it helps to pinpoint the systems that are affected. In the fuse box it should have at least one of the systems printed by the fuse.

85cieraholiday · Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2004 2:38 pm Post subject:

I do have the owners manual, it is fuse D, which powers the chimes, lighter, ip clock, horn,inside lights, power antenna, power door locks, sound system, its a 20 amp fuse. The lighter has been removed, and the antenna disconnected.

88 Coupe · Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2004 6:04 pm Post subject: Electrical problems.....

Hi 85cieraholiday, strokercutlass, everyone
The easiest way, would be to disconnect each of those listed items, plug in a new fuse, and reconnect them one at a time. The one that blows the fuse will be the culprit. While you're disconnecting you might want to check the hot wire for the lighter and see if it could be grounding itself.

oldsmobile420 · Joined: 21 Dec 2003 Posts: 238 Location: pa

hey strokercutlass i got a q for u my lighter don t work but i need it to power my inverter i got its got some rust down there i sanded the rust off and cleaned it offf and tryed to connect it but it like no works it just blows fuse any thing u can tell me would be very helpfull

85cieraholiday · Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2004 11:23 am Post subject:

Something that may help in finding what wrong wiht my car, no cellphones have ever been pluged into the lighter, but a penny once was stuck in there, and change was kept in the ash tray (someone at autozone said this could make a difference) The lighter itself I still have, just not in the car, took it out.

88delta88 · Joined: 09 Jun 2003 Posts: 2407 Location: Canada

copper does conduct electricity...

73Delta88 · Posted: Tue Mar 16, 2004 7:07 am Post subject:

just yank the lighter out and replace it, they're not very expensive.

strokercutlass · Joined: 09 Jun 2003 Posts: 379 Location: Wis

alllrighty.....

85ciera...check to make sure there isn't still a penny stuck in the cigarette lighter hole...this happens ALOT more than a person would think....I had a customer who used to come in about once a month because their power locks wouldn't work..come to find out they kept dropping a penny down the hole for the cig. lighter, and when they'd use the power locks it'd blow the fuse. While digging it out, someone may have bent the tabs and grounded the socket. You MAY be able to pull out the ashtray and unhook the orange(positive) wire from the back of the lighter socket, and see if the fuse still blows. As 88 coupe stated, once you check the basics, you may have no choice but to start unhooking system parts one at a time. Since you car is pretty "virgin" :lol: , I'd start with the lighter, since the power antenna has been disconnected already. Also, the radio itself may have an internal short, although this is more unlikely.Is it still the stock radio in the car?

420..I'd tend to agree with 73delta....if nothing else, go to the junkyard and cob one out of another car. Otherwise, if worse comes to worse, you can usually find a replacement at a parts store that carries accessories, or buy one there that mounts under the dash, and ties into the wiring.

85cieraholiday · Posted: Tue Mar 16, 2004 8:49 pm Post subject:

Ok I just ran to my garage to take a peek at the car, there is no change in the lighter hole, it is the orig. stereo. Thanks 4 the advice!