2003 Base electric problems

Stereo, security systems, vehicle electronics, and electrical-related discussions
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Katasta
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Sep 13, 2015 9:38 am

2003 Base electric problems

Post by Katasta »

Hi there. My family has a 2003 vibe base that we bought new. Recently it has experienced some electrical issues. Following my son home one night I noticed he had no tail lights. We found the fuse blown, and of course when we replaced it it immediately blew again, checked for a shorted bulb and found both tail lights blown as well. Replaced both tail lights but the fuse still blows. Put a larger fuse in place and it stopped blowing, but when you turned the key off the dash stayed powered up so we pulled the fuse again. Everything went back off. Now a week later the tail lights have started working again and will not turn off. The dash also stays powered up. It killed it's own battery as a result. The kicker is there is still no tail light fuse installed. I'm leaning towards the body control module but any advice you can give would be awesome.
Derf
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Re: 2003 Base electric problems

Post by Derf »

Any other history to the vehicle, recent modifications, previous accident? Reads like it may be a wire rubbing through or component backfeeding the system.
2005 #10,524 Neptune Vibe "Bandit" Auto, Moon & Tunes 235k :D
1991 Pontiac Bonneville 3.8L "Granny's Whip" 142k (33nd Anniversary :o )
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Katasta
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Sep 13, 2015 9:38 am

Re: 2003 Base electric problems

Post by Katasta »

The vehicle is 100% stock other than some custom wheels. The electrics have never been messed with outside of the recalls. It did recently have a minor front end accident. Though I did not pull the harness apart to inspect it, it was never actually impacted by the accident. That was my very first thought when this started happening though.
lannvouivre
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Re: 2003 Base electric problems

Post by lannvouivre »

You definitely have an issue with the wires, as said by The Derf. If you are good with electrical, you'll need to look at a wiring diagram and trace through the circuits to see if you can spot the issue. I have no doubt that you'd be able to see it if you looked over your wires carefully.

If you are helpless with electrical, you will need to find a mechanic that can handle it.
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joatmon
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Joined: Fri Mar 21, 2003 5:19 am
Location: SMC MD

Re: 2003 Base electric problems

Post by joatmon »

It sounds like it could be hard to find the wiring issue.

In the dash, above the glove compartment, there is a junction box. On the top of that junction box, there are four relays, one big and three smaller ones. The smaller one in the middle is the TAIL relay.

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This pic is with that junction box unbolted and pulled down. You should be able to reach up above that junction box, feel for the middle small relay, and pull it out. Won't fix the problem, but might help eliminate some part of the wiring. Depending on if the tail lights stop working when the relay is pulled, it will let you know if the short is on the supply or load side of the relay. The relay switches power from the TAIL fuse, and the coil is also driven from the TAIL fuse, so I don]t think it possible for a bad relay to cause a problem where the tail lights stay on even when the TAIL fuse is pulled or blown.

Not much help though. If you do get it figured out, please let us know the solution
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Jubjon
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2010 9:21 am

Re: 2003 Base electric problems

Post by Jubjon »

[quote="joatmon"]It sounds like it could be hard to find the wiring issue.

In the dash, above the glove compartment, there is a junction box. On the top of that junction box, there are four relays, one big and three smaller ones. The smaller one in the middle is the TAIL relay.

Image
This pic is with that junction box unbolted and pulled down. You should be able to reach up above that junction box, feel for the middle small relay, and pull it out. Won't fix the problem, but might help eliminate some part of the wiring. Depending on if the tail lights stop working when the relay is pulled, it will let you know if the short is on the supply or load side of the relay. The relay switches power from the TAIL fuse, and the coil is also driven from the TAIL fuse, so I don]t think it possible for a bad relay to cause a problem where the tail lights stay on even when the TAIL fuse is pulled or blown.

Not much help though. If you do get it figured out, please let us know the solution[/quote

2006 Vibe , 93,500 trouble free miles. i lost my tailights and DSL as well as the dash dimmer switch function, probably more but I was concerned about the taillights. I read this posts and others like it. I dropped the relay box above the glove box and just as some others have said here the relay was more than 1/2 way out of it's socket. There is no way that relay worked it's way out on it's own. I am the second owner and as I do all of my own work, I can only guess that someone at a shop that the original owner went too was playing dirty or someone at the factory was having a bad day or playing games.
Anyway, I pushed it back into it's socket and everything was good. I have photos but their files are to large to post, PM me with email address if you need to see.
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