2003 vibe electric issues

Stereo, security systems, vehicle electronics, and electrical-related discussions
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Svensvibe
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Feb 18, 2021 7:51 am

2003 vibe electric issues

Post by Svensvibe »

Stereo stopped, then fob and interior lights, and speedo and tach surge when ignition turned on? Fuses seem fine . Any suggestions greatly appreciated.
andrewclaus
Posts: 482
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2017 6:38 pm
Location: Golden, CO

Re: 2003 vibe electric issues

Post by andrewclaus »

"Fuses seem fine" sounds vague. They have to be pulled and tested with an ohmmeter or continuity tester.
Svensvibe
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Feb 18, 2021 7:51 am

Re: 2003 vibe electric issues

Post by Svensvibe »

Thanks. I pulled and visually checked what I could. Looked for loose wires too. The gauges flicking on make me think it’s a main fuse. Just guessing.
andrewclaus
Posts: 482
Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2017 6:38 pm
Location: Golden, CO

Re: 2003 vibe electric issues

Post by andrewclaus »

A blown fuse should not cause the meter behavior. The meters are getting a voltage surge on start-up. That's a normal check for some cars. Do the meters work normally when driving? If the car is drivable, the important fuses are okay.

Not all fuse failures are visible. They should be electrically tested.

Also check the battery voltage when cold and when being charged by the alternator. How old is the battery?
Last edited by andrewclaus on Thu Mar 23, 2023 2:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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joatmon
Posts: 10018
Joined: Fri Mar 21, 2003 5:19 am
Location: SMC MD

Re: 2003 vibe electric issues

Post by joatmon »

Back when I was learning how to tweak Vibe odometers, sometimes when putting it back in the car, the tach and speedo would do a full scale sweep, as if it was doing a calibration.

The interior lights and fob receiver could be either the dome or door fuses, both get power all the time (no relays/ignition switch) The radio gets power from the CIG fuse, after being switched by the ignition switch.

Hard to find a single thing that would cause all of the issues but still let the car start and run normally
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SSizler
Posts: 144
Joined: Tue Jan 21, 2020 7:06 pm
Location: Urbandale, Iowa

Re: 2003 vibe electric issues

Post by SSizler »

If the car has rust you should check for a bad ground.
Ground problems cause these types of symptoms.
2003 Vibe Base / Frosty Mono / Moon & Tunes / Auto / 206k mi / Total Loss 1-23
2006 Vibe AWD / Lava Mono / Loaded w/Leather and Sport Pkg / 150k mi
Many other 2 & 4 wheel toys :mrgreen:
40 years with a wonderful woman / 2 adult kids
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