All,

Somehow I got some electrical gremlins in my 98 Ply GV after installing the new serp belt & tensioner. One shouldn't have anything to do with the other but.....here's my issue.

SKIP THE NEXT 2 PARAGRAPHS IF YOU DON' WANT TO READ MY RAMBLINGS
Wifey went to put fuel in my van and calls me from the gas station cause the van won't start and it's making clicking noises. So, I load up the kids in our '05 T&C to find out what going on. It's like the battery is almost dead, very dim lights inside and try to start and nothing...then this annoying clicking noise starts and continues with the key out of the ignition, so I pull the neg battery cable. I put it back on the van starts right up as if nothing happens...fast forward 6minutes to our house.

I determine the clicking noise is the relay that feeds the interior illuminatin going bad. No big deal I'll get take care of it sometime......it seems to be fine now after pulling and reseating it. The battery seems to be good 12.3 w/ no load engine off & 13.7 while the engine is running.


READ HERE FOR THE PROBLEM
Back on track....now in the console where the Rear Wiper, Int. Rear Wiper, Rear Wash, Defrost, Re-Circ & A/C buttons are the yellowish/orange light that tells you that function is "on", all of them (except the defrost) blink on & off. They still work, but won't quit blinking. I pulled the bezel and checked the wiring coming into with a volt meter thining maybe the wire that feed that would be going from 12v to 0v, but didn't find any reading like that.

So does any one know what wire feeds that light, how it works or have a FSM that someone could share that part. My Chiltons isn't that detailed. I was going to take apart the bezel, but I don't have a torx bit that small (anyone know what size it is..must be like a t-5). I was thinking I could just unplug the light (it's probably an led though) so I don't have to see those blicking indicator lights. For now my ultra-super cool mod to deal w/ the problem is black electrical tape over it!

Any ideas, help, suggestions are appreciated. [/align]

 

If yours was like mine, you had to pull the alternator to replace the tensioner. I had some freaky electrical probs going on BEFORE I replaced the tensioner, and pulling the alternator showed me why. Did you check the hot wire to the alternator? Mine had some corrosion INSIDE the insulation, and on the contact. I stripped that part out and rigged it all back together and voila, no more electrical probs. Now, what I've done is by no means a permanent fix, I know I'm going to have to run new wire and have a new harness (you can see my post, can't remember the title, but you should find it under my profile, all the crazy junk I went through with my alternator and tensioner, it's really quite funny) but that's gonna have to wait until I can afford a new alternator, I'll just do it all at once. But, for now, all the electrical gremlins have been banished to gremlin world, or maybe they just came to your house I'd definitely check that!

 

wow... ok .. here goes.. when you pulled the batt cable.. it had bad connection.. simple.. the clicking is the relay for the always on circuit of the van.. i.e. lights.. locks etc.. relay clicked cause there wasnt enough power to run it and keep it in tune.. reseating the batt cable fixed that issue.. now.. the blinking lights.. you need to recalibrate that head unit.. do a search on here on how to do that.. its simple.. but i forgot how.. and im too sick to look it up for ya... as far as the batt goes.. just make sure the posts and cables are clean.. and tight..a nd you should have no issues