I just got a Stratus...and the seller forgot to mention that the car had electrical problems.

Anyways, I'm hoping you guys can help me chase down the problems:

#1 - the alternator isn't working properly. Apparently the seller was told by 2 car audio guys, that the reason this is happening is because the old headunit was taken out. Something about how the headunit controlled the alternator. How likely is that? The car has a pretty heavy audio/video setup...so that might be a reason.

#2 - the car has some cut wires in the engine bay...going to the fuse box. Is there a wiring diagram of what each of these does? Could they be causing problems?

#3 - The brake light comes on from time to time...it always comes on at the same time as the battery...so my guess is that it's related. Brakes themselves work fine..but sometimes the steering wheel vibrates at 70+ mph. My guess is the lack of power is affecting the abs sensors?

#4 - The fog lights are on all the time. Even when the car is shut off with no key. Pressing the fog light button does nothing. I'm guessing this might be affected by the cut wires...or could it be a bad relay?

Speaking of which, I need to turn them off. What # is the fuse for the fog lights?

Here is the photo of the area with the cut wires.

 

need more info ,year,engine, model sedan or coupe. the headunit does not control alternator controlled by pcm.its possible theres to much electronics in car for alternator to keep up. there should be a relay for fog lights in fuse box under hood ,should tell you on inside lid which one it is. doubt vibration is being caused by abs sensors,most likely tires out of balance or worn suspension part(s)

 

There is an old saying that goes like this:
One test is worth a thousand expert opinions.

It fits in this case:
1) Get the charging system tested. See if the alternator isn't putting out or isn't putting out enough. If it's the latter, pull the fuse for the Audio / Video set up and drive it until you can afford the repair. Sometimes auto parts places (autozone, pep boys, advance auto parts, etc...) will check your charging system for free.

2) Cut wires certainly do cause electrical problems. The thing is to figure out what they went to. If they are wires from the factory harness then you can look at a wiring diagram to figure out what they are for. Be sure to write down each color wire on a sheet of paper, then write down what it is for when you find it on the wiring diagram. Sometimes your local library has or can get the diagnostic manual(s) for your car. That can save a bunch of cash...

3) When you say brake light, most people typically think of the brake lights on the back of the car. I'm guessing that you really mean the light on the dashboard. When you say that the brake light comes on at the same time as the battery, it gets confusing since the battery should always be on. I'm guessing that you really mean that the brake light on the dashboard lights up at the same time as the 'battery' (charging system) light on the dash. I'm thinking it is likely due to the charging system problem.

Please try and be clearer in what you ask, so that we can give accurate information. The vibration is likely caused by wheel balance and has NOTHING to do with the ABS. You should be able to turn the key on, without starting the engine, and see the dash lights come on. The ABS light is a different light than the brake light.

BTW: Sensors are inputs. If you know that, you'll know that 'lack of power' to an abs sensor couldn't cause an output like a vibration (remember: sensors are inputs not outputs).

4) I don't think that the fog lights are supposed to get power with the key off (but I could be wrong). Like BillS said, we need more information to be able to look things up. You can pull the relay like BillS suggested but if I'm right it won't help unless it isn't wired correctly. If whoever butchered your wiring played with the factory harness, there is no telling what he did (other than to simply say 'he f*cked things up'). I'm guessing that someone tried taking a feed from something and ended up back-feeding something else. Completely impossible to diagnose from afar. The easy fix is to say "unplug your fog lights". You likely don't need them and that will temporarily get rid of them staying on.

I'm amazed that you bought a car that the fog lamps wouldn't turn off, had cut up harnesses under the hood, and so many other easy to see defects. Simply put: the seller didn't 'forget' to mention them, he purposely omitted facts. Unfortunately, you failed to ask key questions BEFORE giving him the money. I usually suggest people have a garage check out a car BEFORE they buy it. Usually a good shop will only charge 1/2 or 1 hours labor which is a small price to pay considering what they might save you. Of course, whatever they find they'll give you an estimate on how much to fix it. That gives you leverage to knock down the price or tell the owner to get those items fixed first. I hope you got the car for a GREAT price. It has problems that are not likely to be cheap to fix.

That picture of the cut wires isn't very good. You'll need to do some work on this yourself. Get a pen and paper and write down all the wire colors that are cut. Those wires that are in the 'blue loom' can be ignored at the moment. They aren't factory wiring and will only add confusion to an already difficult problem. See if you find two wires that have the same colors (indicating 'both halves' of a cut wire), if you do, tape them together and have someone do a proper repair (solder and shrink wrap). The more work you do now, the less money it will cost you. Write back with the list of wires you found cut.

Again, give more information about the car and be more clear in what you ask.

-Good Luck, Ken