When braking the car loses electrical power

Tiny
FROZENOVA16
  • MEMBER
  • 2001 HYUNDAI ACCENT
  • 1.6L
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 118,349 MILES
Hey all. Almost two months back now, I got the car listed above (GL model) off Facebook Marketplace. Runs great, no immediate issues, and only had small fixes. I’ve fixed a few things, like the brake lights staying in and stuff, but I’ve started running into an issue. I’m not sure how long after I start driving, but I have noticed that when I start pushing down in the brakes to slow down before a turn, all of my power starts to drain. Everything starts to dim and chug along until I start accelerating again. I recently found a wire bypassing the cabin fuse box linking the stoplight switch to the engine fuse box. I cut it, thinking this would solve the issue, but I’m still draining power. Based off the appearance under my dash, it looks to me that the entire wiring system was rebuilt. I’m hoping to get a wiring diagram to try taking a look at what’s under my dash and see if something was done wrong. Any help is greatly appreciated!
Sunday, April 3rd, 2022 AT 1:27 PM

1 Reply

Tiny
KASEKENNY
  • MECHANIC
  • 18,907 POSTS
This is an odd issue on a more modern vehicle, but I suspect this is one of two things.

Either the battery is failing causing the voltage to be low. The alternator could be failing as well. So, let's check these two things first.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-a-car-alternator

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/car-battery-load-test

The other possible cause for this is a grounding issue. Basically, when you press the brakes and do not have a good clean ground then it can actually cause the other electrical components to dim or drain.

So, let's check the battery cables and make sure they are clean and tight.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/everything-goes-dead-when-engine-is-cranked

Let's run through all this and go from there.

Thanks
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Monday, April 4th, 2022 AT 6:00 PM

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