Dash lights flicking on and off with a ding

More than likely they just left a connector loose either on the cluster itself or on the junction block that they replaced.

I don't think they had the cluster out for these parts so I would think they have an issue with what they replaced.

I suspect we will have some codes so we should check for these.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/checking-a-service-engine-soon-or-check-engine-light-on-or-flashing

However, what I would do is take it back and show them what it does. They should just run back over what they did and make sure there are no issues. More than likely, they did not drive it after they replaced the parts.

There are two junction blocks on this vehicle. I attached pictures of both, but I suspect they replaced the second one which is actually called a PDC.

So, you can grab the harnesses and see if the cluster will act up when you are wiggling them and if it does then that is the issue.

Let me know what questions you have.

Thanks

Kenny K,

They knew it was flashing and said they could no longer help us.

We went to start it this evening and the battery was completely drained again.

It is a brand new battery we just bought for it on Friday.

Would a lose connection drain the battery?

Also, it is the first pic what they replaced.

Okay. I understand a little better. Sorry you are in this position. That is never fun to have this on a new to your vehicle.

Based only on this info, I suspect what is happening since the battery is drained is, you have a draw on the battery and when it gets low all these dash issues happen due to the low voltage on the battery.

So, if we fix the drain on the battery then I suspect this dash issue will stop as well. Clearly, we will need to find this out as I could be wrong.

So, we need to start doing what is called a parasitic draw test.

If you are confident with a meter, we can walk through this. However, if you are not, then we need to call around a couple of other shops and ask if they know how to do this test.

Basically, we need to hook the meter in series with the negative battery cable so that we can see how many amps are being drawn when the key is off.

Then we need to remove fuses until the draw goes away. Then we know what system the draw is coming from, and we can narrow it down and find the part that is causing the battery to drain.

Here is a guide that talks about the most common causes of this:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/car-battery-dead-overnight

Let me know what questions you have about this, and we can go from there.

Thanks

Kenny, thank you so much for your help. My husband said he is confident to try to check it out. Which he will do tomorrow after work.

We have two questions.

One. We do this with the ignition turned over but not started correct.

Two (hubby speaking.) Will a clamp-on amp meter suffice in this test?

Thanks

If you have a clamp on meter, then we need to monitor the amps of the negative battery cable. So, if you have this, then you leave the cable hooked up. Then you leave the key off and make sure all the lights and accessories are off as well.

You will need to gain access to the interior fuses so leave the door open but flip the latch so that the vehicle thinks the door is closed.

Basically, we want the vehicle completely off so that we can start to figure out what is not going to sleep like it should.

Basically, when the vehicle is completely asleep and nothing is remaining on, you should have about 35 milliamps or less.

Let me know how he makes out and we can take the next steps. Thanks

Hi Kenny, Sorry for the late reply. My hubby had to charge the battery to do the test you suggested, plus with having to work he just had an opportunity to do the test now.

I will attach a video of the reading he got for the meter reading. Sorry for it being upside down. Not sure how that happened.

The highest reading my husband saw was 0.41amps. Is that normal when the car is in sleep mode or is that too high?

Thanks,

Alissa

Sorry about it being upside down.

Yes. That is great. That is too high as it should be no more than .030 amps.

So, we need to start removing fuses until this does not happen.

However, I want to be sure how he set it up because the fact that it was bouncing around shows that it either wasn't hooked up correctly or something is turning on and off.

So, we needed to unhook the negative cable, connect one lead to the cable/battery terminal and the other end connected to the battery post.

See the diagram below.

If you used an amp clamp on the negative cable, then we are good.

If this is the case, then we need to disconnect the hood lamp and remove the fuses until this stops and drops below .035 amps. Then we know what circuit the issue is on.

Okay, we will do that now and write back with info ASAP.

He used a clamp on meter, but he will put his leads on to see if he gets a solid reading.

Perfect. Great idea. Thanks for the update. We will wait to hear back.

Thanks

Hi, the meter sat at 3.0 with the lead reading. My husband pulled all the fuses from the inside motor block, and nothing changed. He also checked all the ones in the new box they put in and nothing changed in reading.

My husband did want me to mention that the stereo is not working where it was working prior to all of this. He pulled the stereo out and pulled the fuse and it stopped the dinging and the lights on the dash.

Then he noticed there is a little component there that he unplugged and when he puts the radio fuse back in the dinging is still stopped. But if he puts them both in at the same time the dinging starts up again. So, he thinks it's that component? Please see attached photo.



Also, off topic: We discovered that there was water on the junction box again inside the car. The same one we just replaced.... The issue though was due to the junction box being wet for a long period of time that it became corroded.

So, we know it's not the reason for what it's doing now as we had that replaced. But still an issue that water is getting in somehow and we don't know how. Any ideas?

Okay. We are getting close.

First if the meter was reading 3 amps, I suspect that was with the doors open and all the dome lights on?

When we are doing this test, we need to flip the door latch so that the control module thinks that the door is closed, and the lights all remain off.

However, the device that you found is so that you can use the steering wheel controls and other radio options with a different radio than the OEM one. Do you have an aftermarket radio in the vehicle?

If unplugging this module gets all these issues to stop then that is the issue, and it is a failed part. I am not sure they will replace it for you under warranty, but I suspect that would need to be replaced. It is responsible for keeping all the factory options with different radios. I attached some detail about it below.

So, if this is what stops the lights and dinging then I think you found it.

As for the water in the fuse box, that may not be causing this issue but that will be an issue again in the future. You have a water leak that is allowing water into it and that should be fixed. More than likely that is with the windshield, but we can get a new post started to help fix that if needed.

Hi Kenny, Thank you for all your help so far. It is greatly appreciated.

My husband said he's sure we found the issue and that being the interface switch.

We are now currently looking for a replacement.

We will take your advice and start a new thread to get help on the mystery leak that is causing the junction box to get wet. Because we definitely don't want a repeat of history on this all.

Once again, thank you so much for your help and guidance, we will keep you updated when we find the replacement part.

Alissa

That is great info. Thanks so much for updating us and relaying the info back and forth so effectively.

We will keep an eye out for that other post, and I am sure we can figure out what is happening.

Thanks again.