Electrical crap?

[Jakw]

Things that my car does:- Sometimes the doors lock by themselves.- Sometimes they lock when I use the fob, sometimes not.- The dome light stopped working for a while. Now it works.-The trunk won't open with the button on the door or the fob.- There's a check engine light and it feels like an injector isn't firing when I first start the car, but not always.- A/C blows when 4 fan blades are lit, not when 3 or less are lit.- Locks are sticky. Some lock but don't unlock. Is that the actuators or what?- Fancy clock will stop working somewhat randomly. It seems like maybe when the dash gets hot, but I dunno.Only the lock/unlock fob buttons work (sometimes), what are the other two?Where to start...

[timinfini]

Seems like you got on of the bad ons.

[GerryO]

Pretty normal for a 1993, but an easy fix (under the dash on the driver's side). Read-up on and pick-up a later model blue label door lock timer as a replacement.

And maybe replace the headlight relay (under the driver's side front fender) too, if you haven't already done so, or wait for mysterious headlight behaviors.

Usually the trunk won't stay closed once it's opened electrically, so maybe someone has disconnected the electronic latch (which can be fixed by removing a few teeth on one "end" of the bigger/driven gear).

My dome light once had a bad connection to ground. Removing a little paint in the right place fixed that.

Even a broken clock displays the correct time twice a day, and deserves a bit of attention after 15 years of service.

How many miles on your injectors and what brand/octane rating fuel do you use? Pull some stored codes. And you don't mentioned any sun roof and Bose radio/antenna related issues.


Modified by GerryO at 10:44 AM 8/29/2008

[Jakw]

Thanks for the help GerryO. My sunroof works, and I took care of the Bose already. The trunk worked when I got it, so I was thinking maybe the switch went bad or something, but I dunno, I'll have to actually check it out, I suppose.I don't know the mileage on the injectors. I replaced one of them a couple month ago, but that one was just out one day for good, none of this on-off business. I usually use 89 octane from BP, which is mid grade here. I figure if 89 is 'premium' in a lot of parts of the country, it's premium enough for WI, too.

[yodawill2000]

Hmm 93 is premium here , 89 is Mid.But that wouldn't cause the electrical gremlins you have.As usual GerryO is dead on about the lock Timer.Quite common.If the trunk Doesn't open with the FOB then I wouldn't be so sure the switch on the door is bad.

[gr8scott72]

Things that my car does:- Sometimes the doors lock by themselves.- Sometimes they lock when I use the fob, sometimes not.- The dome light stopped working for a while. Now it works.-The trunk won't open with the button on the door or the fob.- There's a check engine light and it feels like an injector isn't firing when I first start the car, but not always.- A/C blows when 4 fan blades are lit, not when 3 or less are lit.- Locks are sticky. Some lock but don't unlock. Is that the actuators or what?- Fancy clock will stop working somewhat randomly. It seems like maybe when the dash gets hot, but I dunno.Only the lock/unlock fob buttons work (sometimes), what are the other two?Where to start...

But you don't have the dimmer switch problem? Or the headlight relay problem?

[gr8scott72]

Even a broken clock displays the correct time twice a day, and deserves a bit of attention after 15 years of service.

Screw that. I'm to the point now that if it doesn't affect the drive in someway, I'm not touching it. (sunroof, clock)

[Jakw]

I have to tap the dimmer switch once in a while, and the headlights have been fine. The trunk doesn't open with the fob or the button on the door, so I suppose it would makes sense that it could be something other than the door switch.

[Jakw]

Well, I never even thought to check the glovebox switch for the trunk, since my key would open it. Turns out that's all it was. That's one problem down, I guess.