No tail light, no radio button, no heater control light
03-02-2018, 07:32 PM
#1
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Thread Starter
Join Date: 03-02-2018
Location: Va
Posts: 28
No tail light, no radio button, no heater control light
Hey Guys, thanks for the add.
I have read alot of post and there is alot of great info, lol but none fixing my issue.
So I just got this 2008 HHR, marker lights front and rear are not working. Heater control lights and radio buttons not lighting up. I have checked the fuses and the relay. The are good. Now what is weird, if I ground the relay with a test light, everything works as normal. I have checked the bulbs, also the ground near the LF headlight, and the ground near the tail light. I have changed the multi function switch/turn switch and that didn't do anything either? So electrical is my weak point, I have done all I know to do. And yes, I also tried the push the fuse box together. PLEASE HELP, and thank you in advance.
I have read alot of post and there is alot of great info, lol but none fixing my issue.
So I just got this 2008 HHR, marker lights front and rear are not working. Heater control lights and radio buttons not lighting up. I have checked the fuses and the relay. The are good. Now what is weird, if I ground the relay with a test light, everything works as normal. I have checked the bulbs, also the ground near the LF headlight, and the ground near the tail light. I have changed the multi function switch/turn switch and that didn't do anything either? So electrical is my weak point, I have done all I know to do. And yes, I also tried the push the fuse box together. PLEASE HELP, and thank you in advance.
03-02-2018, 08:32 PM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: 04-07-2014
Location: San Diego
Posts: 505
Sounds to me like you found the issue. The ground on the relay is causing your problem.
A relay will have a pass through side where it takes power and basically breaks the connection and puts the relay in between to act like a switch. The other end of the relay will recieve a voltage and trigger the internal workings of the relay to complete the pass through circuit (in other words activate the switch).
Sounds like the pass though side is working so it’s the input side. You will need to fix the ground at the relay box.
Please see the image below for a better idea.
https://goo.gl/images/KHycvx
A relay will have a pass through side where it takes power and basically breaks the connection and puts the relay in between to act like a switch. The other end of the relay will recieve a voltage and trigger the internal workings of the relay to complete the pass through circuit (in other words activate the switch).
Sounds like the pass though side is working so it’s the input side. You will need to fix the ground at the relay box.
Please see the image below for a better idea.
https://goo.gl/images/KHycvx
03-02-2018, 08:46 PM
#3
New Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 03-02-2018
Location: Va
Posts: 28
Sounds to me like you found the issue. The ground on the relay is causing your problem.
A relay will have a pass through side where it takes power and basically breaks the connection and puts the relay in between to act like a switch. The other end of the relay will recieve a voltage and trigger the internal workings of the relay to complete the pass through circuit (in other words activate the switch).
Sounds like the pass though side is working so it’s the input side. You will need to fix the ground at the relay box.
Please see the image below for a better idea.
https://goo.gl/images/KHycvx
A relay will have a pass through side where it takes power and basically breaks the connection and puts the relay in between to act like a switch. The other end of the relay will recieve a voltage and trigger the internal workings of the relay to complete the pass through circuit (in other words activate the switch).
Sounds like the pass though side is working so it’s the input side. You will need to fix the ground at the relay box.
Please see the image below for a better idea.
https://goo.gl/images/KHycvx
lol a mechanic friend of mine did the test light trick. Like I said electrical is not my forte, so you were saying there is a ground wire on the bottom of the fuse box possibly ?
Last edited by hollywood23113; 03-02-2018 at 10:18 PM. Reason: spelling
03-02-2018, 09:08 PM
#4
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Join Date: 01-23-2009
Location: Fredericksburg,VA
Posts: 24,799
What is weird is that all 4 markers and all 4 parking lights are on the same fuse and relay. And fuse #28 on the BCM (inside fuse box) is for all of the lights on the waterfall.
All 4 lights have different grounds, different from the waterfall lights.
The control for the relay is a ground from the BCM.
I don't know what your "mecahbic friend end" was actually doing or what he thought he was testing for.
All 4 lights have different grounds, different from the waterfall lights.
The control for the relay is a ground from the BCM.
I don't know what your "mecahbic friend end" was actually doing or what he thought he was testing for.
03-02-2018, 10:17 PM
#5
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Thread Starter
Join Date: 03-02-2018
Location: Va
Posts: 28
He had a test light and was just checking fuses and things with the relay, when he touched one of the prongs on the relay the lights came on? So like I said I don't know alot about electrical, I don't know what he was checking. He said it could be the multi switch but that wasn't it. He also said that there could be a module that keeps the lights on for a little while after you turn the car off?
03-03-2018, 08:29 AM
#8
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Join Date: 01-23-2009
Location: Fredericksburg,VA
Posts: 24,799
The central part of the dashboard, where the radio is down to the shifter.
The RetainedAccessoryPower relay does not control the exterior lights, that is handled by the BCM.
There is no connection I can find between the marker lights and the radio/waterfall lights. Not even the same fuse box or ground.(correction; yes there is a connection)
If the marker lights are off the parking lights should be off, if not There are broken wires somewhere.
The RetainedAccessoryPower relay does not control the exterior lights, that is handled by the BCM.
There is no connection I can find between the marker lights and the radio/waterfall lights. Not even the same fuse box or ground.(correction; yes there is a connection)
If the marker lights are off the parking lights should be off, if not There are broken wires somewhere.
Last edited by donbrew; 03-18-2018 at 12:31 PM.
03-03-2018, 09:11 AM
#9
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Join Date: 04-07-2014
Location: San Diego
Posts: 505
Yes, but there has to be some connection between the two. Whether it is through software or wired connection because he is right...
When the side markers are on that means the car knows to activate the interior lighting in the waterfall, doors, and dash.
So if the BCM supplies the controlling ground to the relay and the mechanic was able to create his own ground to get everything to work then that is the problem.
Like you said, they may be completely separate, but maybe one has to work to trigger the other.
Hopefully all it is, is a unplugged connection like stated above. I know something similar happened when I left the emergency light or flasher switch unplugged on a different car when installing a radio as well. Check that!
When the side markers are on that means the car knows to activate the interior lighting in the waterfall, doors, and dash.
So if the BCM supplies the controlling ground to the relay and the mechanic was able to create his own ground to get everything to work then that is the problem.
Like you said, they may be completely separate, but maybe one has to work to trigger the other.
Hopefully all it is, is a unplugged connection like stated above. I know something similar happened when I left the emergency light or flasher switch unplugged on a different car when installing a radio as well. Check that!