electrical chaos!

[captbill]

I have a 97 Eddie Bauer V6 SOHC and have an electrical issue. The turn signals/hazards work perfectly until I turn on the parking and/or headlights. When either of those are turned on, the turn signals and hazards stop working,the instrument panel lights go out and the fog lights stop working(but do work when the hi-beams are on!). Sometimes if I smack the dash down next to the glove box, all work fine, but thats no way to go. I have removed the MF switch, thoroughly cleaned it and re-applied dielectric grease, and reattached but that didnt solve the problem. The big yellow relay has begun to buzz so I wonder if that could be the issue? All of the fuses and bulbs are fine. Any other items I might check? Head light switch it self? Seems odd that the instrument panel lights are related. HELP!!!!

 

[albi1cnobi1]

It sounds like you could have ground problem. Probably in the parking light circuit from your description.

 

[budwich]

probably a broken headlight switch.

 

[boominXplorer]

Headlight switch, inst panel dimmer and multifunction switches are all common issues. Its the internals of the multifunction switch go bad. In my old ranger when I hit speed bumps some times the wipers would come on for a few seconds due to a bad multifunction switch.

 

[captbill]

Thank you everyone for your input. The flasher relay turned out not to be the problem because I just bought a new one from a local dealer($27) and it is buzzing just like the old one. I have removed the lower dash pieces at the knee level and boy are there a bunch of wires! Do you think its a common ground wire issue or a switch ground? Someone has been in there before because there are a lot of wire connectors and black tape. The previous owner had a remote start installed. Im wondering if one of those splices could be the culprit? Thanks again!

 

[captbill]

electrical chaos solved!

Thanks again everyone. The problem turned out to be several loose wires. I ended up taking it back to my mechanic since it had to be inspected anyway. It still cost me 156 bucks but was well worth it for the frustration it has caused me over the last 6 months. At least I can take back the flasher relay minus the 10% restocking fee! :-( Odd they charge $3 to walk back and set it on a shelf? It also fixed the check engine light! Thanks again everyone!