My 2000 SE has become a giant electrical current!

[MommaDucki]

Will try to keep this on topic as best i can...

here's my first post with background info on how this all started..
http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... 37744.html

Now, if you didn't read to catch up...brief breakdown and onto "current" issue...

Several wires to PCM were shredded...better explanation in other post, but a mechanic friend of mine claimed he could do a proper fix to them, and spliced, twisted, soldered, and covered all broken, or partially broken wires with heat shrinking covers.

Did some testing of wires...connected, disconnected, engine in "ON" position...was getting excited because everything was testing in range...

Went down the road to grocery shop, and when I got back to car, it wouldn't start....dash lights all worked, could hear fuel pump kick in, but no click to the starter...Security light was also coming on...did the whole "on", wait 10 mins for it to go off trick, and nothing...wouldn't turn over.

Moving along...Went back to look at it this morning...repeat of last night, but this time, Security light did not stay lit after initial turning of key.

Was at a loss, so I disconnected the battery, went to lunch, came back about 30 minutes later, and reconnected battery.

Now, turning key to "ON" position: No Security light, tire pressure light on, check gauges light on, ABS light on, and still nothing from the starter.

Took battery in to be tested, came back @ 12.36V.
Put battery back in car, and everything above still accurate, and now, I'm getting shocked anywhere I touch the car.
Had to take a break from car for about 30 mins, and when I got back to work, back and front passenger window very very slow to close, and driver window won't go up at all. Dash lights barely flickering. Could faintly see the SES light trying to flicker on, and for some reason, the blue high beam light was on. headlights wouldn't work, no radio, no wipers. Both fuse boxes were clicking like crazy, and fuel pump was still engaging.

I started checking fuses and battery terminals...couldn't find any blown fuses, and no signs of corrosion anywhere around battery cables or connectors (I had of course checked battery connections earlier as well).

Had to pause again to pick up daughter and whatnot....went back with a friend to try to jump start the car...enough to at least get my windows closed...no luck!

It was dark at this point, and though I cleared everything out of the car, and have the glove box locked, to prevent trunk access, my car is sitting in a fairly empty, but well lit parking lot for the second night now...this time with the window down!

I'm beyond stumped at this point, and broke as well...would appreciate any input anyone has on this...for now, my only goal is to get it started so I can drive it the 1/2 mile down the road to my home! I can worry about it more then...I just don't want to have it towed, get a ticket, or have an impound on my hands (the car isn't even registered to me yet, as I needed to fix issues to get it to pass inspection!)

[MommaDucki]

on an added note: I'm all static now as well! Shocking most everything I touch! It's rather annoying

[Archon]

Did you check where the grounding strap from the battery connects to the floor pan under the seat? Try cleaning that up, as corrosion and rust there has been known to cause issues.

[MommaDucki]

the grounding strap and surrounding areas were a bit dirty...cleaned them up, pulled out the battery and cleaned under there as well...

the battery itself is testing ok....by ok, i mean, when i had it tested yesterday, it was staying between 12.2 and 12.8
today, i noticed it's down to 11.6, and that's checking it directly at the battery. when it's connected to the battery cables, and i test, it's only pulling 4v.

any clue what could be causing this?

with battery completely out of the car, i'm still pulling 4.2v on those wires? the battery has been disconnected for almost 24 hours. is this normal? for wires to still hold a charge like that?

also, my fuse box randomly starts making a subtle "hum" occasionally...this is also while the battery is disconnected, and out of the car...

i'm so beyond lost as to what's going on with this car!

[Archon]

Are you saying that when you connect the battery to the cables, the battery voltage drops to 4 volt? Are you getting a huge spark when connecting, if that is the case? That would indicate a serious current draw. The only thing that I can think of that would draw that can of current without blowing fuses and smoking wires is if the solenoid and starter are bound up. Even then, the cables and starter should get pretty warm. Try disconnecting the starter and see what happens.

[MommaDucki]

very small spark when i connect the battery. no wires smoking anywhere...have checked all fuses, and double, and triple checked, and none are blown. have checked relays, and i cannot get anything from any relay at all...testlight, and nothing, no vibration from any relay, no warmth, no buzz...yet if i connect the battery again, the whole fuse box will click, buzz, and/or hum...

I will try disconnecting the starter later today and see what happens.

[MommaDucki]

Today's adventure? Reconnected battery, just to see...small spark when connecting neg..nothing coming from the starter, still no lights or any other accessories...no fan kicking on...I hear a short "buzz" type sound that lasts less than a second coming from somewhere near the battery when i try to start the car and let it rest in the "ON" position.
There is now a steady "click" sound coming from the wiring behind the steering wheel now as well. It reminds me slightly of the "clink" you hear when hazards are on, and it actually only happens when the car is "OFF" and the key is removed from ignition.

I somehow managed to track someone down and towed my car the mile and a half down the road...so at least it's back at my home now, vs. a grocery store parking lot...

The downside? It was very rainy off and on all day, and thunderstorms are expected almost all weekend...with chance of high winds and severe hail...being in an apartment complex, I don't foresee working on the car much this weekend..has enough electrical issues going on without the need to add pouring rain under the hood!

Couldn't get to starter at all, as car was moved into a spot with a 2 inch puddle underneath...

at least I'm not in danger of my car being towed and impounded!

[MommaDucki]

Still looking into things on the car, BUT, I found out some rather disturbing news...

Apparently, my friend who repaired wires to the PCM did NOT disconnect the battery? I don't know why he would forget something as basic as that?

So, he spliced and soldered 5 wires, covered them with heat shinking covers, and did all this using a solder iron that was plugged into my cigarette lighter via and AC/DC adapter. I was not with him while he was doing this work...I had left to go pick up my daughter...He started and finished project quickly while I was gone, and I JUST found out this knowledge.

So, based on this new info, when I first tried to start car, no crank to starter...no click, nothing...and battery was charged back up, and tested, and is fine. Like I stated above, I can get anywhere from 11.8V-12.7V on battery itself, but once connected to battery cables, i cannot get higher than a 4V read. When reconnecting, there is a spark while connecting negative.

Using a DMM, touching anywhere on car, causes DMM to bounce all over the place like crazy, no matter what measurement I'm testing in...it's as if the whole car is electrified.

Again, when the battery is connected, key is turned to "ON", nothing happens...no lights flickering, no noises now, nothing from fuse boxes. Nothing is hot, or even warm from any wire I've checked. When I turn the key off and remove the key, a cranking kind of "bzzz" noise starts somewhere in the dash (left side of steering wheel) and it stays constant for about 5 minutes and then stops. Also, as soon as I turn the car to "Off", I will hear a click coming from the back, somewhere near the battery.

The PCM was at least disconnected from the ECM thank goodness!

Any suggestions on where to go from here?

About to go check starter now. Will check battery wires again for damage. At a loss...

[RJolly87]

I am guessing there may be a grounding issue?

[MommaDucki]

pulled starter...was dirty. cleaned it up, had it tested, starter was good.
got curious and took battery somewhere else to get tested again...3 dead cells...thankfully, it was still under warranty, so got it replaced....
now i'm just back to my original issue of a P1635 code....grrrr!!!!

[MommaDucki]

on a side note...i do have a brand new battery, with a new 3 year warranty on it...and i also have very nice, very clean grounds all around my car, as well as a cleaned up starter...

[94SilverSSEi]

Did you ever find out what the problem was? I'm having the same problems with mine.