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Post by crocodileguy on Oct 14, 2019 23:06:52 GMT -6
Well, I might have inadvertently found the source of my electrical gremlins...
After going through the car wash, I noticed the carpet was slightly damp at the bottom of the driver's side door, just ahead of the B pillar. A few hours later, I noticed that not only is the carpet ALSO damp in a similar location along the front passenger's side, but the carpet was WET in the rear passenger area, even under the floormat.
My 2001 3.5 does NOT have a sunroof, so no clogged drain lines to worry about there; trunk also seems dry. What are the possible sources of leaks? From searching I've seen the following:
- Bad welds under the cowl (where would this be, exactly?)
- Door seals
- Interior door seals (what would these look like?)
- Missing/damaged door water deflectors (where/what would these look like?)
Any other sources? Also, pictures are always welcome, as I'm only semi-literate with automotive stuff.
BONUS: I understand there's a major electrical harness under the driver's seat that can cause a lot of things to go crazy with corrosion...is there also one under the front passenger's seat, too?
Thank you all so much in advance!
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tigger
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Post by tigger on Oct 16, 2019 22:23:10 GMT -6
The cowl is part of the body between the bottom edge of the windshield and rear edge of the hood. I've never seen this myself, but I have heard of windshield seals leaking at the cowl. Probably same/related.
One and the same I would assume. Unless "interior door seals" is referring to the window channel seal.
Anyway, the water deflector (aka water shield, moisture barrier, vapor barrier) is a sheet plastic barrier between the actual metal door and interior door panel.
I'd almost bet that's your problem.
If you don't have a sunroof and your trunk is dry, I think that's about all there is to check...
BONUS ANSWER:
The corrosion prone connector in the harness under the driver's seat is a serial data connection relevant only to the passenger door control modules (i.e. inoperative passenger windows and door locks). No such connector on the passenger's side.
GL, and let us know what you find.
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Paulaurora
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Post by Paulaurora on Oct 17, 2019 7:52:02 GMT -6
ye the door is for sure "is a sheet plastic barrier between the actual metal door and interior door panel" Drove me nuts till i figured it out.
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Post by crocodileguy on Oct 17, 2019 21:20:18 GMT -6
BONUS ANSWER: The corrosion prone connector in the harness under the driver's seat is a serial data connection relevant only to the passenger door control modules (i.e. inoperative passenger windows and door locks). No such connector on the passenger's side. So the windows and lock buttons seem to work, but I have had a weird thing where when I use the key on the passenger side lock cylinder (trying to load something in the rear seat when parking logistics make that side more accessible), sometimes it won't unlock the whole car (power locks) when I do the double-turn to unlock OR it will only work if I do the "turn and hold" for a longer period of time than on the driver's door lock cylinder. But locks have never failed to unlock, otherwise. Could this be an early sign, or just a symptom of that lock cylinder rarely being used until the past year or so? My remote is very intermittent to unlock, and I'm very lucky if it even unlocks just the driver's door within 7 attempts let alone registering the 2 activations for the other 3 doors (for safety reasons I won't change the personalization feature to unlock everything every time). Anyway, the water deflector (aka water shield, moisture barrier, vapor barrier) is a sheet plastic barrier between the actual metal door and interior door panel. I'd almost bet that's your problem. Hmmm...now this is intriguing. When you say "sheet plastic," are we talking like this or like this? I ask because over the past year I occasionally hear a sound like, say, loose asphalt getting kicked up onto the underbody, except it sounds like it's coming from the doors and/or pillars, and I'm not going over loose asphalt or any kind of debris that would make that sound. Could something be cracking/flexing/disconnecting due to age/vibration/etc., and might this be related? Sorry if my question is unclear, as I don't really know how else to describe this sound, which only happens occasionally, but when it does it does not seem to be logical, yet I've never experienced any negative effects as a result (to my knowledge, at least). Thanks, as always! |
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tigger
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Post by tigger on Oct 18, 2019 11:00:06 GMT -6
Could this be an early sign, or just a symptom of that lock cylinder rarely being used until the past year or so? I would guess the latter, but honestly, I have no idea, haha. I've rarely ever used the driver's side lock cylinder, much less the passenger's. It may interest you to know that most '02 and later GMs (including Auroras) don't even have a lock cylinder on that side... As for your remote, try replacing the keypad and battery. The contacts on the keypad wear down over time and who knows about the battery. You'll basically have a new remote without having to pay for new remote programming. When you say "sheet plastic," are we talking like this or like this? More of a thick version of the first. Here's a pic;  Regarding your sound/noise, I hate to give another non-answer, but I simply do not know. Unfortunately the only way to find out is to start taking things apart. GL |
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Post by crocodileguy on Oct 18, 2019 13:30:22 GMT -6
Thank you so much, again! Greatly appreciated! I'm ordering the replacement keypad right now...
EDIT: Actually, I just cleaned it! Took it apart and saw how filthy the contacts were, especially the unlock button's, and I cleaned it all up and it now works flawlessly! I HAD NO IDEA THE SOLUTION WAS SO SIMPLE AND THIS REMOTE HAS BEEN DRIVING ME NUTS FOR YEARS!
I was also so inspired by this that I went down and started pulling/cleaning fuses and relays; replaced a couple fuses that seemed like the contact prongs had a little play in them, and I also found that under the hood, many had quite a bit of corrosion on them! Didn't solve all of my problems, but so far she seems to be running a bit better. I did run out of contact cleaner, though, and need to get more to finish the job.
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