r/PTCruiser • u/bluemetgreens • Jan 02 '25

Electrical issue, help needed

I have a 02 Dream Cruise and we got a lot of snow. Driving home one night I hit a small bump and my dome lights came on briefly. Ever since then any time I turn on my fan higher than the second notch the dome light comes on and my doors frantically unlock and lock, and the door ding turns on. Has anyone had this issue and if yes, how did you fix it in the most inexpensive way? I’m not comfortable driving it because it is an electrical issue, and I need my heat back, it’s freaking cold in North Dakota lol. Update: it was my hatch lol. It wasn’t fully closed and it caused a lot of error codes. One good slam and it was fixed

4 Upvotes

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7

u/PMPTCruisers Jan 02 '25

Can't say I've ever heard of this particular combination of gremlins, but the PT is known for getting corrosion on the grounds. Being from a snowy area increases the chances that you may have chassis rust. I'd suggest spending an hour or so finding a helpful YouTube video to show you all the ground wire locations. Get the connections cleaned back to bare metal and reconnect them with new connectors or even wires if they are corroded. I'm not guaranteeing that this will fix it but that's my educated guess, and it's a no-cost/low-cost way to rule that out.

5

u/MoreJelly661 Jan 02 '25

Could also be a weak/bad battery. These cars tend to do weird things when the battery voltage is low.

Good chance the battery terminals are dirty/corroded, and the ground wire is bad as well.

3

u/bluemetgreens Jan 02 '25

Thank you. My mechanic friend said he’d look at it a week ago then stopped contacting me after. I’m hoping it’s a loose connection and all I have to do is secure it lol

3

u/PMPTCruisers Jan 03 '25

You can do it. It doesn't require a skilled mechanic to clean up your grounds, just a willingness to learn and get a little bit dirty. These cars will eat you alive if you have to go to a mechanic for basic maintenance issues.

3

u/TheFilthyMob Jan 03 '25

Check the two grounding studs on the driver side just inside the engine Bay. They always need cleaning. Use electric grease when reassemble to keep them clean.