Hi all,
In NZ.
Have an '05 PT Cruiser that has haunted central locking.
90% of the time, if I unlock the either of the front doors, even just using the key, the tailgate/rear hatch unlocks, and turns the interior lights on, and if I don't notice, I can end up with a dead battery.
I get a warning on the dash, plus a ping every time I pull away from being stopped.
It will also do it randomly while I'm driving, and there appears to be no consistent reason for triggering this sort of event.
I removed the battery from the remote, in case it was sending signals to the car of it's own accord, but no change.
It's a chore, as I have to open and then close the hatch, and even then, I can start to walk away, and I hear a clunk, and it's unlatched itself again. Doesn't matter if the front doors have been locked again - it still does it whenever it gets the urge. It will often do this multiple times.
I was hoping to disconnect the electric actuating mechanism from the latch, and just go key-only, but no. It seems that Daimler-Chrysler, in their infinite wisdom, appear to have made this particular model variant with all-electric actuators, which is problematic - I dunno how you're supposed to get into it in the event of TOTAL battery failure.
Anothe thing I've noticed, too, is that I occasionly get an ABS warning light and a traction control light coming on, and while the car is still driveable, it would not pass a roadworthiness test with those warning lights on. Fortunately, it is legal until June 2022, but I kinda want to sell it, and I don't feel good about that with these issues going on. No Check Engine light, though.
I've been told that these vehicles can have issues with body earth points, but there are a heap of them, and I only have one functioning arm - surgery this Thursday! - and I can't currently use tools or bend at the moment. I have a factory service manual, but it doesn't seem to cover this freakish behaviour, either. There is a large amount of interior trim to remove to gain access the the interior of the rear hatch - like a lot.
The local Chrysler-Jeep workshop said they have NO idea what the issue might be, and given that they want $3K to replace the cambelt, I'm not keen to have them spending hours trying to diagnose the electricals. At least they were honest enough to say that they were clueless in this instance. The auto electrician around the corner won't touch it, and neither will the locksmiths - the sent me to the C-J workshop...
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated, apart from the obvious ones such as dropping a 16-ton weight on it, or finding a box of matches, etc.
Cheers, people.
In NZ.
Have an '05 PT Cruiser that has haunted central locking.
90% of the time, if I unlock the either of the front doors, even just using the key, the tailgate/rear hatch unlocks, and turns the interior lights on, and if I don't notice, I can end up with a dead battery.
I get a warning on the dash, plus a ping every time I pull away from being stopped.
It will also do it randomly while I'm driving, and there appears to be no consistent reason for triggering this sort of event.
I removed the battery from the remote, in case it was sending signals to the car of it's own accord, but no change.
It's a chore, as I have to open and then close the hatch, and even then, I can start to walk away, and I hear a clunk, and it's unlatched itself again. Doesn't matter if the front doors have been locked again - it still does it whenever it gets the urge. It will often do this multiple times.
I was hoping to disconnect the electric actuating mechanism from the latch, and just go key-only, but no. It seems that Daimler-Chrysler, in their infinite wisdom, appear to have made this particular model variant with all-electric actuators, which is problematic - I dunno how you're supposed to get into it in the event of TOTAL battery failure.
Anothe thing I've noticed, too, is that I occasionly get an ABS warning light and a traction control light coming on, and while the car is still driveable, it would not pass a roadworthiness test with those warning lights on. Fortunately, it is legal until June 2022, but I kinda want to sell it, and I don't feel good about that with these issues going on. No Check Engine light, though.
I've been told that these vehicles can have issues with body earth points, but there are a heap of them, and I only have one functioning arm - surgery this Thursday! - and I can't currently use tools or bend at the moment. I have a factory service manual, but it doesn't seem to cover this freakish behaviour, either. There is a large amount of interior trim to remove to gain access the the interior of the rear hatch - like a lot.
The local Chrysler-Jeep workshop said they have NO idea what the issue might be, and given that they want $3K to replace the cambelt, I'm not keen to have them spending hours trying to diagnose the electricals. At least they were honest enough to say that they were clueless in this instance. The auto electrician around the corner won't touch it, and neither will the locksmiths - the sent me to the C-J workshop...
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated, apart from the obvious ones such as dropping a 16-ton weight on it, or finding a box of matches, etc.
Cheers, people.
