Hoping it’s a couple relays, but we’ve got a few issues. Bottom line: car starts great and runs fine. BUT … sometimes the digital clock and digital odometer/gear display on the dash of our 2003 Impala clicks and blinks on and off, sometimes staying off while driving. Air conditioner blows warm air, and the rear defogger hasn’t worked in years. Could these be related to a bigger electrical problem, or just a few fuses gone bad over the years. Last weekend, I took the car to Auto Zone to have the battery checked; it tested bad and we put in a new one.
It’s an electrical problem…likely, poor connections somewhere. You can’t fix it by changing fuses and relays. A more structured approach will have to be taken by an automotive electrician.
About the only thing YOU could do would be to: turn ignition switch on; reach under dash and wriggle wires and observe for any results of flashing lights, odometer display, gear selector indication. If anything observed, report such to electrician.
Maybe, someone else may have some more suggestions.
I agree. You have a lot of different issues here but they are electrically related. The Impala has a BCM (Body Control Module) which controls a myriad of electrical functions including the AC. You need a good mechanic because electrical problems (bad battery)(lack of proper voltage) can kill the vehicle computer (ECM) and the BCM as well. The mechanic will be your best bet.
Thanks all. Good news is … the air conditioner is fixed. Needed freon. Bad news … with the electrical, it’s the ol’ “can’t replicate the condition” excuse. After pulling wires and reconnecting connections and clearing codes, the dealer pronounced the car fixed. We go to pick it up last night and this time, there are no lights at all on the radio’s clock or digital dash. Well, except when you turn the car off. That’s when the clock on the radio decides to turn on. And the gear shift indicator/odometer lights for a few seconds after starting the car and then gently fades out. Didn’t even bother driving the car off the lot. This morning, according to them, the car was perfect when they started it, but “they’ll take another look.” Ugh. Oh yeah, and they pulled out our after-market remote starter and left it on the floor. I don’t trust those things either, but if pulling it didn’t fix the problem, should we have them reinstall it???
No way. Aftermarket starter companies go out of business way too often. They cause far more problems than you may realize. You are very smart not to trust them.
Okay, by way of update: we’ve got another appointment with the dealer tomorrow. We’ve still got clicking/flashing digital clock & odometer, air conditioner is not blowing cold again (despite my earlier post which declared it fixed). New observations: daytime running lights also blink when the dash & clock blink, gas gauge pegs at 3:00 position, which is a good inch beyond the full line. And if the clock & dash totally go black, they do come back when you pull on the manual headlight knob. Of course, we are plagued by the fact that this is all intermittent stuff. Yesterday morning, everything was fine. Yesterday afternoon, all symptoms presented themselves. Only thing that remains consistent: air conditioning isn’t cold (dealer did service in April). My gut says BCM …