Last week I started having what seemed the early stages of the ignition switch going bad but, changing the ignition switch on my T/A did not fix the problem. It seems to be something security related. As now, when I connect the battery back up I can hear what sounds like two relays clicking a couple times a second one near the front drivers side of the car and the other near the glove box and the security LED in the dash flickers. Then if I open a door no lights or anything come on but the LED flashes quickly and you can hear the relays more clearly. There is no response from sticking the key in the ignition and turning it. I checked the resistor in the pellet and its dead on with one of the values they can have.

I scoured the forums and the internet a couple days ago and couldn't find anyone else having this problem. Just the normal VATS/Passkey "Security" on the instrument cluster problems.

Any ideas?

 

I just messed with it some more. All of the fuses are ok. The battery (which looks pretty new) is reading ~12.5V when everything is off, all doors are closed, etc... When I open the door you can hear (one?) of the relays in the glove box turning on and off a couple times a second and the LED on the top of the dash turns on and off in time with it and the interior lights flicker to the same beat. After about 15-20 seconds it will settle out and quit clicking and the LED will blink at its normal rate and the interior lights will come on and the chime will sound if you have the key in the ignition. Then if you turn the key one click nothing happens and if you turn it to ON everything goes dead. The voltage at the battery is fine, the voltage at the fuse box in the engine drops to about 3 volts. If I turn the key to start I can hear the starter clicking but nothing else. Then when I turn the key to Off the relay goes crazy again and the LED flickers again and the voltage at the fuse box in the engine goes to 6 or 7 volts until it settles out again.

Did one or both of the security relays in the glove box go bad or could it be something else?

 

bump

haven't messed with this any more since I've been running a fever.

 

Here is a video of what it is doing since no one has replied in the week this has been posted. I can't find where the TDR is in the car and its not in my Haynes manual.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHitEp2Bt0c

 

for posterity...

turned out to be a very dead battery. I don't know what cause the problem in the first place. Maybe the ignition switch was indeed bad, but evidently the battery got discharged in me dis/connecting the neg terminal to work on the switch. The alternator seems to be working properly (pulled the positive battery cable after the car was started, tried turning all the accessories on and off and watch the voltage).

 

Miek,

Only 2 things that can click under there ~ Body Control Module (BCM) or the BCM relay ~ sounds like BCM to me ~ chances you have a short somewhere ~ enter your BCM diagnostics & see what codes you are getting ~ I'm chasing a similar problem now w/ my 00 SS...

 

I know that is an old school trick, but it's not a good thing to do to a modern alternator. It can cause one to fry.

 

What kind of voltage are you getting from the alternator? Even under a load you should not have a voltage drop below 13v. Normal output with no load should be somewhere around 14v.

 

My Bonneville would do the same thing. Turned out to be loose battery connections.