VY VERY WEIRD wiring issue please help ASAP

[esca_ByDesign]

ok well if you dont want to read my massive stroy im about to explain, the jist of it is that when i turn my car on with the headlights off, my dash and headunit (stock) lights come on. when i turn my headlights on, those lights go off and gear shifter, heater controls etc stay off.

well here is what happened,

a couple of weeks ago i stalled a new amp and was playing around with it, showing off to my bro my new LED foglights blah blah blah, well i went to drive off and i turned my lights on, and nothing happened, then i put my foot on the break and all the interior lights came on, then foot off break, they all went off!. checked around wiring in boot and all was sweet, thought it might be the vz tail light looms i recently installed so checked them, started car again then same thing happend, i was late for work so i left to go to work, 2 streeets away from home they flicked for a bit and then worked normal. ever since then its been fine

today i got into my car and was trying to wire up a spare LED strip i had to a spliced 12V from ciggy lighter light, was turning headlights on and off to test polarity etc of led strip. all was good at this stage.
then wired in a switch to turn it off if i want, then tried to test it after i soldered it, and nothing, interior lights didnt work, turned headlight switch off, and cluster and headunit lights came on, but shifter and heat controls stay off, then headlights back on again, and all the lights are off.

ok so i checked fuses, cut off the switch i put in and disconected everything from that splice, still not coming on when headlight switch on but cluster and headunit coming on when headlight switch is off.

go for a drive and pump break, floor it, flick headlights on/off etc, still no change.

disconnect battery for about 10 minutes, still no change

i can still hear the relay flicking when i turn the headlight switch on, but nothing happens, only cluster and headunit turn off.

when i disconnect the headlight switch, everything is off which is what it should be, but as soon as i connect it again, in the off position, cluster and headunit only come on.


so my question is....WTF IS GOING ON!!! its so annoying because ive never heard of anything like this happening.

i should also mention i have the equivalent of the "phreddy" dash mod done by my mate dan humble who many people on this site have had done and no problems. he has been playing with vy/vz's for about 4 years and i called him and he didnt know, said he has never heard of anything like this before.

if you need more info or want me to try ANYTHING i am willing, i want this shit fixed because obviously its dangerous to drive at night.

thanks in advance

jason

[DevilDRake]

Didn't wire them up backwards did you XD?

[esca_ByDesign]

wire what up backwards? the led strip? even if i did or the amp was backwards a fuse would have blown yeah? or all of it would work not half of it?

im really stressed about this...

[DevilDRake]

I'm not too sure as i'm not with electrics, but it's a fairly weird problem.

[db_notso]

sounds like a bad earth
is the fault permanently there now?
can you make it stuff up now?
if so get it so its playing up (headlight switch on but inoperative lights)
unplug fuses on your aftermarket stuff like amp fuse radio off unplug lights
one by one until the fault goes away
if it goes away at one point this is the electrical circuit at fault
if it doesnt go away check your battery earth and power terminals are secure and fully contacting battery posts
if still inop
use multimeter too see if you have 12volts across battery (engine stopped)
14 (orso) volts across battery (when engine running)
then repost if you get to this stage.

normally if you fit an amp yourself no1 mistake is either bad earth position (e.g onto painted surface etc) or poor attachment of power supply cable to battery!~!

let us know how you go...

[GenReaper]

I would try to borrow a body control module and see if that fixes the problem, sounds dicky to me.
Oh and if you do this i believe you will need to code the key to it with Tech2.

[esca_ByDesign]

it might be bad earth but how come it worked for so long fine?
i have anouther amp professionally installed and it has ground the same way, drilled with tech screw into chassis in boot, im noyt sure if the washers i used werecoated with anything just haf spare ones, mabe that'? ill go out and try that soon

wish me luck

[esca_ByDesign]

ok no luck, tried to disconnect fuses, didnt work, even took power for both amps off battery and still lights were on so we can eliminate sound system, it must have been a coincidence.

the only other 2 things it could be is a faulty headlight switch, somewhere when dan swapped over LED's, they shorted some how, (a bit unlikely but possible)

or the other one (my worst nightmare) ive connected something somewhere the wrong way and a wire has melted onto anouther somewhere and its shorting out something and causeing only half of lights to come on in reverse to what they are supposed to and the other half off all together, you can see why i would hate it if its this as it will take me or a auto elec many many hours to find.

anyone have any other ideas? i can try my mates headlight switch to see if its that, or if ive ####ed the BCM somehow, does anyone know how much they are to replace *starts crying*

i hope it is something simpler than that.

cheers for advice, keep it coming

[esca_ByDesign]

ok left it over night and still nothing, im begining to think its the BCM as it might have got confused somehow,

would only holden know how to check if BCM module is stuffed or can an auto elec do it too? no one else have any other ideas? im desperate

[db_notso]

ok not sound sytem
did you disconnect your extra lights too?
did you check the batterie terminals?

if above ok
i need year of build (on vin plate)
and basic info

so i can look at the correct wiring diagrams to help you out next !~ (i have an account with wiringdiagrams .com )

[esca_ByDesign]

ok not sound sytem
did you disconnect your extra lights too?
did you check the batterie terminals?

if above ok
i need year of build (on vin plate)
and basic info

so i can look at the correct wiring diagrams to help you out next !~ (i have an account with wiringdiagrams .com )

yeah mate as soon as i noticed it i cut the switch and wires to extra led strip, battery terminals look ok,

its a 2003 vy series 1, i know it was built around august im pretty sure, i can get the vin as well if you need (raining outside, rather not haha)

there are a few things i can think of that maybe you could help?

- faulty headlight switch
- somehow the 2 spliced wires have touched and a weird voltage was seen by the BCM and it has stuffed up somehow
- a relay has shorted and is working in reverse for half, and not at all with other half (dont think it will be too likely)

thanks heaps mate, it was very dangerous driving home tonight in dark

[db_notso]

just having squiz at wirign diagram now...
brb with wehre next to check

[db_notso]

just having squiz at a neighbours car now and the diagram now...
brb with wehre next to check fot headlights switch (from gregs man's)

Back my first guess would be to check earth x157 (name unimportant)
this is near your battery at the rhf gaurd juts in front of your fuse box under bonnet (duh)
this is a connector with many wires that goes to a ten mm bolt on the chassis

to check it see if the ten mm bolt is tight and the connector is plugged all the way in. and that you havent got any other wiring connected under the bolt.
so just connector bit it plugs into and the bolt should be there nothing else...

[db_notso]

if this isnt it i need a clear description of what lights are working front and rear in these headlamp switch positions
off
parkers
low beam
high beam
fogs ( if u got em)

then we can figure out which circuit to concentrate on

and i know how to check the switch but you will need a multimeter and patience...

[MAHOOVKV8]

Have you checked you have the correct globes in your brake light sockets or sockets could be broken, cause the wrong globe can short the connections in the socket and when you put your foot on the brake the parkers and all associated with that come on eg. dash lights. Just thought this easy to check.

[esca_ByDesign]

alright im not sure which earth it is mate, but if it was off wouldnt all of it not work? i can check in morning when its light.

with tail lights, i swapped the whole VZ SS looms i got, all globes work fine, didnt check if they are right wattage etc, just plugged them in cause he told me they worked and they did.

ok will exact fault

headlights off:
- all cluster lights on
- all hjeadunit lights on
- elec window switch on
- headlight switch on
- everything else off

headlights on:
- elec windows on
- headlight switch on
- everything else off

indicators work fine when using them and also locking/unlocking.

booked into auto elecs monday but im 90% sure they will charge me a full days labour to do nothing (wont find anything)

ill look for that earth connector in the morning mate, thanks heaps for the help

[esca_ByDesign]

Have you checked you have the correct globes in your brake light sockets or sockets could be broken, cause the wrong globe can short the connections in the socket and when you put your foot on the brake the parkers and all associated with that come on eg. dash lights. Just thought this easy to check.

just tripple checked and plugged in old vy exec tail light looms and didnt change anything this is starting to get really annoying, i really thought that might be it.

[delcowizzid]

you wired to your ciggirette light wire maybe go over everything and unwire it all even the headunit power wires take it all back to stock and start again

[esca_ByDesign]

ok ive worked out how to change something,

when my headlights are on, usually nothing happens, but i used the dimmer switch that dimms down the dash, and when it got to the lowest point, the dash and headunit turned on, then when you turn it back up, everything goes off again (except lcd's obviously)

but the lcd doesnt go up/down gradually like it should, it stays bright until it switches quickly to the dullest setting and then the rest of the dash comes on, so im thinking its headlight switch, or the BCM doesnt know what to do when the voltage drops (dimms)

:|

[delcowizzid]

you have everything wired to the dash lighting unconnect it

[esca_ByDesign]

you have everything wired to the dash lighting unconnect it

un connect my dash? what would that help,

all the stock wiring is still stock, the only wiring that isnt stock is the 1 fog light wire coming into headlight switch and the spliced interior illumination light (the 12V wire that i wired the switch to then cut it off.

im not sure what you mean mate