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2005 Buick Lacrosse Electrical Problems- Where do I go from here?


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JaggyPants
New User

Jun 8, 2022, 2:23 PM

Post #1 of 5 (513 views)
  post locked   2005 Buick Lacrosse Electrical Problems- Where do I go from here?  

Hi there! I have a 2005 Buick Lacrosse that has been exhibiting some crazy electrical issues. I'm on a tight budget so I'm doing my best to fix it myself and learn as I go, but I've hit a brick wall and don't know how to proceed. I'll lay out a timeline of what's gone wrong and what I've done to fix it:

-Windshield wipers start firing off on their own randomly. Wipers don't respond to normal settings anymore, except the highest one which still works for some reason. Can't turn them on or off otherwise, they just go off sometimes. I replace the wiper fuses, but this doesn't fix the problem. Planning to replace wiper motor but haven't gotten that far.

-Battery starts dying overnight due to parasitic drain. I replace the battery and a loose/worn ground strap. Problem is not fixed.

-Instrument cluster starts taking longer to turn on, then starts turning off and on intermittently during driving, then stops working altogether. It still seems to function and have power but acts like the ignition is off, and it's not recognizing that it needs to turn on.

-The HVAC blower stopped working. There's air coming out, and it's cold when AC is on, but I can't adjust the air flow to more than a trickle. I cleared some debris from the intake under the windshield but this didn't have an effect.

I've checked all the fuses for continuity when the car is off, and found that four fuses in the interior are drawing power: Cluster, OnStar, HVAC, and RDO/ACC. Replacing these fuses didn't seem to have any effect.

Now that I've identified that there's something going on in the wiring, and have a general idea of where it might be, I'm at a loss. I can't find a wiring diagram for this area of the vehicle, and even if I could I don't really know what I'm looking for. I just ordered a dashboard removal tool to get behind the cover and see if I can spot anything wrong with the harnesses or something like that, but I just don't know how else to proceed.

None of the mechanics in my area are comfortable with electric work like this, and I'm afraid the dealership will charge me more than I can afford and possibly not even fix the problem. I know I simply might not be qualified to do something like this, but I don't have much in the way of options. Any help or advice would be extremely appreciated. Thank you!


Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Tom Greenleaf profile image

Jun 8, 2022, 2:59 PM

Post #2 of 5 (497 views)
  post locked   Re: 2005 Buick Lacrosse Electrical Problems- Where do I go from here?  

Wow! That's a lot of failure bear with me trying to think of one common reason for all that misbehaving.
Not sure - wipers might the multifunction switch at steering column?
Take care of the parasitic drain if you can leave this on a trickle charger with auto shut off going low like that will ruin a good battery.


Do look for plain burned wiring showing color hopefully.


Truth is this could seriously use a highly qualified tech with it in person of course there goes the cost of the right tech too.
Another here may have some ideas to get you started on the hunt for what could cause all that??


Tom



Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

Jun 8, 2022, 3:10 PM

Post #3 of 5 (494 views)
  post locked   Re: 2005 Buick Lacrosse Electrical Problems- Where do I go from here?  

You're right. this is going to be above your pay grade.

All your problems except for one are operated by the Body Control Module and that would be my number one suspect although it does require some specialized diagnosis and equipment. If it's replaced it would likely need programming also.

The one symptom that is not related to the BCM is the blower problem. That also has it's own module. Again, this would require a bit of electrical know how. The one thing you can check yourself is the #30 fuse (batt main 4) 30A and make sure that is good.

I can give you wiring diagrams but they won't do you a bit of good because you won't understand anything.



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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



JaggyPants
New User

Jun 8, 2022, 4:21 PM

Post #4 of 5 (489 views)
  post locked   Re: 2005 Buick Lacrosse Electrical Problems- Where do I go from here?  

You're probably right that I wouldn't understand it, but I would appreciate if you could share that wiring diagram with me. Thanks for your advice.


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

Jun 8, 2022, 4:41 PM

Post #5 of 5 (486 views)
  post locked   Re: 2005 Buick Lacrosse Electrical Problems- Where do I go from here?  





~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.







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