Warning Lights 1992 300D
 

So my car was fine about 3 days ago. One night I drive it home and it's fine, the next morning I start it and wa-la! all the warning lights have now turned on! (see pic) I figured it was some sort of mistake because half the lights were really dim, and others I knew the problem they were reporting didn't really exist (like the BRAKE light. . . the brake wasn't on).
I drove it around a bit with the lights on. 2 days ago when I was driving all the lights turned off and went back to normal. Then later that day (on a different trip) they all came back on again. Yesterday the car did not start because of lack of battery power.

Sooo, sounds like the alternator right? But would that cause all these lights to come on on the dash as well? I put a battery charger on the battery overnight and this morning she started right up, but with the warning lights on.

Any other possibilities?

Thanks

Ignition switch.

Or alternator... either isn't hard to test.

-J

hmm, and what would the proper way to test each be?

To test the alternator: hook a meter up to the battery. Start the car. Does it go to ~13 volts? If so the alternator is working.

-J

ok, so I tested the voltage. It seems to be just like you said, around 13. but wouldn't there be voltage coming from the battery even with the car off?

How do I check the ignition switch?

I would think the voltage with the car running should be around 14 or a bit above. Check the voltage before starting the car and then after. It should be higher.

Ok, so maybe I don't know how to use the multimeter correctly, but I put it on direct current voltage first setting 20 then on 200. I got over 21-22v with the car off and just under 20 with it on.
I also took it to O'riley just for them to check the battery and stuff w/o taking the alternator off. They said that the battery is about 50% full and it's not getting charged well enough, so it's slowly draining.

That said, we still don't know if its the alternator or the ignition switch right?

Where is the ignition switch and what do I do with it to see if it's working?

My other option is take the alternator off and run it back down to O'Riley.

anyone?

If you measured 20 volts with the engine off you need to get a better meter.

-J

I am not sure what is causing the problem. I have seen it before with my SDL but it is a different issue.

I plugged in another car battery to charge thru the cigarette lighter outlet and when I switched off the car, I found all the warning lights came on similar to yours. I am not sure I had the exact light pattern. I removed the battery and all is well. That leads me to believe that you have a 12v feeding the lights even with the ignition in the off position. I would NOT think it is the alternator and more incline to think it is the ignition switch not killing the 12V to the lights. I would start from there.

Open the fuse box and see which fuse feeds the ignition switch or the dash. Remove that and see whether the lights go off. Or unplug the ignition switch and check.

Good luck.

so where exactly is the ignition switch located?

Ignition is where you put in the key to start the car. It is an assembly fitted behind your ignition. Something similar to this. You can buy new or go to the junk yard and get some practice and pull an used one. It may not be the root cause but it is worth a try.

Auto Parts Warehouse - Auto Parts and Accessories Catalog

so i need to go in from this direction to get to that switch? PeachPartsWiki: Ignition Lock Cylinder Replacement

No. That is to change the key lock like you door. The assembly is behind it. I have never done one myself. I think you need to remove the panel below the steering column and you should see it. You will get a better idea when you see it. Other members please chime in.

Always remove the negative battery terminal when you do electrical work just in case you short something with sparks flying.