Suddenly no power windows + radio won't go off
 

Very weird. Suddenly, when I went to stop my car, the radio did not turn off when the key was out. I figured it'd reset when I got back in, so I manually turned the radio off. When I restarted the car, the radio continued to work, but my windows would not go down. When I stopped the car, same thing; radio did not turn off like it normally does when the car is turned off.

Any ideas?

1991 300d, 94k

Bad contact in your ignition switch? Try playing with the key positions and see if that changes things. Your switch might not be turning off accessory power or doing something funky. Other than that it might be a wiring issue.

You should check the fuses too.

Interesting.... How could a fuse cause an "always on" condition?

Does key go back to the left?
 

Noting the key position, once the key is in the ignition, is it capable of turning to the left a notch, as opposed to turning it to the right to turn the car on? My key will not turn to the left from where you insert the key, only to the right.

Thanks,

Jeff
1991 300d, 94k

The fuses in the 300E keep blowing in that spot I'm not sure why but it could be that whoever installed the Sony Xplod head unit did it wrong what about you do you have an aftermarket head unit?

No Sony problems
 

No, I have a factory radio.

There are two "hot" circuits involved here. The 30 Circuit (12V at all times), and the 15 Circuit (12V with the key ON).

If the 30 Circuit fuse is blown, the radio will only work AFTER the key is turned on, and needs to be shut off manually after the key is switched off. This was the subject of an old service bulletin (approx. 1986). The following models were affected.

126 - Fuse #18
201 - Fuse #19
107 & 124 - Fuse #1

radio
 

i seem to remember that there is a little two pin plug in the fuse box or relay box that contains a diode to separate the power on things that can be used while key off[such as radio and power seats]this may be your problem.

Problems solved!!
 

Ok, got it solved. Here's what happened, strange as this fix sounds, here goes.....

The repair shop said a blown radio fuse (A1) will cause the radio to be always on, and perhaps cause the windows to not work, which is what was happening to me. My A1 fuse was in fact, blown.

I replaced the fuse, and everything worked fine for about 1/2 hour, until it started to do the same thing. I checked the fuse, the fuse was fine.

Went to the repair shop today, he looked at all my "fine" fuses. The metal on the fuses was all chalked up. He said they should be changed; the chalking is preventing a clean connection and it builds up resistance. When resistance is there, it causes heat buildup, which could cause some weird electrical problems, like the radio and power windows not working.

I immediately replaced all the fuses, and the problem went away. All is well now! :D