Whenever im driving the car and have my headlights on, if i flash my lights or turn on my headlights the car loses power for a split second. The radio turns off, flights flash inside and out, and for a second the engine loses power and stutters! I have an after market radio and a Viper alarm but theyve been on the car for over 2 years now and I even had the install techs who did it 2 years ago check and they found no reason why the car would act this way.

Has this happened to anyone else? They suggested it may be an ECU issue but I dont know how to check!

 

Wow... well that is going to be a tough one to find. Yikes...

 

I would find a local person you can swap ECU's with to test it for a few days... I would start there.

 

I wouldn't think the ecu would be the culprit as the lights aren't even wired to it. Perhaps you have a couple of wires rubbed together somewhere. I would try pulling the headlight relay 1 from the underhood fusebox and seeing if the problem still occurs (your left headlight/hi beam will not work during this test). If it does put it back in and try headlight relay 2 (now your right headlight/hi beam will not operate). If the problem goes away during either of these tests, you can start to narrow down the location of possible problem.

Maybe its a faulty igniter (it requires a lot of energy to ignite these bulbs, perhaps its drawing too much)

 

Wow...jumping to the ECU is a big leap.

First I would either disconnect the brain to the alarm/remote start since on either, both will be connected to ignition sources and headlights/running lights. Alarm brains can go bad and cause a lot of problems since they are connected to so much of the vehicles electrical system. You will also need to check to see if a "starter kill" relay has been installed and depending on the way it was installed you may need to remove the relay or the vehicle may not start after the alarm is removed.

If after checking the problem with the alarm removed you can move towards the ECU and trying to swap it out if the issue remains. You can most likely rule out the head unit as a source of the problem. It is only connected to fused constant and accessory and running lights (if the dimmer/illumination wiring was connected), not specifically the high beams or headlights. Also if it was the source of a short, it is fused separately to any other circuit and would blow the fuse.

 

Interesting. No idea what be going on but I will point out Darknight1999 has been around since the beginning of time. See the stars by his name? In regards to stereos and electrical issues he has forgotten more then most here will ever know. Might want to consider his suggestion.

Utah

 

Thanks Utah

The reason why I started there is its for all intentions its very easy to swap that out and give it a test. Takes about 10 minutes. But this could be a lot of different problems... He already had the installer check and review the aftermarket installed products. Assuming they did a good job on that those 2 items are off the table. Chasing electrical issues is not fun. I start with what is quick and easy to test.

I will say that with regards to the headlights.... you could be on to something there and that also a quick test he could do and its something that should also be looked at.

Your alternator could also be going bad, when that happens you put a LOT of strain/draw on the system and if the alternator can't keep up, your drawing off the battery to kick in the power required, however you do that to the battery enough and they will both start to fail at the same time, which would show up as a total power lose in the car. You would have to get a multimeter and hook it up so you can test the system while driving. Its best to have a second person to do this