so about a week ago i come out one morning to go to work, car won't start. the battery is about 5 years old, so i replace it, no problem. drive the car back to the parts store to return the core, have them check the battery/alternator, they tell me the alternator is bad. i get a second opinion, same result. so i replace the alternator.

everything is fine for a day or so. then, i go to start the car, and when i turn the key from acc to run, all the lights shut off: dash lights, dome light, etc. weird. try a few more times, same result. lights are on at the acc position, but go off when i turn one more click to run. i get car jumped, drive it back to the parts store, and get a guy to come out and test the battery, but the car won't start back up. same thing.

he gets a voltmeter and checks the battery, it's showing ~13v. i play around with the switch a few more times, and randomly on one try i click it to run and it lights up, so i start the car. he checks it, it's charging at ~15v or so. battery and alternator are good.

the car started fine this morning, i clicked back and forth from acc to run multiple times, no issues. went out at lunch to grab something to eat, it's dead again.

i'm thinking possibly a bad connection somewhere in the ignition switch, but i'm not an electrical mind.

any thoughts?


cliff's notes/ TL;DR:

battery and alternator are new and good, randomly get no power switching from "acc" position to "run" position

 

to add to the mystery: the headlights won't come on either, and when i click them on, the dome light dims.

 

hmm...also, when i press the hazard light button, i get a strang buzzing under the dash somewhere

 

Blown fuses?

 

Maybe a short somewhere??

 

sounds like my 240sx i had. push the hazard button and the tail lights came on...