Car Analogy

Resolved, I think. Further googling, fuse 6 under dash. Blown. Its alternator fuse. Don't have a 15A, will put a 20 in tbere and try and push start then get to store for correct fuse.

Original post:
Stuck in a parking lot. Dead battery, charging system not working.

Worked on dash last night. Converting to LED bulbs, etc. This AM on driveto work noticed some warning lights on. Figure must have blown a fuse. I'll make it to work, deal woth it after.

Lights were ABS, vtec, brake, cel.

During the LED install, cruise button light wasn't coming on. Tried to wiggle it a little to see if bulb would come on, and foolishly used metal screwdriver. Shorted bulb. Got a few small sparks and a puff of smoke. Afterwards everything else still worked. Figured I blew a fuse. Hence wasn't surprised to see dash lights.

Googling showed a fuse that controls cruise, horn, abs, etc. Figured it was that. Work got late so was going to worry about fuse when I got home. But car started loosing electrical powerso knew it wasn't charging. Now stranded. Can't find any blown fuses.

Troubleshooting ideas?

Car Analogy

So googling it seems the dash warning lights could all be due to low voltage. So eliminating that from troubleshooting equation. So something related to working under dash causing charging failure.

Tonygeez

I know your problem seems far more complex.. but just make sure your battery terminals are tight. I had a no stark issue and no charge issue that was untraceable and it was simply because a terminal was loose and there wasnt a good connection while the engine was running to recharge the battery appropriately. Everything showed good voltage too.. Just my two cents... probably wont fix your problem.. but definitely a possibility. Good luck!

Tonygeez

Also, I had a wrx when all my warning lights came on on the way to work... just as your describing! turns out I had a loose wheel speed sensor and it caused a hand full of lights to come on including airbag.. I'm not sure if our s2ks react the same. But thats also a possibility.


Edit.. I see your edit at the top of your post... please disregard my replies lmao

windhund116

In my experience, loose or poor intermittent battery terminal contact is the cause of problems, with a lot of different symptoms. It's the first thing to check (along with weak battery) when having random electrical issues. Check the terminals and grounding points, too. They often corroded or wear out and are incapable of making a solid, high current contact.

Good luck!

Car Analogy

I knew the issue had to be related to the work I did late into night the night before, which was limited to dash removal. So I knew it wasn't going to be a loose ground or battery terminal.

I assumed it was a fuse, but wrongly assumed it was a fuse related to both the cruise and the warning lights. The warning lights turned out to be a side effect of the low voltage that developed from driving with no charging.

Once I realized that, and limited troubleshooting to just charging and cruise, the issue revealed itself.

Its not easy to troubleshoot and make a repair alone in a dark parking lot with a dead battery and tools limited to swiss army knife and cell phone. I'm sure many on this forum could have also succeeded. Many in less time. The internet and brief moments of clear thinking were the key.

rpg51

Well done. Diagnosing engine problems is fun.