I just purchased a low mileage (48,000) 1999 SLS knowing it had electrical problems. The dash has been to Specmo twice and to a couple of mechanics. The dash goes blank intermittantly along with the radio, some interior lights, etc. After driving it about 300 miles it doesn't appear that this problem has anyaffect on the performance of the vehicle. It really goesdown the road nice. It was a 1 owner lease turn in to our local dealer. One curious item is that during the Certified Used inspection process the dealer disovered an error in the transmission. They sent it out to a local shop to have a realay orsomething replaced in the trans and the electrical problem surfaced sometime after that.I realize there may not be a short answer and that there is probably a connection problem somewhere. However, I was looking to see if there was a common thread to this problem or at least some idea if it can be narrowed down to a few specific areas. Thanks.

 

tyjusti, I too just purchased a 99 sts with 48000 mi in jan 07..... It too had electric problem simular to yours....... After 2 dealers and asking around, I found the car is grounded to death...... lots of electric grounds..... If they are not 100% you'll have various readings and situations.... I found under the rear seat, where the battery is there is another ground that looks like it comes out of the trunk..... Its behind the driver, and bolted into the floor board..... Get that bolt out, and wire brush the hell out of it, and the hole it goes in......Once thats done replace it and coat it with something to keep moisture away...... I dont know if that will fix yours, but it worked for mine..... Good Luck.... let me know rdraggz@yahoo.com

 

First off check all of your connections. Battery and Ground. Check to make sure all power connections are tight at the fuse box. there is a ground on the alternator....that will crack of work its way loose that depending on how bad it can cause problem such as your. check to make sure the grond from the alternator is tight on the frame . it is located under the fuse box on the passenger side under the hood.

 

I have this particular model.
-Cluster goes dark when car is started and stays that way until i restart it. It does this occasionally. It can go on working for days.
-High voltage light comes on..showing 17 volts. When i us something like power windows it goes back down to 14.4.
-Sometime cluster flickers on and off when car is shut off.
-i hear a lot of clicking in the fuse box under the back seat when car is shut off.
-sometimes certain command like doors dont unlock when i shift to park even though the cluster is programed to unlock them.
-symptons are getting worse.

I have swapped cluster from a 2000 sts and still have the same issues.

What should i do next? Please help with any ideas.

KJ.

 

with intermittent electrics, two things always come to mind ..
- trace all grounds, clean, di-electirc them, tighten.
- connectors - pull, clean and di-electric.
that above, as simple as that sounds, it is a fairly difficult job to complete.

read our thread on electrical ghosts .. a lot of good info there.

any codes?



.

 

There were a lot of codes. Thanks for the infor problem solved. Read below

 

Mystery of the cluster going dark on ignition and sometimes during driving solved and battery no longer dies. I swapped a RIM and the ECCM which are located behind the back seat on the lower right hand side. I went throught the trunk instead of taking out the seat. Easy peasy. When i changed the RIM my cluster still had issues but when i changed the ECCM...all has been well for a couple of days. Another important thing you must do is CLEAR ALL CODES IN THE CLUSTER. I did this when i changed the two modules. To be honest clearing the codes alone couldve of solved all my problems..but ill never know. So clear your codes first before changing modules.

Instructions....

DTC display; 1998-2004 Seville and 2000-2005 Deville
by JimD

Use the 3 switches located to the right of the Driver Information Center (DIC) to activate and respond to the OBD prompts on the DIC.

ON/OFF = YES

INFO RESET = NO
INFO DOWN or INFO UP = manual toggle


Ignition ON, acknowledge any warning messages; press ON/OFF and INFO UP together for 2 to 3 seconds. Everything in front of you lights up for 4 or 5 seconds, then you will see:

Display shows "ALL?"

Answering YES will display "ALL CODES?"
Answering YES will run automatic test sequence and display codes, if any. Systems and codes will scroll faster than I am able to read them and write them; not to worry.
"ALL CLEAR CODES?" will display at the end of the automatic test. If you are satisfied you have the information you need, answer YES to clear/erase all error codes.
Answering "ALL?" with INFO DOWN will toggle systems test manually in order.
Answering "ALL?" with INFO UP will toggle system test manually in reverse order.
Press INFO RESET to reset DIC to "ALL?" to start again.
Ignition OFF to exit.

 

thanks for the update


.

 

No problem stealth. My car has had no issues since. Battery strong and display cluster 100%. I mentioned the module in the back was ECCM but i believe its the CVRSS module.

 

Hey I have been reading some solutions for some of the problems I have been having. My cluster goes out when starting, have to restart to get it lit up again.
The 2 other problems I have is in the morning I will have a dead battery, so something is staying on while the car is off. The other one is my security system goes off and will not shut off with the key or the remote. I have to disconnect the battery, leave it off for a while and then it is ok again.
Any HELP would be great!!! Thank You.