Thanks in advance for the help. I have a 02 zr2 and just a couple days ago my problem started. I come out in the morning to leave and the truck started fine. However the radio didn't come on, no headlights, and no tach or speedo . There may be more that didn't work but this what I noticed. If I pull the multifunction switch lever to the rear all of it starts working again. I checked all fuses with a test light and it seems there is no power to the left fuses in the interior fb. Again, when I pull the lever to the rear, everything comes back on. Please help. I have tried a new switch and nothing.

 

Some sort of short in the wiring harness that powers something else when power is applied by the pulling the multi-function switch back? (By the multi-function switch, you mean the one on the left side of the steering column, right?)

Can you expand on "...it seems there is no power to the left fuses in the interior fb."?

Did you pull the fuses to check them visually or with an ohm-meter? Is there the expected voltage at the sockets for the fuse receptacles (with the fuses out of course) as measured by a volt-meter?

Is your battery at full charge?

I had a similar problem (at least superficially) that resulted in my instruments not working (except maybe for the battery gauge/voltmeter) that I traced to a blown fuse. (In the passenger compartment fuse panel.) The fuse is one of a couple that are associated with the radio. I replaced it and it blew again. My HVAC system also was disabled by the same blown fuse.

I took out the radio and disconnected it and the problem went away.

When I was messing with the radio at my work bench I heard some rattling so I opened it up and found two nickles that had been in there since at least 2009 (when I purchased the vehicle).

My best guess is that the nickles shorted out something in the radio that continued to short out the fuses even after I removed the nickles. I know this by having tested the radio after the nickles were removed and that a replacement radio did work. What was permanently disabled and continued to blow fuses even with the replacement radio connected was the cassette player on the transmission hump.

I had always suspected my Blazer had been a "grandmother rig." (It came to me with white-wall tires!) So I could easily imagine some young child "feeding" the radio by putting change into the CD slot. LOL

Good luck,

Christine

 

we have been thru every bit of what you described. no voltage to those fuses till the headlights are pulled. radio is out. I will post when I get this figured out. Its weird since it is a completely stock vehicle. I have a short video of it acting up, but cant seem to get it on here.

 

I am going to help you figure this out. Have you found any more clues/strange behavior while poking around?

George

 

Ignition switch has been known to cause some weird things.

 

*Moved to 'Lighting & Electrical' section.

 

other than no power to the radio, no headlights, no power to the aldl connector, and the gauges not working correctly. However when I pull the turn sig handle rearward everything lights up like it is supposed to including power to the left side fuses and aldl connector and this is with the headlight switch turned on only. Any way I can get a short video posted here? Or I could send it to a cell.

 

You can post the video on you tube and post a link here.

George

 

I agree with RichPhotos that I'd be checking the ignition switch and harness. It's a semi-common issue that they wear out, and they can present with some very weird symptoms. It's possible that you have a short in the ignition harness, that is moved just enough when you move the multi-function switch to allow function. Try taking the steering column cover off and physically wiggle the harness and switch to see if you can replicate the behaviour that way.

 

I can try to make a better one if this don't work good.