chrisconstantin

Washed the car today. Kids got a bunch of water under the hood with the hose when I walked away for a minute. Went to drive the car and plugged my iPhone into the socket and the phone starts telling me the charger isn't compatible. Then, I notice that the clock has reset. Then I notice the interior lights are not working. I play with the switch above my head for a moment and notice that, when I pull it back towards me all the way, it turns the cig lighter off, the digital clock turns off. If I open the door, which would activate the overhead light, it turns the cig lighter and the clock off also. No matter what I do, the charger for the phone doesn't work for some reason but my little Garmin Navigation was charging. Also, used to be when the car was off the lighter plug was still hot, now it doesn't work when the car is off (key out of ignition).

Any ideas?

Black51

Check your fuses?

Bri Bro

Water in the relay/fuse box.

teamcrossworks

I second that.

CyCloNe!

I 3rd it... when i get water in mine it goes crazy... fuses blow a lot.. especially my sunroof for some reason lol

Bri Bro

Pour some >90% isopropyl alcohol in it, soak up the excess with a rag and then let it dry.

chrisconstantin

So the fusebox, just open it up and let it air out? Sounds about right. I opened it last night and it seemed dry. But I might not have seen all that was going on. Maybe I will hit it with a hair dryer or something. Really threw me for a loop. The interior light is blown too, that might be part of it. I'll keep you posted.

Bri Bro

You should also pull up/out the relays so that air can get under them. The alcohol will absorb water and evaporate much faster the the water by itself will. Hair dryers melt plastic, a fan is the best bet.

Baptizo

Interesting solution with the alcohol, good idea!

FRporscheman

Also you don't want to just hit the water with a blow drier or fan because it can cause corrosion on the terminals, which can eventually lead to big electrical problems. Use the alcohol or some electrical cleaner spray. Maybe put a towel on the floor mat to catch any dripping fluids. And keep dem kids away from the fusebox!

chrisconstantin

Well, you guys were spot on. I pulled the fuse box cover and let it air out over night. When I fired it up in the morning, it was good to go. Do you guys think I should still spray some sort of cleaner down there to prevent corrosion? Thanks for the help, made a big difference. It actually blew the fuse over night though, had to replace it. Now for the clutch $$$ :-(

Black51

I would, it can't hurt. If anything, it will help prevent corrosion. Any 20+ year old electrical stuff can always make good of a good shot of contact spray.