Weirdest thing my car has done so far

[saridout]

i've noticed a strange phenomenon since starting to drive my 280 regularly over the last few weeks. it only seems to happen when i'm in my parking garage, although it did happen once in my driveway. when i'm pulling away from a stop and going under 5 mph, and start pushing on the accelerator, occasionally it makes the horn beep.

i have no idea where to even start with this. it did not do this before i took it to my body shop. they removed the horns to paint the front end, and they said they did a little wiring work on the headlights, but i don't think they've touched any other part of the electrical system. thoughts?

on an unrelated note, my gas gauge drops and rises in association with how much voltage i'm getting. normal or problem?

[Gary in NJ]

Problem on both issues. Sounds like an intermittent short in the harness. Track it down before it causes real damage.

[FastWoman]

Better fix that before you provoke a road rage incident!

I agree with Gary. Check where sections of harness pass through holes in sheet metal. You might be missing some rubber bushings somewhere, and the sheet metal could be cutting into the wiring.

If there's a short to ground anywhere between your horn button and your horn relay, your horn will sound. So you might check that pathway.

I know it's a PITA, but you might consider unwrapping suspect sections of your wiring harness to inspect the integrity of the wiring. Especially unwrap anything that looks previously unwrapped and any sections with bulges, and unwrap whatever work the body shop did. Your problem has got to be in there somewhere. When you're done, break out a roll of electrical tape, and wrap it back up.

I've read other people commenting about the fuel gauge fluctuation. My car doesn't do it, but I suppose it happens sometimes.

Edited December 5, 2010 by FastWoman

[saridout]

thanks a lot for the suggestions y'all.

i got the flu right after i posted this thread, so i haven't had a chance to search for the problem. before i dig in, i thought i should mention: i drove it again today and i heard the relay click when the horn beeped. does this narrow it down at all? this question probably shows how much i know about electrical :/

[EScanlon]

The horn relay (at least on the 240) is INSIDE the passenger compartment.

Check the wiring harness going down the steering column as it approaches the foot pedals. If the wiring for the steering column (and therefore the horn) is getting pushed and possibly grounded by the accelerator pedal, that's where it would probably be making contact.

As far as the gas gauge fluctuating, you might check the ground for the rear end of the car. It's located INSIDE the Hatch area, and may have been painted when they painted your car. (Looks great by the way. Glad the work was finished satisfactorily.)

HTH

E

[saridout]

thanks for the advice and compliment E. i finally get a day off tomorrow so i can look at both areas. i'll let you know what i find.