I have a 2001 six speed coupe. Several weeks ago the DIC began to display the odometer reading every time the car was started. To remove it requires cycling through one of the DIC select buttons until the display goes blank. Nothing major here, just a nuisance.

Recently I had a situation where the car would not start. Everything was totally dead electrically. I cycled the ignition switch off and then attempted a re-start. The engine started normally, however the steering column was completely locked up. I shut down and re-started the engine and the steering column unlocked and returned to normal function. The situation has not recurred.

After being undriven for five days I discovered the battery to be completely discharged. Obviously something is causing a drain. I recharged the battery but the cars electrical system is totally inoperative, not a hint of electrical activity anywhere in the system. It's as if there is no battery connected.

Two other electrical anomolies of note. The driver's side door lock will not work remotely or when using the switch on the armrest. The door lock sounds normal when activated using the remote or the switch, and the electrical functions are working normally (i.e. theft alarm) but the lock itself does not function. At first this was an intermittent problem but now it is acting consistently.

The last electrical issue I need to mention is that of the headlight doors. On several occasions I had the headlights fail to extend when selected. The lights would be on but the doors remained retracted. It took several times cycling the lights off and on to get the lights to extend. This happened two or three times but hasn't recurred since.

The car is currently dead in the garage. Any thoughts as to what's going on here would be greatly appreciated.

 

I think a new battery would fix everything except the door lock and possibly the headlight door. A search of headlight door repair and door lock inop will help you fix those if they return after a battery change. There are also many threads on how to check for battery drain if you have a known good battery. Most of the symptoms you have are indicative of a weak battery.

 

You will have to start with a fully charged battery then test for electrical drains. Get it charged up, pull the codes and go from there. How old is the battery? They don't last forever and there are bad ones too even though new or newer.

 

Thanks for the good info. I went to pull the battery for testing and as I was disconnecting the negative terminal the electrical system came alive. Apparently the contact wasn't the best and it was slowly loosing contact. There is no corrosion on the terminal post and the battery is good. I repositioned and tightened the connector and that seems to have solved the problem.

I will research the door lock and headlight problems on the forum. I'm a newbie here so I'm just getting my feet on the ground.

 

Pull your codes now and post them. Pay attention to the "H" or "C"s with each code. Once you have them all written down, clear each of them, then see if anything comes back.

 

Will do, great idea!