2002 Hyundai Elantra some questions

EDLEENYC

MEMBER
2002 HYUNDAI ELANTRA
4 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
35,000 MILES

Newly bought used car.
when I bought it two bulbs were blown out. The front right (not headlight but side light) and the back right bulb.

Test drive all good. Car looks clean but signs of previous mouse infestation. Mouse poop in certain areas of car, in trunk and inside engine area. Actually though all connections in engine look good. Had it checked out on a lift by a mechanic. He said it looked fine. But he said the car smelled bad and that I should have it detailed.

The car interior was washed.

The car is supposed to shut off all headlights when turned off. For two days the car ran fine.
But when I went out today I saw that the car lights were on. (Not the headlights but the previously blown bulbs. Being the right side front side light and the rear right side light) Also all interior lights were lit. The car started fine, and I had an hour appointment, so I left and came back.

When I got back I had thought about the problem and guessed that possibly the circuit board inside the dash had gotten wet due to prolonged exposure to moisture. (The inside of the car was building up condensation on the inside windows pretty heavily on the days following the detailing.)

I was going to run the motor to recharge the battery and run the fan to get air blowing through the car to dry out the circuit board which I supposed was wet. I couldn't start the car though.

So I popped the hood to disconnect the battery to keep it from fully discharging. I checked the fuse box and. No blown fuses. I was unable to disconnnect the battery because I didn't have the right tools for the job.

I plan on jumpstarting the car tomorrow and attempting to run the fan to dry off any internal components, but I really don't know what I'm doing. Any suggestions?

2 Replies

EDLEENYC

MEMBER
3 POSTS

Just an update.

I got the car jumped and drove it around for like 3 hours. I ran the fan threading air through the defrosters to the foot heaters from min to max speeds. I did this to try to dry off the components inside as well as to try and get rid of dust.

I heard a lot of "stuff" rattling inside. I'm guessing it is mouse poop, dust and crap?
The rattling quickly died away as the "stuff" got blown into a corner I guess. Some stuff came out of the fans, but not a lot.

I checked the fuses. All good.
Someone at auto zone suggested a fuse relay but they couldn't test it.

All electricians are busy and can't get service til monday cuz of upcoming winter storm

throughout the drive I stopped and started the car twice. The lights stayed on (dash, front right side and back right light)

When I went to park the car to go to work I was all ready to unhook the battery so I could rehook it up on Monday and take it to the dealer.

Guess what. The lights turned off!

Wt?

I didn't turn the car back on cuz I had to go to work. I'm just hoping that everything will work out.
I will keep ya'll updated.

I think that the circuit board is probably filthy and needs to be cleaned off. There may be a short, but it doesn't seem to be critical as the car starts good and it doesn't generate a warning light. Gonna keep my fingers crossed on this one.