10/01/2026
2008 SATURN OUTLOOK"Electrical Gremlins"
Sometimes the diagnostics aren't straight forward. This vehicle certainly took me for a loop. Had all kinds of intermittent electrical issues. No wipers, no auto rear hatch, multiple codes for no communication from BCM, vehicle stays running after shutting engine off.
What I found after several hours: Drainage tubes from the sunroof plugged, backing water up, then dripping inside the dash onto the BCM (body control module) and shorting out signals. Replaced BCM, reprogrammed and everything worked, except the car would still stay running and not shut off... Deep dive on the internet, (reading another mechanics notes) says check the passenger side as well for water intrusion. Customer confirmed that indeed the passenger side floor board was covered in an 2 inches deep of water previously. (Wish I had that info sooner😊). What do I find behind the glove box, but a interior fuse box, with what looks like dried mud on top. Remove fuse box and VOILÀ! Water damage, and multiple corroded terminals. Tried clearing drainage, and wasn't successful with compressed air. Other option was to remove dash to access blockage at firewall. Lots of labor, customer declined.
Recommendation: Sealing sunroof permanently, cleaning corrosion to best of my abilities. Apply di-electric grease to all affected terminals, dry out fuse box, and reinstall. Everything working as intended now! If problem returns, will have to replace fuse box entirely. I've left out multiple other things, to make this story somewhat short. There was a lot more believe it or not (faulty aftermarket alarm system etc.) Customers happy, and I'm very relieved to say the least😊
