Intermittent Electrical Problem - Accessory Relay?

[JhnRX7]

Lately I have been experiencing some intermittent electrical issues. Occasionally when I go to start the car I notice that the tach (analog not digital) does not work. When this happens I also do not have power to my power windows, turn signals, and oil pressure gauge. There may be other components not getting power, but these are ones I remembered to check last time it happened. I also checked headlights, tail lights, and power door locks and these all function as they should. Also note that the engine runs as it should so ignition and fuel pump are good.

 

I have checked all the fuses and fuseable link and they all look good so I am thinking the problem lies with a relay somewhere. The wiring diagrams in the FSM are not the greatest, but I am thinking the issue may be the accessory relay by the glovebox. I will try and pull the relay and take it to an auto parts store to see if they have a replacement. Any other possibilities?

[roger.svoboda]

when you say your fuses look good - what does that mean? only way to really check a fuse is with a vom. I've seen them with broken conductor that look good but don't work. another failure point is the fuse block itself. be sure nothing is broken that holds the fuse. another possibility is loose/broken wire. take your fsm pdf to a kinko's or the like and have them blow up the schematic pages to 11x17. makes it a lot easier to read. you can easily check the relay with a vom and put 12 v to the coil. most relays have a wire diagram on the cover.

[wagon jon]

Check the ignition switch. It passes 12 current to all the aforementioned gauges.