My 1990 240 has been acting oddly.
Specifically I had an aftermarket stereo installed at Best Buy about 3
1/2 years ago. A couple of winters ago it started cutting out- the sound would stop, the display would go out and eventually it would come back on. It would lose the radio presets and the clock would not keep good time. It seemed to be random. It would happen if the car was parked, sometimes would happen if I turned right, sometimes happened if I hit a bump.I haven't had time to take the car back to Best Buy to have them check it out, but have assumed it's a problem with the wiring, specifically the power supply. (I know what you're thinking- "two years you've put up with that? You slacker!" True.)
Three days ago I noticed an intermittent "light out" indicator on the dash. I traced this to the right rear taillight. Wiggling the socket rendered the light operative and I noticed as I got back in the car that the stereo had cut out and was just coming back on. "Huh" thought I. Well, ever since then the stereo has been performing perfectly. The clock keeps time, it doesn't cut out.
My question is: WTF? How does an intermittent connection in the taillight affect the stereo? Does this indicate bigger problems?
Thanks in advance to people who actually understand car wiring and elecctricity... I am not one of them.