1G SAFC isn't getting power, but works on alternate pwr source

[mbyoung424]

So my car started with no issues this morning. A few hours later it won't start and my SAFC isn't powering on. What I did between it starting and not starting was drain a little power steering fluid since I overfilled it, added windshield washer fluid, replaced the rear windshield wiper, cleaned out the rear deck drains, washed the car, and put the center console back together after replacing the parking break cables. Nothing that should cause it to malfunction right?

When I first took the center console off there was a rag stuffed under there. I pulled it out to find a relay just sitting there. I hadn't driven the car since that time (it has started multiple times though) so it wasn't until today that I reattached the relay to the stock location. Once everything was back together the car wouldn't start. I noticed the SAFC display wasn't powering on so I pulled everything apart thinking I must've bumped loose a connector when reattaching the relay. Everything looked fine, but still no start or power to the SAFC.

Then I pulled loose all of the connectors, to include the ones to the ECU, inspected all of the wires that were soldered in from the SAFC harness, then reattached with no new results. Pulled the ECU out, opened it up, everything looks fine. All the normal ECU labels have white tape over them with a new barcode and it says remanufactured. I grabbed another ECU that came with the car, opened it up, turns out it has the EPROM and ECU Link in it, hooked that up and still nothing.

I pulled the SAFC connector and connected the red, black, and brown wires to a power source. SAFC powers on with no issue.

I'm heading back out to try checking the power coming into the ECU and see if I can figure anything else out. Any thoughts? All fuses also look fine. Also of note, I believe that relay that was loose is the fuel relay so I'll check that too even though it has nothing to do with powering the SAFC.

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[mbyoung424]

Not real important with regards to the SAFC not getting power, but the fuel relay works.

 

[mbyoung424]

Can't explain this other than I may have been robbed or something. I wasn't getting power to the ECU at all so I went through and double checked all of the fuses. Just like the first time I found no blown fuses. I did notice that the 20A MPI fuse was missing from the fuse box that connects right to the battery. I looked at my other car and that fuse was installed so just to cross it off the list I installed the fuse and my car started right up.

 

[tmoney20g]

So someone came and stole just your MPI fuse between the morning and afternoon ?

 

[mbyoung424]

I doubt it. For whatever reason I think the car was running without that fuse and then just quit. I can't explain it, but I don't think anyone would steal it or that I was ever away from the car long enough for that to happen. Just an all around odd occurrence.

 

[PieEyedPiper]

Has there been any alterations to the fuse box?

 

[mbyoung424]

There is one wire plugged into the main fuse box. I think it powers the radar detector that is hard wired into the car. Other than that there has been nothing electrically modified other than an aftermarket radio and the SAFC. Just seems very odd that the car has always started with no problems and then it just inexplicably stops working and that fuse is gone.