Retained Accessory Power switch
 

I have been attempting to located the Retained Accessory Power switch, or relay or ?? on my son's 1997 Buick Regal GS. When he turns off the car and opens the door the radio doe not shut off and its running down his battery. It doesn't seam to be in the door that he can find. Anyone know where its at?

Two things to check. First, see if opening the front passenger door shuts off RAP. If it does, the problem is likely the switch or wiring in the driver's door that signals the door is open to the body control module. Second, see if RAP shuts off when it times out, which is either 10 or 20 minutes (I am not sure which for this car, but I think it is 10).


With the engine off, key out of the ignition and both front doors open, if RAP is not shutting off try pulling (and replacing) relays until it does shut off. Looking through the owner's manual for your son's car I am having difficulty determining which relay is the correct one, but you should be able to find it by trial and error. Don't forget you have relays in two locations, the fuse block at the passenger end of the instrument panel (visible when opening the front passenger door), and the underhood fuse box.

I found this for a 97 Regal:


RAP (retained accessory power) relay is mounted in the passenger compartment on the passengers side of the dash just above the trim panel underneath the dash. there are several relays in a bracket there. the relay your looking for has 4 wires and their colors are ORANGE, BLACK, BLUE, and RED.

Check the passenger front door before messing with the relay.