Well, tonight I started all over. Made a new board and everything. Bench test, it works perfectly. Install it, it doesnt. Here is a few things I did that I didnt try before.
On initial starting of the car, it is producing 14.4V. The relay is oscillating and holding right at about 7.2V which is the relay's minimum operational voltage. So I start to think that maybe this comparator circuit isnt liking this higher voltage. So I make a voltage divider to drop the incoming voltage to about 11V. Well, the relay quits chattering now, but the comparator doesnt seem to make the transition with the 5V trigger voltage.
I have tried different resistors, and I tried the base to emmitter 1K resistor in both configurations, and still doesnt work. What I mean is I tried these combinations with the dropped down voltage and the normal 14.4 voltage.
So I am giving up............ BUT.......I have one thought and here it is..........
When I bench test this, I cannot leave the "input" open. I have to supply it 2.0V. Now, when I want to "trigger" it with the new "input" of 5.0v, I cannot just apply a 5.0v voltage to what is going in there now at 2.0V. I have to actually remove the 2.0V signal, and "then" apply the 5.0v signal. Which of course it works.
So now, where I am coming from, is when it is in my car it has a 2.0v signal "inputing"..So my idea of simulating the 5.0v signal was to apply a 4.5V (3 ea 1.5V batteries) V signal to the current car's 2.0v signal. Maybe when I am applying this test 4.5v signal, on top of the 2.0v signal, I am not really getting a true 4.5V signal to the comparator. Like paraleling the voltages and no really getting the comparator its real 4.5V to trigger it?? Maybe I really need to go out on the road and let the signal change to 5.0v to really see if this is the problem>