AAX86

For the past couple months my car's been having a retarded amount of electrical issues. It's starting to **** me off cause i can't figure out what's wrong.

My gauges (excluding tach and speedo), hatch and gas door release buttons, and windshield wipers are all screwing up on me. They only work when i first start the engine. When i turn the ignition on, none of them work. When i start the engine, all gauges and wipers and buttons start working fine. Then when i start driving, everything stops working again. Water temp, gas, and oil pressure all go to 0 and stay there. Wipers won't even click, and hatch release stops working. I have to turn the engine off, then on again for everything to start working again. Then once i start driving at all, they all stop working again. If i sit at idle everything works fine. They only stop working once i start moving.

My stereo, A/C, gauge lights, clock, warning lights, blinkers, etc everything else still work just fine. Just the stuff i listed above aren't working right.

What's going on? I checked the grounds on the back of the block and the one on the driver's side firewall. What should i try?

BabyGT

Did you do any work to the car at all prior to this starting? ANY work, even if it wasn't electric?

AAX86

Well, not immediately before but i recently changed my head gaskets, fixed my brake light, and had a problem with my headlights not working unless i used my brights. I ended up just keeping my brights on all the time and changing the high beam lenses to low beams and so i wouldn't blind other people. Lazy solution, i know, but i'm so sick of dealing with a new problem every week with this car. That headlight problem could be related. i don't know.

Why though?

mattdel

Ignition switch

AAX86

But the engine still starts with the key. Wouldn't it not even start if the ignition switch was bad? ...actually now that i think about it, it's been cranking real slow sometimes lately... sometimes it cranks like normal, but real slow most of the time. Maybe the ignition switch is going bad

petrock

I agree it is probably the ignition switch, or the wiring to it in the steering column. A lot of components are ‘allowed’ to get power based on the position of the ignition switch. However, also have the battery checked. A bad ignition switch would not cause a slow crank problem. A low or bad battery would. Check the voltage on it. It should be between 12.4 & 12.8 with the car off. If not, charge it and then try again. It would also be a good idea to take it to your local auto parts store and have them load test the battery & test the alternator. If either is bad strange electrical problems often happen.

Good luck...

mongolchuck

I was having similar issues on my 85 a few years ago. Some stuff would only work if the key was held in a certain spot. I changed the switch and all worked fine
The old one actually fell apart when I took of the column cover. Just to be clear we're talking about the switch itself not the lock cylinder.

ruskiegunlover

Please keep us informed on this as to what fixes it.....Sounds annoying as hell to me.

AAX86

I haven't been able to pick up a new ignition switch yet. Been messing with a bike i got about a week ago. I'll update when i get the new switch in.

mjr46

you do realize they are refering to the electrical portion on top of the column and not the key/lock and tumblar................