Car totally freaked out today!

[LimitedE]

I was leaving work today and I got in my car, put the key in the ignition, and turned it to the accessory position. All of the sudden, all my dash lights started blinking and flashing like crazy(strobe light effect) and there was all kinds of buzzing and fast clicking comming from behind the dash.
It would only last for about four seconds then it would stop. But the car started and drove just fine.
I tried it a couple times when I got home and it was still doing this. Anyone have any ideas???

[Tyler]

dont drive above 50mph. and if you do..dont go below it..

[LimitedE]

LOL. As long as I get Sandra Bullock in the car with me, it's aaallllll goooood! :D

[Andy H]

my car did that only the engine wouldn't turn over cause my battery was about dead

[LimitedE]

The damn thing almost killed me today! I was on my way to work this morning and all of the sudden my ABS inop light came on. I got on the highway and was cruisin at about 65, but the speedo was bouncing all over the place! Soon as I got off on my exit the airbag light came on, and everytime I would tap the brakes, the speedo and tach would max out. I was really freakin out! I was cruisin at about 40, and had just entering the final turn before the road to my work when every light on the dash lite up and the car just died, killing my powersteering and brakes!!! I almost jumped the friggin curb!

I rolled to a stop and put it back in park, took the key out and started it up again. It ran perfectly fine for the final 300 yards to my work.
I'm fed up with the damn car!

[rockotman]

What you are describing with the speedo going nuts, the ABS light coming on, and then the engine dying when you hit the brakes are signs of a bad electrical connection or no electrical power (very low voltage to the control circuits). I would check for some wires runnig from the battery to the circuits that run the engine/dash/brake computer/etc... for a bad connection or fried insulation. From the way you describe it coming back, I would suspect a bad connection vice a bad battery or alternator.

I had a similar thing happen to me in my 96 olds cierra, and it was a power wire (about 2/0 gauge) running from the battery to the fuse box. I ended up having to splice out a section of wire that ran through the connector that was in-line and overheated by the bad connection in the connector.

This can also happen if you have a bad connection at or in your battery - the next time it happens, if you can, check the voltage. But since you indicate that the car would restart, I would inspect for a bad connection elsewhere before suspecting the battery. I only mention the battery/alternator because it is a possibility.

One other thing to check, because it could cause the voltage to intermittently drop and cause the problems that you are seeing is a rub-through in the insulation for one of you main power cables, like from the battery to the starter or from the battery to the alternator. These wires are not protected by any fuses, so when they short to ground, the just keep on shorting, and rubbed through insulation could cause intermittent shorts. Check all the heavy red wires under the hood for insulation damage, especially where they pass by any metal items that are connected to ground, or where they pass through any clamps that hold them to chassis parts.

[LimitedE]

Cool dude, thanks.

I noticed I had retained some condensation in my rear tailight this morning also, so I sealed it with silicone just in case.

[Only4U]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>The damn thing almost killed me today! I was on my way to work this morning and all of the sudden my ABS inop light came on. I got on the highway and was cruisin at about 65, but the speedo was bouncing all over the place! Soon as I got off on my exit the airbag light came on, and everytime I would tap the brakes, the speedo and tach would max out. I was really freakin out! I was cruisin at about 40, and had just entering the final turn before the road to my work when every light on the dash lite up and the car just died, killing my powersteering and brakes!!! I almost jumped the friggin curb! <hr></blockquote>

ROFL!!! it really isn't funny, but it is. i have a 97 too and now i'm scared. hope you figure it out man.

[Akuma]

Maybe it was aliens....

[raxxus]

LimitedE, I had the same thing with my car, it condensated enough that the right tail light bulb conectors were rusting out! So I sealed it around the edges and it seemed to do the trick.. .hmmm faulty 97 products? I also was following a newer camaro, and its right tail light was also dimmer then its left... odd.

[DragonFlames]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by LimitedE:
I was leaving work today and I got in my car, put the key in the ignition, and turned it to the accessory position. All of the sudden, all my dash lights started blinking and flashing like crazy(strobe light effect) and there was all kinds of buzzing and fast clicking comming from behind the dash.
It would only last for about four seconds then it would stop. But the car started and drove just fine.
I tried it a couple times when I got home and it was still doing this. Anyone have any ideas???<hr></blockquote>

Mine has been doing the same thing for like 2 weeks. Replaced battery and alternator and its doing the same thing still. Checked wires and everything seems fine...oh well.

[cb1101]

guys...lets face the facts...American cars suck when it comes to electrical. i've had countless problems with my window motors/blinkers/rear defroster/radio....i cant think of all the other crap that ive been through with my bird,but there is more.

[camaro97]

what are u guys using to seal the tail lights? My left blinker got so much condensation in it that it rusted the connector out. I have blackouts on em so I didnt really even notice cus I only take um off to wash the car. So now i gotta replace it and its a 52$ part new(anyone know w jnkyard where they can find one?, id love to get it from ya).

Matt