Electric Issues????

[SUFI]

I searched the forums hoping to find something related to my issue but I couldnt come up with anything. I'm hoping someone can shed some light on the issue.

I was driving back to work from lunch and all of a sudden my music shut off (i was listening through my ipod through a Monster ipod adapter). I looked down and I didnt have a time on my radio. I look at my dashboard and all my gauges were down (RPM, MPH, Gas). I kept driving and a minute later all the gauges came back up along with the clock on the radio (and the music). This happened two more times before I made it back to work.

I left work @ 5, got in my car, started it and it wouldnt start. It was like it just needed that last little kick for it to turn over and it couldnt do it. I tried it for about 5 minutes. The last time I tried to do it, i pumped the gas pedal as I was turning the key and it kicked over. It was rough but it did it. I let it run for about 10 minutes to see what it would do and it was fine (except for the fact that the gauges werent working). I turned it off and since then it wouldnt start.

I got a ride home from someone but my car is still sitting at work. Has anyone heard of this before? Any ideas? Suggestions?

Thanks In Advance!

... Sorry, It's a 2003 Grand AM 2.2 ... 48k Miles

[rixGAphx]

Clean your battery cables.
Cut-off that molded red rubber boot from the cable onto the positive battery terminal.

Do a complete service:

Battery cable ends must be clean and tight and shiny bright.
Even the best new alternator and the best new battery can't provide adequate power (volts and amps) if the connections are so dirty/loose/corroded that power doesn't flow thru them.
Bad connections will also kill both the alternator and the battery very quickly.

So, inspect/clean/repair/replace/tighten all THREE ends of both cables to provide maximum flow of electrical power.
Disconnect cables: NEG (Black) first, then POS (Red).
Cut the molded rubber boots from the battery connections, since water seeps thru them and corrodes the copper wire into useless powder.
(This step is VERY important. You can't just look at the outside and think, "They look alright".)

Dissolve corrosion with a paste solution of baking soda and water, applied with an old toothbrush.
Scrape/sand/wire-brush all the metal (cable ends and batt terminals) to shiny metal.
In an emergency, Coca-Cola poured over the corrosion will partially-clean it.

Pay attention to the Body Ground: This is a smaller Black (Neg) wire that comes from the battery terminal and attaches directly to the bodywork, somewhere near the left (Driver) side hood edge. This is a source of rust, and must be kept clean and shiny. (This is the ‘3rd end’ of the NEG cable.)
The POS cable has a ‘3rd end’ that connects inside the Main Junction Box, about 12 inches from the battery.

Reconnect cables: POS (Red) first, then NEG (Black); this is OPPOSITE of the way you disconnected them.
Replace the cut-off boots with new aftermarket slip-on rubber boots to protect against short-circuiting while allowing for future inspection and service.
* * *
Still having trouble? Verify that the heavy cable from the alternator, around the back of the engine and connecting to the starter solenoid, has good connections and conductivity. The alternator can't charge the battery if this cable is bad.

Weird things happen to GA's when the cables aren't in pristine shape.
ABS is a particularly sensitive system, and will often show a random 'ABS' light though nothing else appears to be wrong.

Battery cable/connection service is necessary and cheap ($5 for new rubber boots), so there's no downside to servicing them immediately.

Good luck.
-Rick

[norbit2]

Sounds like some kind of grounding issue. Make shore the monster cable wires are not grounding out some were behind the dash.