03 Grand Am
Symptoms:
When I start the car first thing in the morning, or after it's sat for a number of hours, 90% of the electrical does not work. I can manually turn on headlights, wipers, and turn signals, and dome light, but nothing else.
This includes radio/clock, blower, dash lights, all dash gauges, DRLs, auto door locks
Once the vehicle warms up, I can rap on the dash and get everything to kick on.
The issue gets progressively worst the colder it gets. It started at the end of this summer but would only be an issue for maybe 2 minutes or so, then everything would kick on at once. Now, depending on how cold it is (I have a 45 minute commute to work) I can sometimes get it to kick on after 30-40 minutes. If it's too cold, I can never get it to kick on.
Also, depending on how cold. Once I have driven 10-15 minutes, I can feel heat coming out of the vents. It's always been a problem with my vehicle that even when the blower is off you always feel the heat/ac coming from the vents like the blower is on low. There's no mistaking the heat. Now, if it's 'too cold' there will never be heat, but pure cold coming from the vents. This is not in my head or coincidental. I occasionally have to go off site for work. One of the REALLY frigid days a few weeks ago I drove for 2 - 2 1/2 hours straight and I felt freezing air from the vents the entire time, nothing ever kicked on. The next day it wasn't quite so cold, I felt the hot air and was able to get the electrical to kick on after 1/2 an hour.
My thought is maybe a wire or circuit board shrinking in the cold, and once it expands (warms up) I can bang on the dash and jiggle it into making contact?
I'm not sure, but I'm having trouble finding a garage that will even look at it.
Apparently electrical problems scare them
Also, on a whim, I removed all the components from the center console (cd player, blower controls, hazard light) by disconnecting them and the symptoms are exactly the same, I have since plugged everything back in.
Symptoms:
When I start the car first thing in the morning, or after it's sat for a number of hours, 90% of the electrical does not work. I can manually turn on headlights, wipers, and turn signals, and dome light, but nothing else.
This includes radio/clock, blower, dash lights, all dash gauges, DRLs, auto door locks
Once the vehicle warms up, I can rap on the dash and get everything to kick on.
The issue gets progressively worst the colder it gets. It started at the end of this summer but would only be an issue for maybe 2 minutes or so, then everything would kick on at once. Now, depending on how cold it is (I have a 45 minute commute to work) I can sometimes get it to kick on after 30-40 minutes. If it's too cold, I can never get it to kick on.
Also, depending on how cold. Once I have driven 10-15 minutes, I can feel heat coming out of the vents. It's always been a problem with my vehicle that even when the blower is off you always feel the heat/ac coming from the vents like the blower is on low. There's no mistaking the heat. Now, if it's 'too cold' there will never be heat, but pure cold coming from the vents. This is not in my head or coincidental. I occasionally have to go off site for work. One of the REALLY frigid days a few weeks ago I drove for 2 - 2 1/2 hours straight and I felt freezing air from the vents the entire time, nothing ever kicked on. The next day it wasn't quite so cold, I felt the hot air and was able to get the electrical to kick on after 1/2 an hour.
My thought is maybe a wire or circuit board shrinking in the cold, and once it expands (warms up) I can bang on the dash and jiggle it into making contact?
I'm not sure, but I'm having trouble finding a garage that will even look at it.
Apparently electrical problems scare them
Also, on a whim, I removed all the components from the center console (cd player, blower controls, hazard light) by disconnecting them and the symptoms are exactly the same, I have since plugged everything back in.
