Very Strange Gauges Problem

**Friptzap** · 09-17-2006, 05:16 AM

2002 Firebird Vert V6 with only 64000 miles

1. This only appears to happen when it is cold outside (below 70 maybe) When it is warm or as it warms up outside it goes away.

2. It is very intermittent.

3. The following gages all go to zero instantly when this occurs. Fuel, Tach, Volts, Temp.

4. The idiot lights start comming on. (almost all of them.) Including the following. Service Engine soon, Brakes, ABS INOP, Service Vehicle.

5. Spedo and Oil temp stay functioning.

6. Pontiac services hooked up to it several times and all they can tell me is the amount of times the ECM checked for signal to the dash (I think the Dash cant recall) and got no response. They could not tell me jack about anything really. paid several hundered because they claimed my battery cable was corroded and that was causing my problem. I knew I had a bad post because I had to change the battery a short while before that but never noticed the bad wire. Needless to say that did not fix my problem.

This problem cannot be repeated on purpose I will need to leave it with them to see it happen when the outside air is cold. (colder than what actual degree I cannot tell it seems just colder than the engine compartment.

I am thinking it may be the air flow sensor on the intake or maybe the MAF.

Still looking for clues

I thought this was similar to someone elses problem so you may see this in his thread also but he said his problem is not as severe as mine.

This is way to strange to not have been seen by someone else though.

**sunsetorangess** · 09-17-2006, 08:08 AM

Battery terminals clean and tight? No bare wires anywhere? Does the tach stay the same or does it jump also?
Does it do it at idle or when going down the road?
When you first start it only? How often does it happen?
J

**Friptzap** · 09-17-2006, 12:08 PM

hehe well no bare wires, everything is clean and tight, it does it at idle too. Sometimes when I start the car sometimes shortly after sometimes not until I am miles own the road.

All gauges go to Zero including the tach except the oil pressure and spedometer. (which makes sense since they should be getting a direct feed from their sensors - I think)

It happens fairly regular when it gets cool outside. IE sometimes it happens when it is hot out but it seems to occur more when the temperature drops low.

This is so strange I cannot believe it has not happened to others. It must be a specific sensor that causes this error when it goes bad.

**sunsetorangess** · 09-17-2006, 05:02 PM

I read above that the dealer diagnosed your issue and charged you a good bit too replace a battery wire, Have you contacted the dealer too tell them they did not fix the issue and see if they would charge you if you brought it back?
It is a strange issue but i dont see it being a sensor that is causing your issue. Does your radio turn off when your gages go out? I would lean more towards a loose wire or harness.
J

**Friptzap** · 09-18-2006, 06:19 AM

I have brought it back several times to the dealer. All they can tell is that x amount of time when the computer checked for signal it did not find it. But nothing telling them that somspecific part was bad. As far as loose wire I doubt that because it happens at these very odd moments as mentioned, if it was a loose wire it would go in and out several times in any one sitting and that has never happened. It goes out then comes back on. Everything else in the car works just fine. The gauges don't "go out" they just drop to zero where as the idiot lites light all light up. If it was loose wireing harnes I would suspect it if the went completly out apposed to lighting up.

As some old friends of mine woule say "It's probably the chrome lug-nuts."