Hi, might be long if your dinner's ready

Polar white auto sedan, 182k;

I've come to expect a peaceful transfer of power from the battery to the engine on this car, but last Saturday evening I was travelling down my lane on an emergency errand for sour cream for our pierogies when a turn of the headlight switch incited a riot on the dashboard.

The left side flickered, then illuminated, followed by a slight pause and then a click after which the alt., brake warning and parking brake lights joined in the fracas. Somewhere in the middle of this the speedo spiked to 30, then fell back and the engine quit.

I think I turned the headlights off, although I'm not certain, but I did turn the key off and then back on to engage the dash lights. I got the same light show, no fuel pump response, yet cranking the starter produced a second or two of running before stalling again. Further cranking had no effect.

My main focus was on a waiting dinner and the general store about to close, so I walked the 200 meters back to my yard and engaged alternate transport. I wished the car a pleasant evening and hopefully a dry night because the power windows were in on the plot.

The following morning I visited the car, but to my disappointment the dash lights came on normally, the fuel pump signalled, and the engine started up as if nothing had happened. I resisted turning on the headlights until the car was back home, but when I did they behaved themselves.

Through the day I started the car several times hoping to confirm that the headlights were triggering the reactions. At a last attempt at about 5 o'clock the bad behavior returned. The headlights did trigger it, but this time it also included a loud buzzing coming from the dash area whenever high or low beams, or the stalk flasher were on.

Suspecting the headlight relay for the buzz, I consulted Bentley who advised it was under the center vents. I tore the center consul apart without locating it. Dinner time again so one more night with the windows open.

The next morning was the same as the last. No buzzing, everything normal. I went ahead and found the relay anyway, up by the brake pedal where the Haynes manual said it would be, and it looked good with no signs of overheating.

I probably should have checked the vehicle grounds earlier, but I did so now and when pulling on the big blue wire hidden under the battery it offered no resistance. It came out completely and cleanly broken off from it's terminal.



The only other circumstantial evidence I have is that both times the fault appeared at end of unusually hot days, and did not appear on much cooler mornings. My questions are - would the broken ground explain the symptoms, and what might I check if the fault returns ?

Peter