I've been replacing all the electrical motors, solenoids, wiring, and gauges in a slow and expensive attempt to locate a short in the system. The car will start fine for multiple starts, long drives, and short hops under any weather conditions. Then, without apparent cause, the whole system will go down, no lights, no starting, nothing. The solution is an easy disconnect from the battery, and usually the car starts again. Occasionally, I have to do it twice, but what a bother it can be!
There are other symptoms. Driving down the road, we'll get a concerned citizen flagging us down from their vehicle to inform us about the right rear brake light not functioning. We have stopped and verified it. As soon as I return to fix the problem, it is working again. I've also noticed that the gas gauge goes wonky once in awhile too. It appears to be showing the proper fuel level, but I may just be receiving the appearance of a full tank without it actually being full.
I'm running out of things to replace and will have to commit to an entire body long search, following every wire and testing every component. Before I do that, however, I intend to have the starter rebuilt. It can't hurt anything more than my pocket book, which already strains for many other reasons. The upside to the car trouble is the fuel savings. The car is not running, and the exorbitantly expensive fuel is not being consumed ($4.07/gallon).
