The problem started a few months ago when my wife was driving the car it stopped running. Symptoms of a bad alternator her brother came and jumped her and she drove home. The next day I left for work or tried to as I didn't even make it out of the driveway before the car died again. Battery was taken to AutoZone and tested fine. Since we had no money and no real options I couldn't immediately take the alternator out and put a new one in thinking that that's what the problem was. Ended up ordering an alternator and the one they ordered for me was the wrong one. So the next time I went in to get a new one they tested my old alternator and it tested fine. (Keep in mind this is all happening over the course of like three or four months since I can't afford to just have the car fixed.) after the rest of the winter ice thawed off of the car I started looking at it again. Messed around with the alternator and did a little bit of research about the overdrive issue that I had been having. To sum that up I have been driving without overdrive because my tachometer wasn't working properly and I wasn't used to the car so I couldn't hear where I was. So now I know that there is a problem with the overdrive. And I am pretty sure it isn't the relay because I have taken it out and taken it apart and it looks nice and clean and when I replaced it and pushed the overdrive button it does click and the up arrow light turns off and on. Now I say off and on because there in lies part of my problem. Now after having replaced my old alternator and cleaning the ground, it seems to be charging the battery again. But now what I'm noticing is that when I start the car the orange up arrow indicating that overdrive or fourth gear override button is active. And when I click it parts of my instrument panel will come to life and parts will die again. I have checked fuses, checked the overdrive relay, finally found out where the overdrive solenoid is but that doesn't really explain the electrical problems with the dash and how they would be connected to the overdrive button on my gearshift. I have no problem removing the overdrive solenoid if that's what the problem is but I don't want to go through unnecessary work and I am really at a loss at this point because I have found out about all I can online about this problem. Any new information would be welcome and helpful and at this point I don't even care if you guys text me in the middle of the night with a possible answer. Either reply here or feel free to text me. (No calls please. I'm actually Gilbert Gottfreid and when I talk on the phone my neighbors always call the police.) 608-886-2300

 

bad grounds can make circults cross fire like that.