PontiacBonnevilleClub.com

bought this car used about 2 months ago. 2 days later it stalled.. then would start back up for about 1 minute then stall again. always restarting/stalling again. the used car dealer took it back for repair.. even loaned me a vehicle for school. long story short it's been running fine for 2 months. the dealer said it was a "small" electrical problem. if there is such a thing. lol. any idea what that could have been?? the mechanic told the dealer he didn't remember. now with all this snow/ice i discover that the rear defroster is not working. i'm afraid to mess with the fuses (i'm a woman) i'm not sure if there could be a connection.. could changing the fuses cause the old problem to start? i'm frustrated. have a 17 month old son and i need to be able to see. oh one other thing. the rear speakers generally have no sound. every once in a while.. like 2x in 2 months they start working for about 30 seconds then go silent again. not sure if thats connected either? thanks for any help!!!!
can't afford a mechanic. a single mom in school. any guesses please....

What can happen is people stuff big items into the trunk and when they pull them out it will catch and pull the speaker wiring out, There should not be any wires hanging down inside the trunk. One of my cars had this problem when I bought it. Take a look and see.

Small electrical problem? He may have found a loose/corroded connection on the battery.

A pretty good bet would be the dealer cleaned and/or replaced the battery cables. This is a known fault in our cars. And these cars seem to have more electrical problems than most.

What's your general location? Chances are we have a member or two in your area that could take a look at the car for the obvious. We have a really good bunch of folks here.

Could also have checked the ground busses under the carpet on either side. If you get a slight water leak, they can corrode. A little sandpaper and some dielectric grease will fix that.

thanks guys. i'm in canonsburg PA. i can't afford a mechanic right now though.. i still appreciate the offer. at least i know what to look for if i have problems in the future. i'll check the trunk for wires tomorrow. so are you guys saying it's safe to mess with the fuses for the rear defrost. if i mess this car up i will not be able to finish school. but if you all say go for it.. i will.
thanks again. also for being so fast to respond.
heather

also.. before i bought this car i read all of the plastic intake manifold horror stories. is that really as common in 99's? i've read mixed messages. bonne has 152,000 and seems to be running strong. however it does have the dreaded orange anti-freeze in it. that being said... when i change it do i stick to the orange go for the green.. or does it really even matter?
sorry for so many questions. thanks again!

hnbh wrote:thanks guys. i'm in canonsburg PA. i can't afford a mechanic right now though.. i still appreciate the offer.

Who said anything about you having to afford help? Most, if not all of us, are more than willing to do anything pro bono

If you pull a fuse, the worst that can happen is that circuit stops working until the fuse goes back in. The reason fuses are there is so that if a short occurs (wire gets cut accidentally, and contacts metal, etc) the fuse trips and breaks the circuit, since it is taking more load than normal. Sometimes circuits build up more resistance as wires age, and the fuse will trip because it is drawing more amperage than the fuse is rated for. Check any fuse that might relate to it, and if it's broken on the inside, replace it. There are generally spares in the fuse block. Look on the diagram on the lid for empty slots that have fuses in them.

if u were in green bay wisconsin i would woork on your car for some beer