1999 Jimmy Dash Problems (Electrical?)

I'll be the first to admit that I know nothing about cars, but my Jimmy has been in and out of the shop so many times lately (tires, brakes, other small nickle and diming problems) that I want to find out if this is something I should worry about before I spend more money.

Recently my boyfriend noticed that after my ignition was switched OFF the gauges of my 1999 Jimmy would fall to zero (which they have always done) but after sitting with the keys in or out of the ignition for about 30 seconds they would all suddenly move on their own and go to what they were reading when the vehicle was last ON. The exception to this is the Battery gauge. It stays at zero. When the doors are opened the gauges all fall back to zero.

The odometer and shifter lights also go off occasionally, but when I tap on the dash they go back on so I assumed it was a short.

Could this all be related to the short? Or is this gauge problem normal and I have never noticed it before? I'll feel like an idiot, but that's alright... I just want it to work properly... I like my car!

Sounds like an ignition switch problem- next time you see it happen- try very slowly to wiggle the switch- with the key in- turn it more toward the "off" position- see if the guages go off. These trucks are known for ignition switch contact failures-- this is not a short, rather a set of contacts that normally touch in the "on" position now trying to contact in the "off" position. A short would be a direct contact of battery hot to a ground- which would heat up and blow a fuse or a fuseable link- so you are in no grave danger of a fire or anything else- just that if the guages continue to energize- you may run your battery down overnight.....post back after you try this test....

Thanks! I will post again when I drive it home!

I wiggled the key in the ignition and got no results. They would go down if I moved it forward to start it when the battery light came on, but not if I turned it towards the OFF position.

I noticed that the gauges would not move if I had the door open. I also noticed that they would immediately drop if I activated the security feature with the remote, but the actual automatic lock button had no effect. Even with the security feature set, although it took longer, they still would start moving again with a tiny click sound. Could it still be the switch?

My ABS light keeps going on and off too while I drive (which isn't a big deal to me, I can pump the brake)... sigh... it is one thing after another!!!

Thanks for your help!!! :)