Starting problems

whenever i drive 30 min or longer.. my check engine light will come on but the idiol, amps, oil pressure, temp.. are all normal like there is nothing wrong. However when i turn my car off, then try to restart it, i have to wait a couple hours (for it too cool off) before it starts agian. it will turn over, and start up for like 3 seconds but die off. does anyone have any ideas what this could be?? please help

Sounds like the wiring is getting shorted. Disconect the battery and use your hand to trace every electric line in the engine bay and see if anyone has an exposed wire or is resting against the engine block. And, I'll say again, disconnect the battery first and have your security code handy because you'll need it when you hook it back up.

Yogs, when you say 'resisting against the engine block,' what exactly do you mean? I've got a multimeter, but i'm still messing around with it. to trace every wire in the engine bay and test for shorts is much easier said than done. my friend has an electrical short, which i have not found yet (batt, alt, fuses, bulbs all good). i'd rather just install a battery-disconnect switch, which would solve the problem of the battery slowly draining when it sits overnight. but my friend wants me to find the short...and there's a helluva a lot of wiring in the engine bay.