problem that hopefully has a simple answer

Problem started a few weeks ago. I would start my car and start to drive it, then my gauges and chimes would kick on. I was fina as long as they all started. Well, the other day, they didnt come on at all. I TURNED OFF THE ignition then turned on several times and it finally started working again. When the gauges didnt come on, other problems like my ac didnt work, power windows wouldnt roll down, and radiator fan didnt work. When the gauges come on, all of these items work, so i know it isnt a fuse. Could it be the alternator, or is it a short? If it is a short, i need to know where to look. I need this problem fixed soon!

Sounds like a losse of power issue.

Test your battery should have at least 12.5 volts with engine off, and up to 14volts when its running.
If it doesnt have 13-14vlts when running(and your terminals are clean/tight) then your alternators bad.

Id also check the battery terminals, make sure they are clean and tight. And it could be a Maxi fuse in the underhood fuse box, wouldnt hurt to check.

Good Luck

whats a maxi fuse? Are you talking about a relay?

They are the bigger sized fuses that are in the fuse box in the engine compartment. The fuse box is on the passenger side of the car.

ok, i will check these things in the morning. What tool do i need to check the volts of the battery?

A DVM which is a digital volt meter.

A DVM which is a digital volt meter.

DVM :nono:DVOM - digital volt, ohm meter

not sure what year is your vehicle but if it is 96-98 v6 I found a diagram and I can see that htr/ac fuse 25A connects to heater/ac control assembly via brown wire connector 1 cavity C, then heater/ac control assembly connects to ipc microprocessor via lt green wire connector 1 cavity d14. This tells me that either your fuse is loose or your connector to the hvac control assembly is loose or that there is intermitent open in brown wire from fuse to hvac control assembly. But if you never used DVOM before give this info to someone who knows. good luck.