98 taurus radio & speedo intermittent inop.

[vzmechanic]

The radio has been going in and out for a couple of weeks. Then I noticed that the speedometer would stop working at the sametime. I have already replaced ignition switch and the radio. Problem is still there. It appears that the units are loosing power, but everytime I start checking everryhting begins to work. I can't seem to find the problem.
Any help would be appreciated.

[sfontain]

Hmm...Well the spedometer thing would suggest a bad vehicle speed sensor (VSS). Don't know about the radio cutting out. You may have a short or bad ground somewhere. Do you only notice the radio problem when you're driving? Or has it happened when the car is not in motion? I suppose you could try turning the radio on and jiggling some wires; if you're lucky you may be able to make it go out.

[vzmechanic]

The radio sometimes doesn't work on startup when the car is not in motion. But when you start moving the speedo also is not working. I tried wiggling wires but it doesn't change anything. When they are not working I checked for power at the fuse panel. The same fuse runs both and the test light was real dim. I pulled the fuse and checked it, and it was good. When I reinstalled it there was full power back on the circuit.

[sfontain]

Ugh. Sounds like a broken wire or harness to me. The test light is nice but you will get better information if you go out and spend $20 in a digital multimeter. You can connect it to where the fuse goes and play around some more with your wiring and see if you can get the voltage/resistance to change. I wish I had a better answer but these intermittent electrical problems are a real pain to solve.