99 malibu electrical problem?

[bigtom7]

today I was driving around and everything was fine till after one stop it seems like most things quit working,the blower motor quit,no power windows,cruise won't work,headlights have to be turned on manually.It still runs fine and I checked all fuses,even under the hood they are all ok....any ideas?oh and the inside lights all work.

[WoodChipper]

My brother had symptoms a lot like this a year or two ago. What ended up being the problem was the ignition key switch. There are a couple different contacts within the switch and one of them had arced enough to cause pitting. We burnished the contacts and put it back together and it has been fine ever since. The ignition switch comes apart fairly easy. If you try to take it apart just be careful and take notes. Good luck.

[BeatnikTermite]

This car, and most GM cars for that matter, are notorious for bad battery terminals. Try taking off the positive and negative battery terminals one at a time and cleaning them with a wire brush and some coke.

[bigtom7]

For everyone looking in,it was the ignition switch

[gwarnut]

Originally Posted by BeatnikTermite

This car, and most GM cars for that matter, are notorious for bad battery terminals. Try taking off the positive and negative battery terminals one at a time and cleaning them with a wire brush and some coke.

Is the ignition switch hard to replace?

[LancerZero]

Creepy . . . I had the exact same problem for one day last January. I went out to it in the morning, fired it up, same symptoms as yours. I drove several places during the day, and had the same problems throughout. Then, as I was about to drive home for the night, I started the beast and everything was working again! Guess I was lucky . . .

For cleaning the battery terminals . . . isn't that residue acidic? I usually use baking soda mixed with water to make a basic sludge, that seems to work pretty well. Can't say about the Coke, though, as I've never tried it, but I've heard others recommend that, too.