Electrical! Gauges moving without keys in!

[goatdaddy77]

I have a 99 Intrigue GL, 3.8 liter. I drove this car to the bank and back, and only 25 or so minutes later I came back to find my car would do nothing and seemed dead! I immediately think its the battery, even though I had driven it only moments before. I check the battery to find I have good voltage. I get back in the care to notice my gauges moving up and down and the door bell making a clicking sound, I also notice that the keys arent even in the ignition while this is happening! I have pulled the dash from under the steering wheel, looking for any shorts in the wiring. I have read other threads about ignition problems and would like to at least attempt to remove and clean, but am not sure how to remove the ignition. If anyone has any helpful info on this problem or how to remove the ignition, it would be greatly appreciated

[LittleHoov]

Ignition switch might definitely be a good place to start with this one.

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...switch+removal

Theres how to get the little bugger out. Sometimes cleaning them just isnt enough, but I would clean before I would replace.

[goatdaddy77]

Thanks for the detailed removal of the ignition, it will be very helpful! Have you ever encountered any problems where a ground wire may be loose or rusty, causing electrical malfunctions?

[LittleHoov]

That would be a possible solution as well. Check all the grounds you can find. Im honestly not sure where theyre all at.

There are universal grounding kits available that may or may not prove helpful.

Cleaning the ignition switch is free though, and you might notice a problem or two while doing that. Which is better than just throwing money around.