99 cabrio weird problems: spinning meters/ guages + throttle sensor

after getting my (5-speed) cabby back from the mechanic who had to replace the driver's side door. (i was side swiped by a eighteen wheeler) i have had some weird electrical problems. i went to turn on the enigine and it flashed off (the battery died) and all four meters started spinning wildly. the speed, rpm, gas + heat level guages all went psycho and rapidly moving in circles or back and forth even though the battery seemd dead. i took it back to the same guy, he got it running and blamed my battery terminals being cruddy. i don't buy that.

next time i used it, the car keeps pulling back + lurching when i want to do over 25 mph or 20rpms, does not accelerate. it also stalls at low idle much more easily , so i took it to a different mechanic and they said i need throttle position sensor adjustment on my cars computer.

is this related to the accident repair? i do not want to go to a dealer if i can help it. around here, (near nyc) they are a rip off. any input would help. thanks.

Reply to
bettyellen
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I would check the grounds. A jumper cable temporarily between the negative on the battery and a bracket bolted to the engine may make some anomalies go away for testing purposes. If that does fix it, fix grounding.

That could be adding a wire, or it could be replacing whatever is the normal method of grounding.

This may not be your problem, but it is easy to check. That test jumper could be half of a cheap pair of starting jumper cables, but it may or may not be difficult to close the hood with that in place.

Reply to
Tom's VR6

wow, that went over my head. i know this problem is beyond my ability to fix, i'm just trying to sort out whether this could be a side effect of the repairs done to the door and gather some knowledge so that i don't get screwed by the mechnics. i'm mostly trying to figure out if i'll be able to prove this is a result of the accident or repaire work done after. so, i took it back to the guys who fixed the door this morning, hoping it's some small adjustment or that we can get the insuance to cover it due to the fact that it has been glitchy since i got it back from them. . i'm not thrilled about it, because they blamed the spinning meters on the battery and i'm sure there has to be more to it than that. could cruddy terminal cause the battery to do that to the meters? they also tried to get me to say (to the insurance company) the car was driving fine when i first got it back, and that's not the truth. it was stalling very easily from the moment i got it back. i don't know how in the world that would help me with an insurance claim, and i think it could take the mechanic off the hook if this was a result f the repairs and not the accident. that's my big fear. what they did tell me was that they never test drove it after fixing the door and panel above the front wheel. they swear they are going to try to handle this the best way possible so the insurance company will cover it. this may well mean another couple of weeks in the shop. after

5 weeks, i'm seriously fustrated. what is the liklihood of these problems originating from the accident or from the repairs? i just don't know if it's worth another whole week waiting to here from the insurance company if they are totally unrelated. i feel like this mechanic is really playing it pretty close to the vest because he's trying to avoid acknowleding i got the car back in less than perfect shape. i took it back the monday after the friday afternoon i picked it up. he towed it in and got the battery working but did it for free, without paperwork or anything. gosh, at least i have a witness who knows they worked on it.
Reply to
bettyellen

Sometimes the connection from the battery to the engine becomes not so good. That can affect various things in strange way.

I was suggesting an extra temporary ground wire connection. If the temporary connection helped anything, make a permanent connection.

Let us know how it turns out.

Reply to
Tom's VR6

right you were. wire. and they fixed it without any extra charges. they freaked me out because if it was bigger than that they were going to bill somebody. thanks sooo much

Reply to
bettyellen

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