I'm pretty sure my problem wound up being the harness that runs behind the driver's side head

the ground bolt that sticks out of the back of head was inside the loom I can't be sure but since I adjusted that harness I never had the problem again.

 

I'll have to check that out George, Thanks.

One other thing. When my car died, at first I could hear a light ticking noise near the battery. I couldn't tell exactly where the noise was coming from. Not much there except for the headlight and maybe the windshield washer pump. I thought that maybe there was something wrong with the headlight motor on that side which kept it running at some low level and drained the battery.

 

clicking maybe the iac under throttle body

 

The car was completely dead. No crank, lights, horn, anything. I pulled the fuse out of the fusible link in front of the battery. It looked fine, not broken or burned. Figured that wasn't my problem. Put the fuse back in, and the car came back to life. All seems normal now. The power was so completely out that the radio was locked and the time and presets were erased. This doesn't exactly inspire confidence in driving it any great distance from home, but at least I'd know where to start looking.

Is there any chance that pulling the fuse reset reset something? Or is there probably a short that I temporarily fixed by playing with that line?

 

a fusible link doesn't have a fuse to pull it's just a thinner gauged wire meant to burn up before anything else

 

I guess I didn't know what a fusible link was. Thanks.

I did pull the fuse attached to a wire in front of the battery. It's held in a plastic holder that is screwed to the frame. Put the fuse back in place, everything came back to life.

 

link is by the starter above the metal shield. I would trace that fused wire and look for issues.

 

the fuse is for ecm power and fuel pump. Might have a excessive pump draw.