About a month ago, I left for Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota. The day before I left, I was driving my 1991 TA GTA to a relative's house for storage while I was away.

En route, my engine suddenly lost power. It felt like the one time I ran out of gas in my car. (Just prior to losing power, my air bag light came on.)

A few minutes later, my car died (just miles from my destination, ARRR). While sitting in the middle of the road, I put on my hazards. It seemed odd, because they flashed at different speeds when the power to the rest of the car (via a turn of the key) was on, or off. After about an hour or so, the hazards were just barely flashing.

Triple A came and towed me. I noticed some weird relay clicking under the hood after I popped it open. Then I gave her a jump start, and she started right up.

I could be wrong, but I'm guessing this is an electrical problem (considering the airbag light and hazard lights). I'm also guessing the loss of power was due to the fact that the electrical system didn't have enough power to run the TPI anymore.

What do you guys think? Is this an electrical problem, or is it a different gremlin? What do I need to do to fix my car?

I'm going to visit her for the first time in over a month tomorrow. She definitely needs some loving.

Thanks for the help!
Bill

P.S. Since the car has been sitting for a while, is there anything else I should do?

 

I would agree with your diagnosis. The problem may well be electrical. Locating it may require diagnosing all the symptoms and examining the schematics to determine possible common points that would cause all those symptoms. Grab a beverage, a chair, and your reading glasses.

 

electrical is the hardest to diagnose good luck.