- The first symptom I noticed was brief interruptions in the radio signal. These interruptions occurred only when I would apply the break, but not every time I applied the brake. The radio, or cd or tape would stop, and then resume.
2. The next change in syptoms I noticed was that the interruptions became longer and no longer appeared to occurred only when I applied the brake. They occurred when I would apply the break, or intermittently any time when I was not applying the brakes. The radio lights would flicker, but I did not see other lights flicker.
3. Currently the interruptions occur intermittently, and when I apply the brake. I use the cruise control a lot, and interruptions occur when I tap the break to decelerate, or at other times. The interruptions have increased in length, but some are still very brief. The longest interruptions that have occurred cause the entire dash to flicker, and then when the lights come back on all of the lighted symbols that appear when the car is first started are lit up. The engine stops briefly, and then comes back on. On one occasion an interruption occurred as I was parking the car in the garage. The engine stopped, and when I turned the key to off, and then back to start, nothing happened. No lights came on, no engine cranking occurred. I waited a few more seconds, maybe 10 seconds, and heard some clicking sounds from the front of the car. Then I turned the key to start and the car started normally.
4. The latest abnormal event is that the dome light has begun to stay on after the car is parked and the engine turned off. The dome light will go off when the car door is closed, with some delay normally, but now it has begun to come back on. I have checked to make sure that the switch is in the off position, and have opened and closed the doors to make sure they are tightly closed. None of these actions have caused the dome light to go off as it normally does. The dome light goes off when the car is started and stays off while the engine is on.
5. The battery has run down to the point that the car will not start because of the dome light. However, when charges, it does not charge quickly and the charger has not show full charge. Could the battery be the cause of these problems if it has been weak for a long time?
What needs fixing?
You many have more than one problem. What year is the Sable? Do you have a keyless entry keypad on the door?
I think that you might have a bad ground in the dashboard. You might have a bad radio, though. You may have a bad switch in the door latch or hinge. YOu may have bad connections at the battery or at the other end of the main battery cables. Severely discharging the battery will damage it.
For the dome light problem, it’s possible that you have chafed or exposed wiring where the wiring goes from the door to the door frame.
5. The battery has run down to the point that the car will not start because of the dome light. However, when charges, it does not charge quickly and the charger has not show full charge. Could the battery be the cause of these problems if it has been weak for a long time?
Yes the battery could be the problem or related to it. In any case, you need a new battery, so that would be a good place to start. I would also suggest cleaning both ends of all battery cables and ideally check to make sure they are not internally damaged. There are a few other possible issues, but right now I am thinking it is connected to that battery. BTW how old is it? How old are the cables?
Preform (or pay for one)a complete starting/charging system diagnosis including battery load test and parasitic draw. Techs dont ask to be allowed to aquire this information just because we want to make some money,we need these basic values to give you a accurate diagnosis
The dome light staying on is a common problem on 96, and later models. The cause is usually a sticky door switch in the door. Squirting some WD40 up inside each door latch assembly will most likely fix the problem.