Hi my electrically tortured friend..

Been there..hate that.

You pulled and checked the cables. Literally pulled and cleaned at both ends? Did you pull the boots at the battery end to look for corrosion underneath? (I ask because I learned the hard way ...while knowing better)

Check your ground busses under the carpet on the wiring harnesses up by both front doors. They have been known to cause all kinds of issues including stall.

Check wiring... pull all connectors like the ICM etc and ensure they are clean..corrosion free and making good contact.

It doesn't take long when you jump into it.

I had a hiccup/stall and restart issue.. ended up being some fine particles of metal that found my crankshaft sensor. While being the only known case on the club..it'* possible that something small is causing your issue.

Thanks for all the input.... glad to know it'* likely electrical and not tranny related! I'll end up taking the car to our mechanic tomorrow, and things got to hectic today to get to the test driving and cable cleaning. Sooooo... I'll pass on all the input to this guy (first time we've used him) and see what he comes up with. He'* already going to be doing the clunk thing, broken pully, coupler, etc..... really would have liked to dig into it myself, but there'* just no time.

I'll post the results after he takes a look!

]

Check that the brake caliper bolts aren't loose. 3/8" hex.

UPDATE!

Okay... so today I got a chance to test drive the car. First, I did the Shaky shaky.... shook the cables. Shook my arse. Did the Hokey Pokey and turned myself about. Nothin'. She just sat there, purring like a kitten.

So I headed out around town, watching the gauges like a hawk. After she reached operatiing temp at 190 for about 10 - 15 minutes, the problem reapeated itself in exactly the same manner as before.

The speedometer will begin to bounce just a little. Over the next 15 minutes, it will get progressively worse. Once fully developed, it will bounce (acutally, start to drop toward zero and then catch and go back up). When this occurs, the tranny will not shift properly and it feels like it'* missing a little. Then, every so often, normally while under a low or zero load, such as drifting downhill, the speedo drops to zero and she won't shift at all.... feels like it'* slipping. The speedo stays at zero from a couple seconds, then catches and zooms back up to the proper speed and the shifting goes back to normal.

Interestingly, after this had gone on for a while on a 2 lane road for a while, I took her back on the Interstate for a three mile drive to the next exit and she ran fine at 70... didn't miss a beat. Got off the Interstate for 2 miles back my office and it started up again, same as before........ And here'* the final piece of the puzzle. It is definately ONLY the speedometer. The oil pressure, battery meter and temp guage stayed pegged on their proper readings even as the speedo went to zero. And the tach only moved in accordance with what the engine was actually turning.... that is it bounced up and down as the tranny tried in vain to find the right gear.

Soooooo.... in my non-Pontiac-Guru mind, that leans more toward the VSS..... would anyone concur? I'll be taking the car to our mechanic in a couple hours, and would like some more well informed opinions before I go..... so after lunch, I'll check back to see if anyone'* had a chance to respond yet.

Thanks!

I'm leaning that direction now as well. Without the VSS input, the trans will not have the proper info to shift correctly.

What does your trans fluid look/smell like?

I checked it last week for fullness.... it was full. I didn't notice discoloration or smell, but I wasn't looking specifically for that. I dropped the car off at the mechanic this afternoon, with a list a full page long of problem. He said he'd calll tomorrow or the first of the week with a report. I'll post a follow up when I get the news.

--Mike

UPDATE.... Mechanic called be back on this yesterday. Here'* the rundown....

The missing, sputtering, speedometer bouncing he attributes to VSS, though only a replacement will prove it true or not.

The 'CLUNK' noise turned out to be the brake line, which had come loose leading to the driver'* side wheel. It was getting caught under the "Boot"?, and then snapping back into place..... CLUNK!

The ever-present whine is the power steering pump, not the tranny... but it is full of fluid. He'* going to try some specail $11 magic juice to see if that helps... if not, I'm going to have him replace it. Can't take the whine.

All idler pulleys are being changed.

AC Compressor is toast, as expected. He'll flush the system and replace the dryer at the same time.

Total'* going to run over $1,200. But hopefully, the saga will come to an end, and I'll have a decent running, comfortable, quiet Bonnie again!