This 2001 Pontiac Grand Am came in with the complaint that the battery would go dead overnight. Well no surprise, basic inspection found that the warning lights on the left side of the instrument cluster stayed on even with the key off.
Further inspection found that the key was not turning all of the way off. The key is actually positioned between the off and accessory positions. The key did come out, even though it is not supposed to, but that is another story altogether.
I did a lot more checking, including reattaching some linkage that had come loose somehow. The other things that I had found wrong were merely symptomatic of someone else’s efforts to repair the condition. The original problem is shown below the push button was remaining stuck in even though the shifter was fully in the park position. I could wiggle it out and the key would turn all of the way off and the dash warning lights would go out.
The actual problem, dried syrup from spilled sodas. People and their nasty @$$&% cars. A good cleaning and all was well again.
