Hello everyone. We just acquired a 2004 monte carlo ss with 57k miles, it was my wife's grand mothers and she got a new car because the steering rack needs to be replaced and it has a battery drain issue.

It hadn't been started for 8 months or so and they gave it to us so I went and picked it up. I started messing with it today and I put a brand new battery in it. It starts up but if I don't give it gas it will die but it runs great doesn't seem to surge or anything when I'm on the gas going down the road. I'm gonna put 5 gallons of gas in it with some injector cleaner and see if that helps. When I was driving it, the rpm gauge and speedo would go to 0 then back to the speed I was going and the battery light would flash along with the traction control and abs. Any ideas where I should start?

Seems like it might be a ground or gauge cluster but the idle seems like something else. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

-Joe

 

Sounds like two different issues as you assume. If you put a new battery in, it sounds like a ground.

The "needing to keep on the gas" thing could be the IAC valve in the throttle body or possibly the MAF.. Could be a plugged fuel filter or cat..

Hope something in there helps..