For about a year, my Honda randomly loses all electrical power. At first, I would hit the brakes and the radio, speedometer, headlight, etc. would blink for a second and resume. That's pretty much what it normally does, at random. A few times, the car has simply refused to start. I put the key in, turn and nothing. I mean nothing. No beeping, no clicking, no power whatsoever.

Sometimes, I just have to jiggle the steering wheel or play with the gear shift and it'll start right up. The past two times it's done this to me, I've checked the fuse box and shook the wires under the hood. Last time, it seemed like shaking the battery cables did the trick, but I can't be sure if that really did anything. There isn't a lot of corosion on the battery cables.

I've taken the car in to get looked at for this, but it won't do it when I take it in. Like I said, it's completely random. Somedays the power will go out every time I hit the brakes or turn my blinker on; somedays nothing happens at all. It's gotten to point that when the power does switch off, it turns my radio completely off, meaning I have to reset all the stations and the clock. I was thinking it might be bad battery cables, but I'm not sure. Any ideas?

Much appreciated!

txgreasemonkey

Thoughts:

. Check the ignition switch and harness.
. Clean battery terminals and cables. Ensure clamps are tight.
. Clean main electrical grounds--apply dielectric grease.
. Clean 3-P main ECM ground on thermostat housing--apply dielectric grease.
. Check fuses--remove, clean oxidation, apply dielectric grease, and replace. With ignition turned to ON, check for power through both test points on each fuse, using a test light or multimeter.

My gut is that there's a problem with the ignition switch, which is easy to replace.