I’ve racked my brain and consulted every known option outside of this forum, so hoping someone here can help me!

Recently my 2005 DB9 Volante (auto) has started acting erratically. A few weeks ago the audio kept ‘shorting’ as if there was either a power surge or a short circuit. I parked the car, tried to start it again and the car had no power. Dead. A few seconds later the power came back and the car was fine to drive.

Driving the car recently, the same cut out problem keeps happening. I can’t start the car once I turn it off, and when I do the engine seems to be struggling to run, before it knocks out. Eventually it starts up and runs like normal.

today the same problem happened, but this bizarre ticking sound was coming from the cabin fusebox. When I turned the key to start the car, the ticking sound stopped but the car still would not start. This happened for about 20 mins. Eventually the power was restored once I left the key in the ignition and the same engine struggle returned. Now I am really concerned as there is no one who seems to know what the problem could be!!

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

 

Have you had a competent technician look into this issue. And if its playing up that the best time to start checking obvious main power and ground connections. Any known previous repairs or damage? (collision or flood as it is a Volante) all the power at the front goes thru the 1 connection at the floor as you described the noise coming from. This of course is assuming you have a known good battery and secure connections at the battery and chassis ground next to the battery.

 

Thanks for the quick reply! The car has never been in a collision or in flooding. I live extremely remotely in California so limited by where I can take it. I’m pretty good with doing most repairs myself once I know what the problem is. The ones I have taken it to can’t. I have videos of the fusebox making the sound but I can’t upload them here due to the size. I changed the battery 6 months ago and it’s been fine up until this problem started last week.

 

If the battery is new then the next step is cleaning the main power and ground straps up the body on the rh side. And then the 12 grounds on the fire wall. When I had my engine out i cleaned all of them and found th to be in poor shape. That would cause symptoms like you shared.

 

Thank you! That definitely sounds like something beyond my capabilities but I’ll use that as a suggestion when I can get the car looked it. It’s just bizarre why it only happens after stopping after a decent drive without affecting the drive performance itself

 

Sounds like there is not a 100% solid connection somewhere. Of course the "noise" is a reasonable place to start. If the history of the car is unknown there might be an occasion that moisture has corroded a connection.....or two! Who knows a loose connection (wishful thinking) might be it. Also a good inspection of the fuses box and fuses for sure. Might even recheck the battery terminals. Intermittent stuff is a real P I A !

 

Where is remote California?

 

Lake Isabella!

 

I understand that, bit too far away from me to stop in for friendly help.

 

sounds like a poor ground or power connection/cable, as mentioned above, start checking where the sound is coming from....

 

If I had a problem like you've described, I would probably chase the battery ground wire to its endpoint on the chassis and clean it as other's have mentioned. It's pretty simple, easy to do and costs nothing and is as likely to be the problem as anything else. While I was down there I would also check the engine ground strap...

 

Also while you are lying there take a few seconds to check continuity on all the cables. Flex them as you do so.
Had an older non AM car that had awful intermittent issues. Turned out the engine to ground line - which wasn’t flex but a solid piece of copper inside an insulator (don’t ask) - cracked for some reason.

You couldn’t see it and it was fine until you turned the key, but weird stuff happened when it was running.