Will not crank?

[old-school]

I went outside this evening like usual and pumped the pedal a few times like i normally do, turn the key and it fired right up as usual. It then quit which it will do if i don't keep giving it gas for a minute or so. Anyway, after it quit this time i went to turn the key back on immediately and NOTHING! Absolutely nothing! No clicking nothing. Completely dead! What couild be wrong? Give me a few scenarios and in the morning i'll go through all of the responses and post the results. Thanks in advance.

[6packCuda]

I'd check the connections at the battery and starter first and make sure they're clean and tight.

[73Chally]

I just had that same problem last week.  Turned out the main power wire from the ignition had a loose plug in the harness under the steering column.  Do your non ignition powered things work, like your dome light?  I also had a short in my negative battery cable a while back that caused everything to go dead.

[moparmaniac59]

Check and make sure you have a good chassis ground connection & as mentioned the battery connections. 


                                                               Matt B.



                                                     

[Bullitt-]

Make sure it's in Park

[BIGSHCLUNK]

Make sure it's in Park

Sounds funny but my brother actually did this once...... After I drove all the way across town to help him.. 

[MEK-Dangerfield]

If it isn't a connection from your battery cables, I would suspect the starter. When mine was going to heaven, I would give it a whack with a big screw driver, and the engine would fire right up after that. In that situation, I was at least hearing a click from the starter relay.


   Mike

[nivvy]

I had that happen 1 time als.. drove it home and parked it went out in the moring and nothing..... the shifter cable hosing had went out and the car wasnt getting in park.... I got under the car and clicked it inot park manualy and te car fired right up .... 

also if you turn the key and have power and nothng on cranking something could have come off the relay... I use this for an anti theft type deturrant...

[old-school]

I just checked all of my connections and everything was tight except the starter relay screws were allowing the relay to slightly move where its mounted on the fender. I tightened those up and it still does nothing when i turn the key. Headlights work. I banged the starter a few times with a long boxed end wrench and that didn't help either. I hear nothing from the starter relay. Could the relay be bad? That would be easily replaced if so. Can that be bought at a local auto parts store? Thoughts anyone?

[old-school]

By the way, where would the chasis ground be located? The headlights would not work if it was the chasis ground right?

[Chryco Psycho]

the relay is bad , you would hear it click , the chassis ground is right in front of the battery on the firewall where the headlights ground

[matt63]

i've had problems with the yellow wire from the bulkhead to the relay.  I can't remember what it does other than prevent starting!

[73challenger_TN]

Sounds funny but my brother actually did this once...... After I drove all the way across town to help him.. 

Haha a girl at my school did that last year. She called her dad freaking out. While she was on the phone I put it in park and started her car :-)

[old-school]

I don't know what happened! I changed the starter relay nothing! I turn the key and nothing, not even a sound. It started yesterday , quit and when i went to turn the key nothing. It will not crank with a screwdriver at the starter relay either.

[old-school]

This is something i tried but i don't know if it tells me anything but i turned the key on and took my battery charger underneath the car with me and hooked the positive cable of my charger to the positive post on the starter where the hot wire was connected coming from the starter realy, i then touched the negative cable of the charger to the starter housing and it did nothing. Wouldn't this crank the starter? My son has my jumper cables so i had to use my charger which is a cheap one so i don't know.

Man if i have to pull the starter, it's going to be a pain because there is no way to remove it because of the headers.