Car Start Issue

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

This morning I started my car, ran idle for about 10 seconds, sputtered, came back to life for 2 seconds and then died.

No crank no start. Cabin lights work, Stereo does not work, headlights do not work, Dash lights working.

Recently had the fuse box and positive battery cable replaced. Car ran great for about 10 days since repair.

Edit: Got the car to work again. I replaced the starter relay with another relay in the fuse box. Car cranked and started as normal. For fun I put the starter relay back in its original position and it worked. Any ideas??

2

Did the replacement fuse box come from a salvage yard?
That, or something else has corrosion.

3

Yes the fuse box came from a salvage yard. Can you explain how taking the relay out and putting it back in fixed the issue?

4

Intermittent failing relay or bad contacts are options. If it fails try tapping it while someone tries to start it.

5

Pulling the relay and re-inserting can polish away the corrosion.
Some 600-1000 grit emery cloth and a pencil eraser are useful tools for cleaning tarnished or corroded contacts.

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