I have a 1997 Ford Expedition with approx 165k miles. Just yesterday, I was dropping my wife off at the airport, and I turned the car off and it would not restart. No sound, almost like dead battery. I tried several times and had the same result…nothing. If I remember correctly, the radio would not even turn on. After several minutes, I tries again, and the car started fine. Since then, it has started fine several times, however, I just went out to start it and the same thing happened…nothing. The radio and air conditioner still functioned, but the car would not start. After several tries and several minutes, the car started. The battery is fairly new. What could be the cause of this? Something with the battery or with the starter? I much appreciate any advice before I take it to the mechanic. Thanks very much.
The next time it doesn’t start, try jiggling the shift lever, or shift into neutral and then try starting the engine. If the engine starts doing either of these, there’s a problem with the park/neutral safety switch.
Tester
The problem may be with the neutral safety switch adjustment. See if it will start in the neutral position the next time this happens. YOu also should remove the battery connections and clean them with a battery post cleaning brush. Even if they look ok, it is possible there is some corrosion build up causing the trouble.