Hello car community:) have a problem sometimes with my car. About once every two weeks or so the car just won’t start. I don’t think its the battery because it has happened with a new one. I’ll turn the ignition and it won’t make a sound, but it does the typical cutting power to the lights, radio, and fan. At first, to get it started, I would turn the wheel or press on the brakes but I’m not sure if those are really what helps it start. Thank you.
The next time that this happens, try starting it with the shift lever in the neutral position, rather than “park”.
If that does the trick, then you need to replace the neutral safety switch.
1 Like
Battery connections are the first place to begin when you have a “No Crank” situation. Even
if you have a new battery, if the connections are loose, dirty or corroded, you will not be
allowing the full flow of current to pass thru the connections. The connection may be
enough to turn on the lights, but not enough for the huge flow that is needed to operate the
starter. This is where many people say that they know the battery is good….”because the
lights come on”. This is no more a battery test than licking a 9volt battery. It only tells you that there is electricity…not how many volts or the amperage that flows from the battery.
Jump starting may have wiggled the terminal just enough to allow the current to pass and start the engine, but tomorrow you have the same problem.
First remove the cables from the battery and use a wire brush to remove any corrosion and dirt from the battery posts and the cable terminals. There is a tool with a round wire brush for this purpose, found at any auto parts store for less than $10 http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/kd-tools-terminal-battery-brush-kdt201/25980576-P?searchTerm=terminal+brush.
Before connecting the cables, apply a coating of di-electric grease to the battery posts this will keep oxygen away from the connection so that it will not corrode as fast.
It is just as important that the other end of the cables also have a clean connection. Remove the positive cable from the battery again so that you do not short anything out. Follow both cables to their far ends, remove this connection and wire brush the connection and the cable terminal clean and retighten these connections.
If there was work done recently, there may have been an “engine to body” ground that was not installed following the work. These grounds normally run from the rear of the engine to the firewall and are uninsulated and most are a braided wire. If any of these are found unattached…reattach them.
Remember….this is not a “Sherman Tank” don’t over tighten the connections.
Tight…tight………………too tight…broke!!!
Yosemite
2 Likes
Good advice above. There’s a half dozen or so things that could cause this. If the above doesn’t pan out, a shop can do a couple of voltage measurements at the starter motor to begin the process of figuring it out. When the key is in “start” both electrical terminals feeding the starter motor should measure at least 10.5 volts, terminal to starter case. If they do, then the problem is likely the starter motor itself needs replacing.
thanks will try that. did some more research on neutral safety switches and it sounds like that whats up
but won’t know for sure until it wont start again 
Thanks OP for the “solution” tag. This is the first time anybody has come back and said their no-crank problem was properly diagnosed and solved using the voltage measurement tests at the starter. It’s not that the posters with no-crank problems come back and say that didn’t help; for the most part we just never hear from those poster again. So thanks again for not forgetting us. It’s always helpful to know what works or what doesn’t work.
3 Likes