I owe you all an apology. It’s difficult to hear criticism concerning my dad’s abilities. My misplaced frustrations over this whole mess were taken out on you all. It was my first car and seeing it sitting there turning into so much junk is really bothering me. But it was not right for me to express that frustration toward you.
I do sincerely appreciate all the advice that you’ve given and I’ve passed it on to my dad. Whether or not the car gets fixed… well, that’s another story.
Thank you, gentlemen, for taking the time to comment and try to help me out.
There certainly is a way to fix it but not by someone over the internet.
My suggestion at this point would be to find someone who is competent at installing alarm systems (not just some kid that can follow directions but a real electrical diagnostician) to come over and see if they can unravel the missing link(s). You could start the quest by going in to a highly regarded alarm place in your area and discussing the situation with them. You might find a willing ear and skills to go along with it.
The problem is likely to be simple. The difficulty is in finding it
I have removed many aftermarket alarm systems, usually for a 1/2 hour labor fee. It is normally quite simple, failing to reconnect the yellow start wire is usually the only thing that can keep the car from starting.
If the alarm system had remote start that would involve some tampering with the factory immobilizer when installing or removing the system. If that is the case he may have to take the vehicle to a dealer to get that repaired.
Well, I know that I could lock it with a key fob but not start it that way. It’s a sedan. I had been considering buying it back if he could get it to work. We now have four children and only one car. So if the Sebring worked, my husband could use that to drive to work since all of us won’t fit into it. Then I could keep our other vehicle (a van, of course) at home in case of emergencies or for running errands. Right now, I don’t have a vehicle during the day. Do you know what really sucked about the car not running? We bought it new and had it completely paid off. Same for a Jeep we had once. About a month after paying it off, the transmission started going out on it. I’m not even going to try to pay off our van…
Diagnosing a no crank/no start condition is straight forward on that car but if you don’t have a test light, volt meter and the car in your possession I don’t think this will be possible. If you could post a picture of the restored steering column wiring that would be a start.
I would, Nevada, but the car is a 3 hour drive from me right now. I appreciate you trying to help though. I think I’m just going to have to accept Volvo’s above advice and just be done with the thing before the frustration and disappointment gets to me.
