Car wont start with key

[TheDartSide]

Need some help trouble shooting.

69 Dart GT 318 Electronic Ingition

I thought my battery was dead was hard to start but would start(charged fully) now car does nothing from will not start from key or even turn over. Can turn to run position and start from relay.

Where should I start.

Thanks

 

[67Dart273]

Stick or automatic? If automatic might be the neutral safety switch, wiring, or start relay.

 

[Treblig]

I had trouble with starting (cranking) on my '69 Barracuda. The person I bought the car from even sold me the car with a new ignition switch. I never got around to replacing the ignition switch but I did take the car to a key making shop (lock shop, pros). The guy put my key in the original switch and tried it a few times. It would crank sometimes and sometimes not depending on how you held and turned the key. He didn't say a word then he walked back into his shop and made another key using mine as a template. It started EVERY TIME after that. He explained that the previous owner had bought an aluminum key for a replacement. He said that the aluminum keys wear down on the straight edge side (the side on the bottom) after a few years which makes the teeth lose contact with the tumblers. He had made me a new key out of metal (steel) . He said it would last almost forever!!


Ya learn something everyday!!! I still have the new ignition switch if you want to but it!!
Treblig

 

[memike]

My money is on the start relay.. I have had this happen to me many times in the past and it's a easy fix to try it, if it don't fix it ( i bet it will) put it in the clove box ready to be replaced when it does go out :glasses7:

 

[RedFish]

Hold the key is start position and move the shifter a bit. Another member recently posted a similar fault and found the plastic bushings in shifter linkage had gone away.
The extra movement or lost motion in the linkage effects neutral safety switch operation.

 

[BillGrissom]

The extra movement or lost motion in the linkage effects neutral safety switch operation.

Even more than that, loose linkage affects what gear the transmission is truly in. The NSS simply reports that information, i.e. if the NSS doesn't ground the pin, the transmission is not in P or N. Occasionally, an NSS itself may fail, but they are pretty simple so uncommon.

Try grounding the wire that runs to the NSS. Don't stand in front of the car since it may not be in P or N and jump forward under the starter. EMT's probably find a lot of gomers pinned against their garage wall.

 

[krazykuda]

Do the headlights work? Check your fuseable link.

 

[TheDartSide]

Thanks for the reply's

Just changed the starter relay, same thing sorta. Jumped the relay to start it and move back in garage now it is keying over but sounds like starter is bad (but when jumping relay sounds perfect??? Could it just be starter and if so why does it start perfect by jumping relay and sounds like starter slipping or something when keying it almost like when battery is low or near dead (which is not the case)?

BTW it is Automatic

 

[memike]

Low voltage threw your wiring to the conectors on the relay, check the pre-made conetors with a wiggle and make sure you don't have a bad conection.. one way to find this is start it (or attempt to) then feel of the connectors and see how hot they got, the hot one is a bad conetion and not letting enough amps threw it.. sounds like it could be another bad relay almost .. JMO Hope you get this figured out.

 

[RedFish]

Yeah you would need to check every connection from battery posts to starter. There's a big wire powering the starter itself but everything else operates on the smaller wires.
Lets try this. Use a volt meter to check voltage at the battery. Next pull the yellow wire from your start relay and turn the switch to start. You need to see very close to same voltage there.

 

[TheDartSide]

Update:

Measured voltage on battery it was ok,

Measured voltage of yellow\w wire off relay with key on also OK, put back and it is so far starting ever time. ???

 

[krazykuda]

It was probably a bad connection with the yellow wire for the neutral safety switch.

 

[memike]

wire conetion ...... this is how things tent to fix there self ......or a bad wire.... This is where your trouble has been from the get go , Happy you found it :thumbup:

 

[TheDartSide]

Hopefully last update!

Neutral Safety Switch Connector!!!!

After saying it never failed again pulled back in garage no start, rolled back down driveway starts, pull back in garage no start again roll back in driveway starts.

Jack up car and the connector to neutral safety switch was off just barely touching. Plug in back on working perfect.

Thanks for all the help and guidance. KEEP IT SIMPLE and it was the simplest!

 

[krazykuda]

Happy motoring.... :burnout: