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Bizzare starting issue

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Mll1446

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I have a 66 Belvedere with a 76 400 engine car starts fine then one day won’t start not sound click or nothing then a couple days later I try it and it starts ? Any ideas want to avoid being stranded somewhere. Thanks in advance
 
Make sure your battery connections are clean first. Then you can trouble shoot step 2 if that isn't your problem. You'll need a volt meter to see if you get voltage at positive side of the coil when you turn key on.
 
I had a fairly new starter relay do the same thing once, also check your neutral start switch.
 
You should have a brown wire down to the neutral safety switch if it's an automatic.
Next time it doesn't start try shifting the trans out of park and into neutral.
You can also ground that wire temporarily.
Next check for voltage on the yellow wire of the starter relay when in the start position.
Should be 12 volts.
 
Starting system issues can be a real PITA.... For example, i took the wife to her Dr's.appointmemt and because of the Covid 19 issues, i waited in the car, my 2015 Yukon Denali. I powered down and started reading a magazine to pass the time. Approximately 45 minutes later the wife was done at the Dr. Went to start the Denali....click....absolutely nothing...volt gauge read 8 volts...absolutely zero power. Battery terminals were clean and corrosion free and tight. The battery was a maintenance free type. Got a jump start...
My personal philosophy about batteries: it gets one chance not to start the car...then it gets replaced. The charging system was load checked OK The alternator is a 160 amp unit. I replaced the battery with an AGM AC Delco....cost ~ $ 250.
The only real problem with the GTX was a bad clutch start switch (4 speed car), fixable by jumping the start relay coil to ground or jumping the start relay coil to the battery feed. Once I had a starter motor starter clutch fail requiring a "catch it in gear" start. The fix...replace the starter motor...it too just gets one chance to not start...
Just my opinion of course.
BOB RENTON
 
neutral safety switch in tranny. Test the switch and make adjustments to linkage or screw switch in so it makes contact to ground in park/neutral. You can easily start car if you have a spare wire that you can ground the brown wire terminal on the starter relay.
 
Ignition switch may be an issue or the power wire from it where it connects into the main harness. I had this issue with my Challenger and while trying to figure it out I happen to wiggle the wires and then it worked. Found out that the connection was bad, have to bypass it because it was so bad.
 
If it is an auto trans try and start it in Neutral, if it does start then the problem is in the gear linkage adjustment and the Neutral switch is not properly operated when in Park position.
Adjustment is required for the linkage.
 
Appreciate all the help but it is so hit or miss when start we are not talking waiting hour or so could be day or two then starts
 
What changes then between these start attempts?
Do you go to the car, try to start and it does not start.
You come back 2 days later and try again, did you or someone els work on the car in between?

Because in that case i think 70chall440 already mentioned the point to look at, the ignition switch.
 
Last edited:
Wietse said:
What changes then between these start attempts?
Do you go to the car, try to start and it does not start.
You come back 2 days later and try again, did you or someone els work on the car in between?

Because in that case i think 70chall440 already mentioned the point to look at, the ignition switch.
Click to expand...
Nothing just let it sit no one touches it then will start its crazy
 
One last question what in a switch if bad would make it start one time and then not the next time ?
 
unplug and clean the bulkhead connections. clean every ground you can find. the starter relay is grounded to the body as well.
 
Mll1446 said:
One last question what in a switch if bad would make it start one time and then not the next time ?
Click to expand...

The ignition switch rotary assembly, the ignition switch consists of the key barrel and behind it is a rotary switch.
The switch is what connects the circuits based on key position.
In worn condition they tend to not make (proper) contact.
Get yourself a wiring diagram of your application and a multimeter.
Set the multimeter up to measure voltage on the IGN wire on the starter relay, when you throw the key to crank the engine you should see a 12volt supply coming on that wire.
If there is no juice it means the ignition switch is not passing the 12volt signal to the relay.
If you do get 12volt on the relay you can exclude the ignition switch and start sourcing your issue in the starter relay. (find a replacement)

From what i know is that it's more likely the ignition switch that is faulty if it is a random start/no start, if the start relay is bad it mostly will not work at all.
 
Wietse said:
The ignition switch rotary assembly, the ignition switch consists of the key barrel and behind it is a rotary switch.
The switch is what connects the circuits based on key position.
In worn condition they tend to not make (proper) contact.
Get yourself a wiring diagram of your application and a multimeter.
Set the multimeter up to measure voltage on the IGN wire on the starter relay, when you throw the key to crank the engine you should see a 12volt supply coming on that wire.
If there is no juice it means the ignition switch is not passing the 12volt signal to the relay.
If you do get 12volt on the relay you can exclude the ignition switch and start sourcing your issue in the starter relay. (find a replacement)

From what i know is that it's more likely the ignition switch that is faulty if it is a random start/no start, if the start relay is bad it mostly will not work at all.
Click to expand...
Thanks for input and your time
 
Mll1446 said:
One last question what in a switch if bad would make it start one time and then not the next time ?
Click to expand...
"Heat" with just enough expansion and contraction to make and break contact at the neutral safety switch. To rule this out, when it doesn't start, ground out the brown wire terminal on starter relay with a wire that has alligator clips on each end (one end on the terminal and one to good ground). Give it a try.
 
There is no heat source, as the OP said before...sometimes he tries to start and it doesn't, later on try again and it does start.
To me the only variable here that moves/actuates/whatever is the ignition barrel.

To rule out the starter, you can "hot wire" it to see if it cranks.
 
My Dart had a similar issue. The brown wire mentioned above to the Neutral safety switch had gotten hung up in the gas pedal linkage to the carb. Every time I got in and pumped the pedal a few times it got hung up. I noticed it when it wouldn't start one day and I pressed the pedal down half way and she came to life.
Good luck.
 
Wietse said:
There is no heat source, as the OP said before...sometimes he tries to start and it doesn't, later on try again and it does start.
To me the only variable here that moves/actuates/whatever is the ignition barrel.

To rule out the starter, you can "hot wire" it to see if it cranks.
Click to expand...
Update changed ignitio switch started 3 times yesterday during a drive this morning. Won’t start no click clank nothing
 
WP29440SE said:
unplug and clean the bulkhead connections. clean every ground you can find. the starter relay is grounded to the body as well.
Click to expand...

Those ******* bulkhead connectors would always cause problems just like the OP mentioned...
 
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