first of all,,,happy 4th,car sometimes doesnt do anything when i attamp to start

[joseph p.]

hello to all,and be safe for the fourth of july,ok i know there is a thread on here about car not doing anything when attempting to start , but it stated that it had trans work,,,mine didnt have any trans work,,the previous owner told me that sometimes it doesnt start,and he told me he uses a screwdriver to the starter relay that is on the firewall,,i have had her for 2 mos,now and drove her about 10 times for about half hour each time,20percent of the time she wouldnt start i used skrewdriver method..but yesterday i drove her for about 30 minutes,walked my dog and came back it wouldnt start,,,nothing when turning key,so i went to skrewdriver route, and this time it wouldnt start,, just sparks,i know my luck ran out by trying to start her the screwdriver method,so could it be the ignition,or starter relay?..oh its a 1969 plymouth satellite vert,,i am kind of newbie virgin,,thanks so much,for the patience ,,and no drinking and driving,, lol.dui checkpoints.

 

[Pops1967GTX]

Get a test light out , full charged battery is needed..check for power at relay..First make sure your starter relay is grounded…Listen for a click from the relay when attempting to start..making sure the wire coming form the ingtion switch is not losse. if it doesnt do anything at the starter relay, then jump it at the starter solenoid. check connection at the starter solenoid…If you have power give the starter a slight bang with a hammer.

 

[joseph p.]

Get a test light out , full charged battery is needed..check for power at relay..First make sure your starter relay is grounded…
making sure the wire coming form the ingtion switch is not losse. if it doesnt do anything at the starter relay, then jump it at the starter solenoid. check connection at the starter solenoid…If you have power give the starter a slight bang with a hammer.

Get a test light out , full charged battery is needed..check for power at relay..First make sure your starter relay is grounded…Listen for a click from the relay when attempting to start..making sure the wire coming form the ingtion switch is not losse. if it doesnt do anything at the starter relay, then jump it at the starter solenoid. check connection at the starter solenoid…If you have power give the starter a slight bang with a hammer.

910469900, member: 4849"]Get a test light out , full charged battery is needed..check for power at relay..First make sure your starter relay is grounded…
making sure the wire coming form the ingtion switch is not losse. if it doesnt do anything at the starter relay, then jump it at the starter solenoid. check connection at the starter solenoid…If you have power give the starter a slight bang with a hammer.[/QUOTE]
thanks for reply..yes ,yesterday when this happened i called hagerty roadside they came out he said maybe the battery,,so he charged for a 5 minutes and nothing,,then i tried the skrewdriver,,nothing,,then when we were going to get it on the flatbed i tried to start it with key and it started right up lol.i will do your procedures ,and let you know later,,i wanted to take her for a ride with the family today,,thanks so much.

 

[BigYellaStella]

Neutral safety switch or ignition switch maybe? I just changed both of mine and it was an absolute breeze save for the tranny fluid when the NSS comes out

 

[Pops1967GTX]

If I remember correctly yellow is usually ignition switch & brown will be neutral safety ...

 

[joseph p.]

.ok..what do you mean when save for the tranny neautral switch,,newbie here,,also i went out right now and it cranked over and she fired,,, i turned off and on 3 times no problems ,,then when getting ready to close garage door,,i tried again for the hell of it,, it didnt fire,,,or nothing again,,,lol.i am gonna try your knowledge..first i gotta go buy a electric tester,,also where should i get the ignition switch autozone???thanks again,i love my country.

Neutral safety switch or ignition switch maybe? I just changed both of mine and it was an absolute breeze save for the tranny fluid when the NSS comes out

 

[joseph p.]

If I remember correctly yellow is usually ignition switch & brown will be neutral safety ...thanks so much.happy 4th.

 

[Pops1967GTX]

Don't throw any parts at…. Is it a 4speed or auto? starter relays are differnet..Do the test first… I'm thinking you have a starter relay or switch hanging up..
When it does it again, try to have someone next to the starter relay listening & feeling to see if it actuates. Then give it a few taps with a screw driver to see if it works.. Also if its a auto you can bypass neutral safety switch ti tell if its NG..

 

[joseph p.]

Don't throw any parts at…. Is it a 4speed or auto? starter relays are differnet..Do the test first… I'm thinking you have a starter relay or switch hanging up..
When it does it again, try to have someone next to the starter relay listening & feeling to see if it actuates. Then give it a few taps with a screw driver to see if it works.. Also if its a auto you can bypass neutral safety switch ti tell if its NG..

thanks will do,,thanks so much ,i gotta get a new battery also because its five years old the previous owner told me,, but when i put in my friends good battery last month , it did the same ,nothing when turning key,i will keep you posted,, gotta suck some cold ones down ....,,thanks again i really appreciate it.

 

[joseph p.]

Don't throw any parts at…. Is it a 4speed or auto? starter relays are differnet..Do the test first… I'm thinking you have a starter relay or switch hanging up..
When it does it again, try to have someone next to the starter relay listening & feeling to see if it actuates. Then give it a few taps with a screw driver to see if it works.. Also if its a auto you can bypass neutral safety switch ti tell if its NG..

oh its a auto 727 torque flight ,,center counsole

 

[BigYellaStella]

Ok, then let's get basic here. Are the battery terminals at least clean or are they corroded to bejeebus and back? That could cause intermittent starting, so could a bad ground somewhere. Even with a new or borrowed battery,something could jiggle a fraction of an inch to complete or disconnect the circuit.

The NSS or ignition switch should also be tested at least, and in an auto, they are in the transmission and they are in fluid, ergo the fluid comes out if it is removed.

Worst case scenario, Trans linkage is boogered or the ign switch is shot. The linkage adjustment is a P. I. T. A. And the column disassembly is surprisingly easy, I just found that out, actually.

I just fiddled with this very problem and mine came down to a faulty ign switch after I chased the whole circuit stem to Stern AND needlessly replaced otherwise operational partsparts. The parts were cheap but the fact remains, money spent that could have been better spent elsewhere...

 

[BigYellaStella]

Nice car BTW

 

[joseph p.]

Nice car BTW

the battery terminals are clean and tight.i appreciate the info my friend,,,will go from there,thanks again.

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

Ground the NSS and try the key a few times.Been there done that,,,,,,

 

[69clone]

I had a similar issue when I put everything back together last month. In my case that stud/post that the battery hot connects to was loose on the inside. Opened it up and tightened the nut down on the inside, no issues since.

If I remember correctly yellow is usually ignition switch & brown will be neutral safety ...

 

[joseph p.]

Don't throw any parts at…. Is it a 4speed or auto? starter relays are differnet..Do the test first… I'm thinking you have a starter relay or switch hanging up..
When it does it again, try to have someone next to the starter relay listening & feeling to see if it actuates. Then give it a few taps with a screw driver to see if it works.. Also if its a auto you can bypass neutral safety switch ti tell if its NG..

when you say bypass the neutral safety switch,do you mean go around it and disconnect it at the starter relay at the firewall?sorry newbie here. so if it starts with it disconnected then that can be the problem right? also i am getting a new starter relay and ignition switch at auto store.

 

[Hemi 354]

"check connection at the starter solenoid…If you have power give the starter a slight bang with a hammer." We used to call this a FORD wrench.

 

[joseph p.]

"check connection at the starter solenoid…If you have power give the starter a slight bang with a hammer." We used to call this a FORD wrench.

yes i tried that then i used scewdriver at the starter solenoid, it didnt start that way ,but there is spark... but then i taped the starter ,and then i used screwdriver at the starter solenoid it started..hhhmmmmm.lol????i am getting a new starter solenoid,just in case,,hey how do you test the key ignition switch ?maybe its that? thanks for your knowledge,i really appreciate it.

 

[BigYellaStella]

just in case,,hey how do you test the key ignition switch ?maybe its that? thanks for your knowledge,i really appreciate it.

Put a Test light on the starter relay terminal with the yellow wire on it whilst a helper turns the key to the start position. If it lights up when they turn it then the ign switch is theoretically good. If it doesn't light up then you're likely disassembling the column to change it. Check and/or bypass the NSS as others have described as well.

Honestly my money is on an intermittent ground, likely from the battery to the cylinder head, as most resto'd cars have the engine painted and then the cable bolted to it, not the reverse like the factory did it. Could also explain why it'll start at the relay and not the key as the relay grounds to the firewall.

Just a thought

 

[BigYellaStella]

"check connection at the starter solenoid…If you have power give the starter a slight bang with a hammer." We used to call this a FORD wrench.

Also reminds me of the old Chevrolet adage "If it can't be fixed with a hammer, then you've got yourself an electrical issue."

Told a guy that once @ work and he took me totally serious, took 2 minutes for him to realize I was kidding....