Car wont start...CANT FIND THE CAUSE

[SilverBullet00]

Here is what I know- I havent been having any starting issues at all. I get home from work, park my car on the drive way, 30 min later I go to leave and the car wont start. When I turned the key it seemed like it was going to start for a split second but shut off right away. Then I heard a clicking sound coming from the driver side under the dash. The lights dont work, nothing electrical works. I have a viper 5000 security system, and the alarm "brains" box seems to be doing the clicking, but i cant tell for sure. The "theft" still blinks like normal and the alarm itself works intermittendly.

The battery and alt are good. When I try and connect a line direct from my battery to the starter, the starter doesnt budge. This would lead me to beleive it was the starter, but why in the hell would none of the electronics work and why is the alarm box clicking?

HELP!

Oh yeah, I called ford- they blammed the alarm. I called DEI, they blammed ford.

 

[Red2000GT]

Get a multi-meter on the battery itself and check the voltage. A low battery will do exaxctly what you're describing.
The car turning over for a split second will have dropped the voltage to everything and the alarm will flash the park lights because it thinks it's being re-connected to a battery.
I'm 90% sure you've got a low battery(meaning your alt isn't charging)

 

[Mike97gt]

it's most likely your alarm, if you look under there and see how bad they hack those things in you will never get a alarm again. just about everytime I get a no start in on a car with a alram it's the alarm.

 

[BeelzebubSOB]

Get a multi-meter on the battery itself and check the voltage. A low battery will do exaxctly what you're describing.
The car turning over for a split second will have dropped the voltage to everything and the alarm will flash the park lights because it thinks it's being re-connected to a battery.
I'm 90% sure you've got a low battery(meaning your alt isn't charging)

Check the voltage from post to post and if it is ok,check from cable end to cable end at the battery.I have seen corrosion between the cable ends and battery posts but not being able to see it with the cables connected.Low voltage will cause a lot of problems.If you have/had lights right before cranking and they all go out almost immediately when you try to start,then yes,you have poor cable connection or bad battery.

 

[Rusty67]

Step 1 check the battery. Just because the battery is bad does not mean the alternator is bad. The battery could just be OLD.

 

[Red2000GT]

True

 

[CobraRed_96_GT]

+1 on checking to see if the batt works in a diff car, also +1 on alarm suspision

 

[SilverBullet00]

Well, I have no Idea what the problem was, but now the car starts. I think I might have left the battery unhooked for so long the alarm reset itself... What I waste of a day off