Car wont start(or even try to)

90' LX 5.0 said:

when i turn the key to on i hear the fuel pump and the normal lights and stuff come on as well as the radio and all other electronic equipment. When i turn the key to start absolutely nothing happens except for it cuts the power to the radio and stuff which is normal. There is no noise from the starter or anything else. Where should i start? Is the starter itself the problem? I would think that if it were the starter it would make some noise... but i get nothin...

Any ideas?

Click to expand...

turn the headlights on and then turn the key and try to start the car. If the headlights dim considerably, you've got a bad battery. If they don't dim at all, you've got a short or other problem.

Agreed with Jeremy. The first spot to hit if the battery and its connections are good is the starter interlock circuit. And the first place on that I would hit is the clutch safety switch (on the clutch pedal's arm) or the neutral safety switch (automatic).

An even quicker test is to remove the slide-on terminal on the solenoid and note if it has 12 volts during cranking. If not, hit the safety/clutch switch. Look for juice into the switch during cranking but not out (it should go out and to the slide-on terminal). If no output, try adjusting the switch or replace it.

If no juice to the switch, look at the ignition switch. The wire for cranking is White/pink IIRC (Check your schematic).

DO BE VERY CAREFUL WHILE DOING THESE TESTS SINCE YOU MIGHT INADVERTANTLY DISABLE THE INTERLOCK CIRCUIT, WHICH MEANS THE CAR WILL TRY TO START, EVEN IF IN GEAR/NOT IN PARK OR NEUTRAL.

Good luck.