not cranking over - starter problems

It sounds like the starter or starter relay has gone out, Here is a guide that will show you how to test and give you an idea on what you are in for when doing the job

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/starter-not-working-repair

and

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-replace-a-starter-motor

and

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-an-electrical-relay-and-wiring-control-circuit

Here is the starter wiring diagrams so you can see how it works. Please let us know what happens.

Cheers

Ok.. the car is up to its old tricks. Wont start... just clicks once when the key is put in start. I was thinking about changing out the Ign Switch and got into the column and found what you see in the picture. Looks like the previous owner took something out of the car that they had added and put a piece of wire with wire nuts on the yellow wire (see the pic) Now... I went to look to find out how much this wire harnes is and they want $1900 for the part!!!!! The first question is could the wirenuts be causing my problem and is there some cheaper place to get this part. Other than that... well it is still not starting unless I sit there and turn the key off and on and off and on and eventually it will turn on.

Sounds like the igntion switch has to catch its sweet spot on the start circuit of the switch to crank the engine over.

Ok.. I replaced the Ignition Switch and it still does the same thing. Someone told me something about a switch in / arround the transmition but I dont think that would be the problem because if I put the transmission in drive and try to turn the car over it dose nothing... not even click. Someone else said something about a linkable fuse but I dont know where that is so Im not real sure that could be the problem. Im taking out the starter in the morning and run it to PepBoys for them to test it again along with the Batt..... just to hear them say the starter is fine and then I will put it back in and the car will start fine..... anyone have any other ideas?

Could be the park and neutral switch. The engine should not crank at drive gear position its not make like that only on park and neutral-

Ok... where would that be located? Ill be MORE than happy to check it next :)

I have 24 hours to get this thing back up and running.

Disregard the park and neutral switch and check the starter motor relay in the power distribution center-

When I was going over all the data... and putting in new relays and fuses... which did not work... I removed the Batt...and got the strange idea to quickly move the wires around the starter and hook the Batt. back up and see if it would start. Well.. me being lazy like I am sometimes.. I hooked the Batt back up using jumper cables...well... as you know there is not enough power to run the car thru the jumper cables but it DID however show me that if I hooked up and tried to start the car.. I started getting the click click click of a dead Batt. I put the Batt. back in the car and low and behold the car started. I moved the cable that goes to the ALT. and it started just doing the single click again. I looked at the wire I was moving and noticed on the wire it said "Fusable Link". I had read where people had had problems with this part before with the same starting results. Not knowing what a fusable link really was I called around to NAPA as well as the Dealership and found that you dont purchase a linkable fuse you make one. The dealership wanted some un-godly amount of money to purchase the entire engine wireing harnes but NAPA had 10 gage wire which was all the fuse was. I talked with a couple of nice service people at the dealership and they told me to save the money and just clip the wire close to the fuse... strip the 8 gage wire.. sauder the 6 inches of 10 gage to the 8 gage then put a round connector with a hole back on the end of the 10 gage. This would still be a "linkable Fuse" and do the job of the old one without having to replace the entire wire harness. SO... for about $4 in parts I put the wire in and the car has never started better or faster than it does now. I pulled the old fuse apart to look at the wire and did find some green junk on the copper.. seems that somehow mosture or water got in that wire and was causing a bad connection and not providing enough power to the starter to turn over. I am just praying that this has solved the problem for good. thanks to everyone who posted to help me out. I will continue to use the information and hope my story helps someone figure out their problem. And a HUGE thanks to 2carpros.com.... I will sing the prasies of this site for a long time to come!

ok... false alarm... I THOUGHT i had it fixed. Having the same problems again... I am re-opening this question... any more ideas of what to check?

Starter Relay has been replaced even though it tested good.

[quote:3107543423="ph0t0bug"]Starter Relay has been replaced even though it tested good.[/quote:3107543423]

did you ever find out the problem? My son's car is doing the same thing! we changed the battery, put a new starter, then it would not crank , took it to the shop, it cranked the day we were taking it..the shop kept it for 2 weeks and it cranked every time they got in it..well today August 24th, 2009..It is doing it again..
I read what you had wrote and just wondered if you found the problem in your car> Please help us if you can..Thank you! Betty _ Boop

I would really love to know if this was ever fixed. I just purchased a 2002 PT Cruiser Base for my wife and these are the exact symptoms my wife's car has. I have tested the battery (good), starter (good), fusible link on both sides (good), replaced neutral safety switch...aka. transmission range sensor (good), I have tested all fuses (good), I can start the car only with the key in the ignition (run position) and jump the starter and I can start the car with the key in the ignition (run position) and jump the starter relay (good). I have power to the fuse box under the hood and under the dash. I have power to the ignition wire (yellow) when turning the key, I have power to the starter wire (blue). Accy works in the 1 position yet not in the run position. There for the radio works when the key is turned back but not when the car is running. I can't turn the key in the ignition to start the car. The car previously had an aftermarket radio put it, which I took out and replaced it with a factory radio. There were several connections made to the wire harness yet the all sides have the correct power. I have no idea what is happening. My only thought would be the ignition actuator pin not pressing the connector in ignition switch. the factory actuator pin is quite long and looks like it is bending. Any thoughts?

For the love of................I, too, am having the exact same problem. My daughter in law's 2002 PT Cruiser (75K miles) all of a sudden just didn't start about 2-3 months ago. At first, I thought she left the lights on or forgot to put it in park...but alas, it wasn't her fault. We replaced the battery, just to be safe. Still had the same problem. Now, we tried it every day (temp and weather were unchanged) and some days it would start right up and some days it wouldn't. It would simply click, all electronics would go on (radio/dashboard/lights/etc), but just a click...it wouldn't turn over. After checking all fluids and connections/cables, we couldn't find anything wrong. After not starting one night at a baseball game, a kind gentlemen stated that he had a problem with his car similar to ours and he advised to get something hard to bang on the starter. We did that and BOOM, it started. Brilliant! Fixed....NOT! 2 days later, just a click. So, we explored getting a new starter. We replaced the starter early June and for 2-3 weeks, it started right up...then, same thing...just a click. We tried banging on the starter, jumping the car with another vehicle...sometimes it worked, sometimes it wouldn't. There really was no rhyme or reason. We finally took it to the Chrysler dealership and because it didn't act up for them at all (they had it for 5 days total), the diagnostics showed nothing wrong. They gave it the all clear since it started right up but of course, right after we brought it home, the same problem...just a click. At this point, I resorted to YouTube to determine DIY checks that I could do and I took apart the steering cover and dissembled the ignition cylinder/switch/actuator and could not find a problem. I took it to the dealership and they said it was just fine. The actuator pin was working correctly and nothing was wrong with the ignition system. After back and forth with me scratching my head and throwing things, I took the car to a local mechanic and he stated that because the starter we used was 'refurbished', it was probably due to a bad starter. Ok...so we used the warranty and got another one...SAME PROBLEM! 3 starters, 2 batteries and hours of frustration, not to mention over $400 of mechanics telling me there is NOTHING WRONG with the car....it still won't start. It just clicks.

For the love of all that is good in this world, can anyone tell me what the problem is!?!?!?!?!? I'm at a loss. 3 mechanics, including a Chrysler dealership tell me there is nothing wrong, but it will not start. And, do NOT ask me if there is gas in the car. I'm not a car expert, but this issue is something caused by the construction of the car, just not sure what it is. Electrical? Computer-related? Security system-related?

PLEASE HELP!!!!!

I see this is an old post but if anyone is still having problems with their PT Cruiser then I may have a possible fix. Several months ago my nephews’ 2002 Cruiser began have the same starting problems as many others on this and several other sites. Purchased from his grandmother the car has only 128,000 kilometers or around 80,000 miles. Just a click from the solenoid on the starter but not turning over. The first time I just charged the battery and it worked for a couple of weeks. The next time I managed to get it to start again and I’m not sure why, just tightening and moving cables I think.

Couple weeks later it happened again, just a click like the starter had failed. Since the solenoid was getting power I knew it wasn’t a VCM problem or any other link in the chain although I had traded relays just to be sure. The starting circuit is fairly simplistic. I’m not one to just replace parts and hope that they fix something unless I can prove a fault. This time I couldn’t get it going so I pulled the starter apart, cleaned, lubed and tested it. I could not find any internal problems with the starter and it fired up fine on the bench. It started the car again and did so for another couple of weeks.

The anemic sound this car makes when the starter turns over has always bothered me like it just wasn’t getting enough current. The factory battery cables look extremely light even for a 4 cylinder car but Chrysler put them there and I would think that they know what they are doing. Thinking I had missed something when testing the old starter, I finally broke down and put in a new one.

Fired up again but the anemic sound when cranking over had not changed. Couple more weeks and again no start. Now I’d triple checked all of the connections and grounds before this and my gut still said there was not enough current getting to the starter. I have a pickup truck I use for parts on the property so I pulled the main positive wire from battery to starter and over to the fuse box and put it in the Cruiser. Now this cable is much too long but I like the security of the factory terminals when they are in good condition. The wire is also 4-5 times as heavy since it was pulling over a bigger v8 engine. Just looped up the extra cable for now and gave it a try.

The starter winged over like I always thought it should and there have been no problems since. My guess Is that the factory cables in the Cruiser are very marginal at best and over time they must somehow oxidize internally at the connections even though they appear to be secure.
Hope this helps someone.

Check the timing belt. I know that may sound weird. I have a 2007 pt and I drove it all day one day. Parked it, next morning it wouldn't start. Went through replacing a lot of things before tearing it down and checking the timing belt. I know this post is old but if response can help someone than awesome.

Hey I am reading and having issues as well. Seeing what is not working helps because I can't afford to replace. My car with thr keys out for awhile and everything off can change. I have keys in my hand. The windshield wipers come on, the dome lights if I click them, thr mirrors if I open them(yes go off when closed). So are you guys having that as an issue along with car starting when it wants. I have new battery and other things checked but can't find issue.

Are you saying the wipers come on with the keys out of the ignition?

Please let us know what happens.

Best, Ken

I replaced the engine, it will turn over, but will not crank. It seems to be a timing issue.

"Turn over" and "crank" are the same thing. Does it or doesn't it?

If it cranks but doesn't run, first check the installation of the crankshaft position sensor. The air gap is critical. The dealer can provide a stick-on cardboard spacer. Stick that on the end of the sensor, push the sensor in as far as it will go, then tighten the mounting bolt. The gap is set now and the spacer will just slide off when the engine is cranked.

If you used the flex-plate that came with the replacement engine, it should be checked for cracks around the center and it should be compared to the old one. The holes around the outside must be in the same locations and have the same number of holes.

caradiodoc

car was being driven the other day and it just shut off. right after it shut off the car coasted to the side of the road and it was tried again to crank it but it didnt turn over, so the car was left for 30 minutes and when we came back the car would turn over but wouldnt fire, checked gas and everything and had almost half a tank, car was a little low on oil and some was added right there but still nothing happened. this car also has a recent history of overheating but not major overheating, and the radiator has to be refilled every time it is driven

Are you getting spark and fuel to the engine? Also, have you determined where the coolant is leaking? Could it be a headgasket?

car ran hot now wont crank back.. It turs over just wont catch fire.

You have likely done some serious internal engine damage. You will have to do some pressure testing sand compression tests but you are likely looking at a new motor.

You absolutely cannot overheat today's engines.

My 2002 PT cruiser broke down a week ago. It was driving fine and all of a sudden the check engine oil light came on and the car steering wheel began to lock up and shut down. I just had an oil change and other maintenance done to the car that same month. What could be wrong with my car? I need to know what part or parts are needed to fix the car. The car will not turn on. I can hear it trying to turn when I turn the switch on, but it still will not crank.

The mechanic that gave me the run around had me going back and forth buying parts for the car that does not fix the car. First it was supposedly the crank sensor. That didn't work. Then it was supposedly the coil package. That didn't do the trick either. Then the last time I spoke to this guy he said he would go back and get the crank sensor again to put on the car. This means I will have a new crank sensor and the new coil package. This is what he thinks would get the car up and running again. He got half way started with getting the coil package. After that he bailed on me without warning and lied about coming back to fix the car. Now I have a car that has been broken down for two weeks with no other mechanic to come and finish the job.

Very few professionals have the time to run to your house. Just like with doctors, it is impractical to haul around all the specialized equipment and tools they need. Tow the car to a repair shop and let them diagnose the problem correctly and get it running. By now you've figured out the most costly and least effective way to diagnose a problem is by throwing random parts at it.

If the red "Oil" light turned on, did that happen while you were driving or after the engine stalled? It will come on when the engine stops running. If the yellow "Check Engine" light turned on while you were driving, the Engine Computer detected a problem and set a diagnostic fault code to indicate the circuit or system that needs further diagnosis. It's important to understand that fault codes never say to replace parts. Even if the Check Engine light didn't turn on, there can still be fault codes related to the problem. You can read them yourself very easily on Chrysler products. Cycle the ignition switch three times from "off" to "run" within five seconds without cranking the engine, then watch the code numbers show up in the odometer display.

I have replaced battery battery cable and the starter. The car will not spin over with the key. Will not crank everything inside is working as should such as lights radio etc... I am a general mechanic I am looking for a Chrysler specialist.

Is the security light on solid or flashing?If not we need to follow this guide to see if the starter is okay. It sounds like the starter relay could be bad.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/starter-not-working-repair

Please run down this guide and report back.

If the security light isnt on then you should have power to the yellow wire coming out of the ignition switch with the key in the start position.Also constant power to the red wire at the ignition switch.

ok, let me see if I can get this straight. There's two red lights in the dash one is in center where tech is and there's another one with picture of little car. BEFORE I replaced starter one in the tach was solid. It now comes on for a second then goes out. The one with little car blinks for about 10 seconds goes out. I hope this makes sense.

As long as the lights go out and stay out were good.Go ahaed and check those wires.

we checked the power wires your talking about I have no power to these wires.

The red wire to the ignition goes back to the number 1 thirty amp fuse in the under hood fuse box like it shows in the wire diagram i posted.So see if there is power to both sides of that fuse.

I was wrong red is hot yellow is not. I installed a new ignition switch that fixed it

Nice work, we are here to help, please use 2CarPros anytime.