Intermittent starting problems

[veggiemike]

On Friday, I started up my car, backed out of the garage, turned it off to go get my lunch, started it again, and started off to work. I decided to stop and get coffee and a bagel on the corner... When I came out, my car wouldn't start. Battery seemed fine, radio, headlights, etc all worked. Could hear the fuel pump prime, but turning the key resulted in nothing more than the normal dash lights... No starter noise, no clicking, nothing.

By midday, once it was 40 degrees out, the car magically started fine...

On Sat, I brought the car to Pep Boys. They did a starting/charging system diagnostic, decided the starter was bad (which is what I thought), and replaced it. All seemed well and good.

On Sun, after starting the car a dozen or so times, the car repeated the exact thing again. Battery seems fine, no starter noise, no click... Just normal dash lights... And I got towed again.

It's a '95 GT with a 3 year old battery, 2 year old alternator, and brand new starter. Thoughts?

 

[CC'S95GT]

starter relay in engine compt. fuse box.
if it does it again give that relay a good whack (don't break it) it might just be hanging up inside the relay. if that works replace it. do have theft control on the car? that could be causing problems too

 

[topless95]

is it a 5speed or auto

 

[Bassani50]

Yeah, I'm going +1 on the relay, that sounds about right

 

[veggiemike]

5 speed manual. The guys at Pep Boys have replaced one of the wires to the starter, which they said was bad (I'm assuming it was a corroded connector as opposed to the actual wire, but that's what they said). They're gonna keep the car over night to see if it starts in the morning.

Is the relay in the fuse box under the driver-side dash, the engine compartment, or elsewhere?

 

[CC'S95GT]

relay is under the hood

 

[94kingcbra]

What you have sounds like a problem in the control circuit. The control circuit consists of the ignition switch, relay, the S terminal on the starter itself, and all the wires connecting them...

Try switching out the relay with a similar one.

If it's not the relay, then you might have a connector that has corrosion.

If you can't find anything, then look at the small wire going to the S terminal on the starter.
First, disconnect the fuel pump relay.
Take a digital multimeter and place the red lead on that terminal, and then place the black lead on the case of the starter.
Have a buddy turn the ignition switch to start. (This should turn the starter without the engine starting.)
Your multimeter should have at least 12V...if it does then....

Follow that wire and look for any bad spots. Pay attention to the area around the headers and anywhere near heat. If it still acts up, try bypassing the wire with a wire from the relay to the s terminal or from the ignition switch to that relay...I wish I could be there to help, there are so many things you can do...Good Luck

 

[topless95]

Don't forget the switch on the clutch pedal

 

[94kingcbra]

ya thanks, is the car an automatic or stick?

 

[2slo95fiveoh]

ya thanks, is the car an automatic or stick?

I believe he said it was a 5 spd. At any rate intermediate problems are by far the toughest to diagnose. Starter relay sounds
like a good solution, but hopefully the shop you took it too will have some more insight, and fix it for free now since they didn't fix
it the first time. :thumbsup:

 

[stangman1995gt]

I have the same problem. Mine is an auto though. I had many problems with it in the summer I usally just hit it with a hammer while im turning the key and it starts fine.lol. (probably should get a new starter ?)

 

[95 svt cobra]

Dude what is it with our years having starting issues all of a sudden? i wonder if its one of those 14-15 year itches with electrical shit? over on Corral there are like 3 threads going on about stators being bad and ccrms being bad as well

 

[CC'S95GT]

Dude what is it with our years having starting issues all of a sudden? i wonder if its one of those 14-15 year itches with electrical shit? over on Corral there are like 3 threads going on about stators being bad and ccrms being bad as well

on stangnet there are a bunch of threads on stators too. not so many on ccrm's