Chrysler Repair: 02 Concorde starter motor problem


Question
QUESTION: Hello Roland, my Concorde has a new battery and a new starter installer 2 days ago. Today I try to start it and nothing. I can hear a very faint "click" in the engine compacompartment with my window down but cannot be heard in the cabin. The car is in park as indicated by the ip as well as the positive click of the shift selector. When I turn the ignition on the car gogoes thru it's normal sequence and then then the engine light flashes ten time and stays on. When I turn the key the fuel mileage indicator on the info system goes blank then comes back on after a short time. I also noticed that my odometer read "done" at some point as well. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Brandon.

ANSWER: Hi Brandon,
The faint click is likely the starter motor relay in the power box in the engine compartment.
That means that the P/N switch is in the correct position, and that the ignition switch is also OK. The question then is why is no current flowing through the relay and from there to the starter solenoid switch to power up the starter. I would look at fuse G (40 amp) in the power box in the engine compartment to verify that it is patent (no subtle crack in the internal wire) and if that were OK then the possible cause is a faulty set of points in the relay (you could switch out the relay with another one in the box that has the same part number) to check that out. If still not start, then the sire that goes from the relay to the switch at the starter motor may not be connected or the battery may be discharged for some reason. You could jump a wire from the battery + post to the light green wire at the atarter motor to test the battery/starter motor and its solenoid switch. If that works then the wire from the relay to the solenoid is open. If it doesn't work then the battery may be too weak to even activate starter motor solenoid switch (which should make a loud click sound). If the battery is discharged then we have to find out why that is.
So go through these steps and let me know what you find.
Please read the PS (below) and respond to it.
Thanks.
Roland

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QUESTION: Great help! Unfortunately  it did not solve the problem and I believe it's down to the wire to the solenoid. Tomorrow  will be the second time my mechanic has been under my car in a week  to work on the starter.
Thank you for your fast help Roland!

Answer
Hi Brandon,
Let me give you the details about the wire from the starter relay to the solenoid switch on the starter proper. It is a brown wire connected to pin D of the relay socket (which is the middle pin of the three crosswise pins) and that goes to 14-pin black connector located near plug 2 of the PCM and also above the generator where it comes in on pin #9, and on the out-going side of that connector it leaves on a light green wire that then goes to the solenoid switch. So you should be able to verify whether there is or is not a connection between pin D of the relay socket and the light green wire at the solenoid switch.
Thanks for the rating and nomination.
Best of luck.
Roland