Chrysler Repair: Car wont start, chrysler sebring, car wont start

Question
 I have a 1996 Chrysler Sebring JX convertible,2.4 liter.the car was fine,I shut the car off,and when I went to start it back up a few minutes later,It wouldnt roll over.the lights all come on and the starter kicks but the motor wont roll over.what could it be? we had a new starter put on but it still wont roll over.A mechanic told us that it could be the transmission,is that possible?

Answer
Hi Trina,
I assume that what you are describing is that the starter motor solenoid clicks loudly but that it is unable to crank the engine (e.g. not rotate the crankshaft, etc.). I would normally wonder about the starter motor but you say that has been done. Of course even before the starter motor you would want to be certain that the battery was charged and that it was capable of delivering enough current at a voltage of about 11-12 volts to deliver power to the motor. The lights could go on but the battery might be low on voltage or charge delivery ability. How old is it?
Even more basic than that is the wiring to the motor from the battery. Did the mechanic check the battery posts for corrosion and for a tight clamp fitting. Did the mechanic check the ground wire from the - post of the battery to the engine's cylinder head to make sure that the connection was clean and tight at the cylinder head so the current from the starter motor could return to the battery without excessive resistance along its path? Those are the sorts of very basic things to be done when a seemingly good battery is unable to "crank" the engine over. So make sure that all those matters are checked out. He could try jump starting the engine with another car's battery that is known to be good.
If after all that it won't crank, then he should try putting a socket and long breaker bar on the bolt at the front of the engine that is screwed into the crankshaft and try to turn the crankshaft by hand. If it is seized then you have to investigate why. If you have an automatic transmission that binding up should not be able to happen because the torque converter is not firmly bound to the transmission unless it was in gear and a mechanical connection called the torque converter lockup was faulty and was still in place (though it automatically disconnects when you slow down, and you would have known of it when you last drove the car). If you have manual transmission it could be that it is in gear but that the clutch is not working in which case shift it to neutral and see if it will then crank.
But I suspect the battery or ground cable wires are loose/not making good contact or that the battery is old/discharged.
If the engine is cranking but it won't sustain an idle then that is an entirely different question. So let me know if that is the case. Or if the starter relay in the power distribution center is clicking softly but the starter motor is not responding with a louder click and rotation that is something else. So let me know which of these possibilities is actually happening.

Roland