QuestionI have a 1994 Chrysler LeBaron that won't start. I parked it, and when I tryed to started it 5 minutes later, nothing. When I turn the key nothing happens. The battery is fully charged, and the car isn't showing any check engine codes. Please let me know what I can do to fix this problem, thank you.
AnswerHello Robert,
I had an almost identical question from an owner of an 89 LeBaron a couple of days ago. Let me copy that dialog in here for you to consider. The wire colors at your starer relay are different (but you will probably have to check the pins in the base of the socket in any case, and the relay is located in the power distribution center under the hood, the inboard-most relay in the box) but the same principles apply. If you intend to do some voltage checking at the relay's socket let me know and I will give you the locations of the pins in qustion. The original question is at the top, and the response begins at the bottom are read upward from there.
Roland
I have a 1989 Chrysler LeBaron convertable 2.5 Turbo. The car was just fine, with the exception of the amp gauge pegging out and setting the Check engine light, but I purchased a used SMEC for it. The problem now is that I went to start the car (all gauges come on) but when I turned the key to start it, nothing happens, not even a klick. The battery has 12.47 volts, and does not change when I move the key from run to start. It's not pulling any volts during start? I did notice that when I move the key to start, the heater, and stereo dispay's both go blank,and the emergency brake light comes on. No codes are set???
It's like the starter selonoid is not getting power?
Thank you.
{Robert: skip to bottom and read up from there}
Mark
Answer: Hi Mark,
That helps alot. If you are not getting 12v at the moment you turn the ignition switch to start position on the yellow/black wire at the plug to the relay, then either the ignition switch is fauly or the red wire coming from the battery to the ignition switch is open. So remove the steering column covers and check the solid red wire coming into pin B1 of the switch. If it is hot then check to see if you get 12V on the solid yellow wire on pin S2 when you try the starter position of the key. If not, then the ignition switch is bad. If you do then check green color 10-pin disconnect at the base of the steering column where the yellow wire connects up to the yellow/black that goes to the relay. If that is good and still the 12v doesn't get to the relay, then that wire is broken somewhere between the connector and the relay plug. If the solid red wire coming into the switch is not hot (it should be all the time) then look for an orange fusible link behind the battery (there is a bundle of colored spaghetti-looking such links behind the battery) and pull on it to see if it falls apart which indicates that link has blown and needs to be replaced; ideally you need to also check why it blew so let me know if that is the case and we can consider that question.
The relay will close its contacts, sending current from the black wire to the brown wire to the solenoid, whenever there is 12V on the black/yellow and the brown/yellow wire is grounded (as the result of putting the trans in park or neutral). So that is all the theory there is to it.
You have to find out why you don't get 12V on the black/yellow when you turn the ignition key to start, it appears to me.
Roland
P.S. Thanks for the kind evaluation.
Thank you Roland, I was doing some of your suggestions, and jumped the hot wire to the brown wire(solenoid wire) and the starter kicked right in, and the ignition was on so it started and ran. I pulled the cover off of the relay (Part number 5227300). What I do not understand is how this relay works. I know it has a constant 12 volts to the Black wire, the Brown wire energizes the starter, but the Yellow wire with a black stripe, has no power going to it with or with out the key in run or in the start position, the Brown wire with a green stripe is a ground. So I don't know if this helps to narrow it down, but I figure I will try. I did try and start the car by moving the shifter around, checking the nuteral safety switch but nothing, I am not even sure where the safety switch is located on the trans??? Thank you so much for your time and patience with me. Mark Stover The original Question ID is: 4252381
Hi Mark,
For the starter solenoid to click it must get 12V from the starter relay on a brown wire that runs between them.
To fire up the starter motor, you need to have current flow to and thru both the primary circuit consisting of the ignition switch, park/neutral safety switch on the transmission, and the starter relay located on the left strut tower (the inboard relay of the two relays on the tower) AND you need the main current to the motor from the battery to reach the starter solenoid that is located on the starter motor behind the engine (that big red cable is probably o.k. because the failure (as you describe it) seems to say that the solenoid is not getting the go ahead from the relay (i.e., you don't hear a loud click coming from the solenoid)).
There are several components in the primary to consider:
1. The ignition switch (it may have a flakey contact), and be aware that the displays/brake light are controlled by a separate section of the switch from that which operates the starter relay, so it doesn't prove the ignition switch is o.k. to have observed that.
2. The park/neutral safety switch on the trans (it may be flakey, or be out of adjustment, so try moving the shift lever a little bit one way or the other from the detent when in park and while you have the key turned to "start" to see if that solves the problem). If the relay now clicks/starter motor works, then the switch needs to be adjusted to close when you have trans in park or neutral. If not then ground the violet/black wire at the safety switch and try the starter again. If it now works then that switch is bad.
3. The starter relay (ask a helper to operate the ignition key while you get under the hood, and listen for a soft click to come from the starter relay when the helper operates the ignition key to "start"); if you hear that then you know the ignition switch and the relay coil and the safety switch are o.k.; and the problem is either the relay's internal switch contacts are burnt, the brown wire from the relay to the starter solenoid is open, or the starter solenoid itself is bad. If you don't hear a soft click, then either the ignition switch, the safety switch, or the relay's internal coil is bad.
If you hear the relay's soft click, then you have to determine if the contacts in the relay are worn, the brown wire from the relay to the starter solenoid is open/ loose/corroded, or that the starter solenoid itself is flakey. The relay is pretty cheap, and the brown wire can be checked at the solenoid to see if 12V is getting there when the relay has clicked, so you might try checking for 12V at the solenoid and if it isn't then buy a new relay. If that doesn't fix it, then the solenoid on the starter motor is probably worn enough to be flakey or something is wrong with the brown wire that connects the relay's closed contacts to the solenoid at the starter motor. That latter possibility could be checked by measuring for voltage at the brown wire in the relay plug at the time when the starter is tried and you hear the relay click. If you get 12V there then the relay is good and if the wire is good too there should be 12V at the other end of the wire at the solenoid proper. If you don't get 12V at the brown wire of the plug of the relay then the relay is no good (or the black wire on that plug does not have 12V on it directly from the battery because it is open, though that is fairly unlikely yet it should be verified).
Finally you can check the solenoid by jumping between the brown wire at the solenoid and the big red wire that is direct from the battery and will carry a very large current if it is accidentally grounded. So be very careful to put one clip of the jumper on the terminal of the solenoid where the brown wire is attached and then just touch the red wire connector momentarily which should cause the solenoid to click and the motor to operate (be sure you are in park or neutral when you try this test). If it doesn't activate the motor then the solenoid is bad.
Unfortunately, there is no simple answer, but if you have a voltmeter or a simple 12V neon glow light probe I have described to you where to check for voltage to figure out which of the components in this chain is the weak link. I can't be sure which would be the most likely to fail.
Feel free to write back if something here doesn't make sense to you. And you might want to buy a neon glow type of 12 volt tester at an auto parts store so you will be ready to figure out which components or wires is causing the problem.
Roland
