Dodge Repair: 05 Stratus: no starter motor


Question
QUESTION: Started with brake light and battery light blinking on sometimes, car still ran fine, lights never stayed on. died on me one day but a jump got it started and I replaced the batter as it was old.
Drove it a couple of times with seemed to run fine but after awhile the brake and battery started blinking again but would go off, sometimes for quite awhile.
Wife drove it today and it died again but now a jump won't start it, the blinker lights flash even when the key is off. When you turn the key on they stop and all the normal lights come on before you turn to start. When you turn all the way the car will not turn over, all the windows, locks are dead. Any idea where to start looking?

ANSWER: Hi James,
I need some clarification.
When you say "jump won't start it" does the starter motor turn over the engine or not?
By blinker lights do you mean the emergency flashing of lights at the front and rear? and if so have you check the hazard switch to see if it might be turned 'on'?
When you "all the normal lights come on" which lights are you talking about?
When you say "the car will not turn over" do you mean the starter motor won't activate? Do you hear a soft click from the starter motor relay in to main power box when a helper tries the start position? If so, do you hear a louder click coming from the starter motor itself?
The windows don't power on unless the key is in the "run" position.
But the door locks should operate in any position of the key. If not, then check fuses 6 and 11 in the main power box, and also check fuse 5 in the fuse box at the left-hand end of the dash.
Let me know the answers and what you find and we'll go from there.
Roland

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Morning, jumping does not start it, no clicks, like the car is dead. blinker lights in the dash cluster flicker when key is off, turning on the key they stop and all the normal cluster lights come on as normal before you turn the key to start. When turning the key all the way to start you get nothing, no clicks, motor does not turn over. When you turn the key off the cluster blinker lights flash very quickly.
Started this after wife drove in the rain, went from the cluster brake & battery lights coming on sometimes to dead ... like there might be a short in the brake warning system? Bad sensor or something.
Storm has stopped here, I disconnected the battery because of the cluster brake and battery lights flashing, will let the car dry out some and reconnect and see if anything has changed ... thanks -

Answer
Where are you attaching the jumper cables to?
The battery is located where it and its cables/clamps will possibly be wet/corroded so check those connections to be sure they are clean and tight at both ends. There are two fat red cables and one ground cable. Disconnect the ground cable for safety when checking the red cables. Then reattach. First you might want to sheck fuses 8, 14 and 25 in the power distribution box in the engine compartment.