QuestionQUESTION: Greetings. I have reviewed some of your postings and am still looking for answers. My car died on Sunday. First the battery light came on. 5 miles later the ABS light also came on. Within 30 seconds of the ABS light i lost all power. I checked the shifter to make sure it was in drive, it was. I coasted to a stop. Put it in park. Shifted in to drive, moved 5 feet and again lost power. The motor was running but the car would not move. Like an idiot, i shut the car off. I am now unable to restart it. The PRNDL has boxes around each letter. I was thinking it might be the neutral safety switch. You had posted to other people about looking at the wires. What do i do after that? I have access to a "Brain Box" (Snap-on MT2500, my father's). It showed only 2 codes, p0522-oil pressure switch and p2503-battery code light. What would my next step be/
ANSWER: Hi Chris,
The battery light coming on along with the 2503 suggests to me that either the alternator drive belt has come off or gotten too loose to drive the alternator sufficently to charge the battery and that your battery has run down to the point where it won't crank the engine. You can check the neutral safety switch is OK by putting the shifter in P or N, then have a helper turn the key to start while you open the hood and look inside the power distribution box to find the starter relay. If it clicks when the helper tries to start the engine then the safety switch is not impairing the starting function. If only the relay clicks and the solenoid switch at the starter motor doesn't click then the battery, the starter solenoid or the wire from the relay to the solenoid is open. If the solenoid clicks but the starter won't activate then the battery is probably too low to power the starter motor. So you can either get the battery charged or do a jump start frtom another vehicle that will provide the necessary current to crank over the starter motor. Then once you have it started again, if the battery light is still on then you would want to assess whether the issue is the belt, the age of the battery, or the alternator itself is defective that is causeing the insufficient voltage to operate the vehicle. The 0522 may be due to the system voltage being too low as well.
Please 'rate' my answer (see PS below).
Thanks,
Roland
I would start with this possibility
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: I tried jumping the battery. Still won't start. I don't have the click at the relay. Swapped relays, still nothing. Turn key, no sounds at all. This is why I thought it was the neutral safety switch.
ANSWER: If it is the neutral/park switch then try moving the shift lever slightly off the detent positions on both sides to see if that will cause the relay to click and the starter to turn over.
If that doesn't work, then because you don't have a handle on the voltage of the system or other electical disconnection (the battery light and the 2503 code) you could try to by-pass the starter motor relay by removing it and then take a short length of wire and do a 'jump' across the pin socket's of the relay's socket. You would jump from side to side to replicate what the relay does (not front to back). If the labelling of the power box or relay shows pin numbers you want to jump from 30 to 87. If that works then there is an issue with the n/p switch, if not then you have an issue with there not being sufficient voltage and current to activate the starter motor.
Roland
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: I tried jumping the relay. Nothing. Not even a spark. My main problem is the shifting display shows that the transmission is in all gears. In a previous assistance to someone you had mentioned that there was a process to reset the PRNDL problem. Also, when I disconnect the battery,and then reattach it only the box arround the D is on. It is in park. But when I try to start the car all the boxes come on and stay on. I'm not worried about the oil and battery codes. I can fix them when I get the car running.
To give you more information, I am currently sitting with the vehicle attached by jumper cables, my voltage is 13.6 via my "brain box.". I can read the transmission codes and it only tells me that the battery was disconnected.
AnswerHi Chris,
I am surprised that there was no 'action' when you jumped from the '30' to the '87' of the starter relay and not even a spark. If you have a voltmeter function check to see if you also show 13.5 volts on starter relay socket '30'. It is connected to the battery all the time (via fuse #7 {40 amp] (check that fuse) so it should show 13.5v unless the fuse is blown.. If it does and you do the jump from side to side across the socket then there should be a spark unless the yellow/gray wire from pin 87 to the starter motor solenoid switch is 'open', the solenoid switch is defective, or the battery is not putting out sufficient current to even close the solenoid switch.
The all gear indicators illuminated means that the tcm is not getting its digital data to the cluster. Do th cluster self-test. With the key 'off' press and hold the trip reset button for 10 seconds, then release the button. The cluster will then cycle through a number of steps and end up by displaying fault codes in the odometer window. If the multiple lights are still 'on' then notice whether any of the codes are for the transmission and let me know what they are.
Until we get the starter to work, the issue with the transmission gear lights is secondary.
Please 'rate' my answer (see PS below). I would appreciate your giving a nomination of me to be 'volunteer of the month'.
Roland
