Car won`t start

[Northernfins]

When I turn the key, I only hear a click and nothing else.

If I leave the key on ignition and connect a screwdriver on the starter relay on the firewall, the car starts.

Where is the faulty part/problem?

Thanks for the help

Marty

 

[Big_John]

If you jump the starter relay and it turns over, it's the starter relay.

 

[detmatt]

Mine does that occasionally, I have a spare waiting for when it gets worse.

 

[bajajoaquin]

How loud is the click? If it's kinda soft and behind the dash, you could be hearing the neutral safety switch. One of the regulars here had that issue and it took a long time to find it.

I was listening to Car Talk recently, and they had a caller with an intermittent starting issue where he moved the car a bit (like jostling, slamming the door) and it would start. They suggested the NSS, and that one way to check would be to put the car in neutral (rather than park) and move the shift lever towards drive and towards reverse gradually while trying to turn the key. It might cause the switch to operate in a different part of its travel and work.

Just a thought.

 

[70bigblockdodge]

I believe he has a fusie nss is in trans.

 

[dude69300]

I had a similar problem like that, out of say 25 starts it wouldn't work. Checked the battery for 100% charge etc, ran the gear shift thru the gears and it would fire up. Like the previous post said it was the nss, I haven't had that prob now for 2 yrs since it was replaced. $12.00 at napa

 

[70bigblockdodge]

I believe he has a fusie nss is in trans.

Brain fart all nss are on trans reverse lights on column in earlier years. Oops

 

[70NPORT]

I went all through my steering column wiring, the starter relay, fuse block, blah blah trying chase down a no start situation. Every freaking thing. Then one day I just happened to noticed the backup lights where lit in park. New nss. Problem is gone.

 

[1970FuryConv]

I used to just ground the terminal off the starter relay to the NSS, if car started in a no-start situation, I knew I had found my problem.
Otherwise, I agree with a new starter relay

 

[Yatzee]

One area that seems to be missed by all owners is the bulkhead to engine firewall connector. I check and clean mine periodically
and have found crud built up on the contact pins. A good spray of electrical cleaner followed by a blast of air seems to do a
good cleaning. Follow this with dielectric grease to keep moisture from fluorescing the contact points.

 

[70NPORT]

I checked too. Fortunately, mine was clean, completely undamaged and intact. I packed it with dielectric grease and reattached it.

 

[dude69300]

I checked that also, I had a mechanic buddy of mine bypass the bulkhead connection. He worked at a repair shop and he said they would do this with a lot of Chrysler's back in the day. I think that Chrysler had a technical bulletin put out because of this problem

 

[66SportFury]

The original poster never responded. What happened? Did you figure it out?

 

[Northernfins]

Was away from the computer for a while, thanks for all the help, I did get it figured out; replaced the relay on the firewall and it didn't help.

Then I remembered that I did have a problem once with the bulkhead connector on our `65 convertible, so I made sure the connections were good, one seemed to be loose so I cleaned it and connected it again, now nothing at all, looked underneath and found the neutral safety switch had come undone ( last time we drove the car for a one nite tenting trip in the Rockies, we drove through some 6 inches of hail slush on the highway, must have caused the switch to come loose). I plugged the switch back in, and it`s back to normal, car has been running flawless ever since.


Thanks to ya`ll again, Marty

 

[F Preston]

Sometimes the ammeter opens in these old machines too - slam the door and it starts points right to it.