Hi all, I've away for several weeks. Update and new help needed. Progress was being made albeit with fits and stops but progress none the less. I had gotten the majority of the big issues fixed and had a handful of more minor issues to finalize.
In particular I had gotten the blower motors working again with help from this forum and the motor was running beautifully. I did not have any luck with the cruise control but was not that concerned. I only had a couple of minor items left and then the latest hiccup.

Windshield wipers stopped working, the speedometer stopped working, and now the car won't do anything when I turn the key. Not a sound, no clicking, no attempt to turn over, nothing. A friend said it could be the starter.

Help.

What do I check and how? If it is the starter how hard is it to replace?
How do I get the speedo unit out of the dash
I have removed the wiper motor? Will check for power to the plug again. If it is the switch in the column any suggestions on removing or testing it?

Thanks, Brad

 

No crank from starter:

There are various approaches. Personally I'd begin with....

There are two white/red wires at the starter relay; one heavy gauge, the other lighter gauge. Remove the heavy gauge white/red wire and apply 12volts to it. The starter should engage.

If it doesn't engage it's probably dead....although poor connections at the starter itself are possible. Or the main engine ground is very weak or non-existent. But, still, probably the starter. No fun to replace.

If jumping the white red/wire does engage the starter then we have other checks to make, upstream.

It might be as simply as a mis-adjusted safety switch. Have you tried jiggling the gearshift?

Cheers
DD

 

Before doing anything. Under the black cover on the right wing/fender are 3 relays. 1 is the horn 2 is the a/c clutch and 3 is for the starter. Try there first....

 

Brad
Which car and engine do you have?
This sounds to me like a failed ignition switch, or circuit (eg the ignition switch activates the main load relay, without which nothing works). If nothing is happening when you turn the ignition switch, no dash lights, no nothing, it is not the starter itself that is causing the problem.
Can you clarify the car and the exact symptoms and what happens or does not happen, when you do something?
Greg

 

gauges acting wacky and no start? Check to make sure that battery is good before anything else!

 

+1 on the ignition switch. I would check voltage coming from switch before dismantling any other components.

 

Thanks all,

Will be going back to the car tomorrow to employ all the advice you have given. Last thing I want to do is replace the starter.

The battery is good. Less than one year old and always disconnected when I am not working on or driving the car (which I am not doing now since it won't start - LOL with a sad face)

I did pull a wiper switch off a junkyard car today along with an alternator.

Pulled the wiper motor off my car. Will clean all the connections and test it with power first chance I get.

Still trying to figure out how to get the instrument cluster out to clean the connections. I am thinking that is the first thing to do to see if I can get the speedo working again. All the other gauges work fine.