Intermittent No Start - Diagnosis Help Please

[Terry Stapley]

With almost 12K miles on the Cobra I am starting (no pun intended) to have a starting issue. The problem seems to occur only when the engine has been running a while but does not always happen.
I turn the key to start and nothing happens. It acts just like I have the tranny in gear, nothing, no click, no starter crank at all, nothing happens! I then put the tranny in gear and then back to neutral and sometimes the starter cranks and other times, nothing! I have cycled the shifter from first to second and then turned the key and no starter and then immediatley turned the key wiithout moving the shifter and the engine started. This has happened about 4 times now and the frequency seems to be progressing.
My first thought was the neutral safety switch, but then I thought:
Starter solenoid
Ignition switch
Ground wire loose
????????
Any suggestions to solve this starting issue would be greatly appreciated.
Is there a way to bypass the neutral safety switch temporarily to see if this is the problem? I know this can be unsafe so where do I look??

[Ron61]

You can eliminate the neutral safety switch by just wiring around it where it goes into the transmission. I did that on mine and it wasn't the problem. Possibly a loose ground, but then I don't see why moving the shifter would make any difference. My first guess from the way you have explained it would be the neutral safety switch or the ignition switch itself. Sorry I can't be of more help. My problem was in the solenoid itself.

Ron

[Velox]

Your Tremec neutral safety switch is a plug with two electrical pins extending out that is located on the driver's side of your trans and, if your car uses wiring for this, there will be two wires coming from a wiring harness and plugging into the pins on the trans switch. It is just an on/off switch, provides continuity when the trans is in neutral. Remove the two wires from the switch, jumper between them with a short piece of wire, and that defeats the switch. It should now start (if that was the problem) whether or not it is in neutral. If that doesn't help (or your car isn't wired for this switch) then it probably is the ignition switch has a loose connection or there is a wiring fault (loose wire) somewhere.

[jperickson2001]

Bad ground strap on engine? Bad ignition switch? Loose wire connection to starter? Because you said it happens when running when it happens I tend to direct my attention to under the hood because thermal expansion may be breaking contact with a connection somewhere. Good luck-John

[Clois Harlan]

I would start with checking the ground that you have from your block to your frame, then check your coil, then your ignition switch. I think you will find your problem in one of those area's.

Clois

[trularin]

How good are you with a volt meter?

It would be good to be able to check the voltage path when it does not start.

The neutral switch can be jumped out, but to know, the car would have to be in the state of "NO START" in the first place.

There is going to be your real problem; getting to test everything when it is broken...not at the gas station, but in your garage. Because it doesn't happen all the time, you may end up chasing it for a while until you find it.

[ground zero]

Terry, this might not be your problem but I had a similar situation with #1967 with intermittent starting problems. What I found was that if I turned the key all the way to the right to start the car it wouldn't do anything, I turned the key slowley and it started every time. It seems as if there is a point in the ignition switch where it will start the car and if you go beyond that the switch would'nt activate the starter. Hope this helps. Dale

[will butterwort]

has happened more than one time for us---loose ground, over time can happen from block to frame and solenoid--crimps can work loose over time as well. Use that little volt thing and may take some jumping this or that to pinpoint the gremlin. Good luck.Will-alabama

[Terry Stapley]

Thanks for the ideas guys, I will start working to track down the culprit as soon as I get all of the furniture back in the house. New carpet for the little lady!!

Clois, I am not understanding your comment about the COIL disrupting the starting of the car! Were you referring to the ignition COIL?? What and where do I look for that? I mean I know what the COIL is just not the role it plays in the car not cranking!!

[JTD]

Dale,
Can you tell me where you got the nice expansion tank?

-JTD
SPF 1045

[tcrist]

A coil can get hot and not work so your car will not start but I don't think it will stop the car from cranking.

[CHANMADD]

If its not cranking it is most likely the ignition switch.Ihave replaced mine twice over the years,maybe three?

[Terry Stapley]

In searching for the intermittent no start problem I found the following:

The wire going from the neutral safety switch to the small plug-in on the starter must have gotten a bit warm as the shrink to fit plastic that was covering the crimp on plug was gone and about 1/4" of wire was showing. The end looked a bit heat fatigued so I installed another plug and then shrink to fit tubing.
Knock on wood but it started every time Friday when I drove it to work and then again on Saturday during a Utah Cobra Club drive in the mountains. A total of about 18-20 starts. Keep your fingers crossed and I will do the same!!

[Larry N Johnson]

fingers crossed here, Terry.