hey guys and gals,

had what i thought were the classic neutral safety switch failure signs with no start, no crank, no nothing. took switch apart and cleaned, adjusted, moved shifter while trying to start , nothing. hmm. battery cleaned , lights on still nada. hmm

while crawling under car i noticed a broken small diameter red wire coming from same harness as oil sensor wire. it must go to alternator somewhere ( no jackstands yet, so am not fully crawling under there) . was wondering if this broken wire is the cause of the no start problem? does it somehow have a big factor in the cranking sequence etc?

thanks for your answers.

gary c.

simple. until i got jackstands i couldn't get under car to really look around and check things out. turned out to be loose connectors on solenoid and misplaced ignition spade connection when i was fumbling around from above. life is good.

for now!

gary c.

after charging battery and getting 12v, i still have the no start situation with no clicking , no nothing after key turn. have warning lights on dash and everything else except no turn over at all. still have not hooked up the red wire to alernator but doubt if that real reason for no crank. onto what now?

i read in archives about bypass of PNS switch, but wire description different from my 89 245 auto. i see no pink wire. lots of blues and blue yellows but no pink.

if ignition switch , how can i check that? CPS is new last fall. i have yet to get to starter to look. and battery still doesn't snap or sizzle like a battery does when ya connect cables.

odd, one minute it starts and next it doesn't. hmm. well after it died in parking lot 2 days ago, i fiddled with who knows here and there, pushing and tugging all manner of wires and things and it started! when i got home it no longer does anything. so, that's where i sit. literally. :)

Couple of questions and if you posted some of this already sorry,

Do you get any kind of sound or response (not including any bad words from the driver) when you turn the key on the no start? Or is it just quite? Any thumps, bumps, dimming of the lights, and do the headlights go out when you turn the key?

If you hook up a voltmeter across the plus and neg on the battery does the voltage change any when you turn the key to start the car?

And like goatman said if you take a wire with 12 volts on it and touch it to the small wire on the solenoid does it start turning over (Yellow Blue but that is from memory)? I used a toggle switch and made the connections and then flipped the switch. Did not like that straight connection with 12 volts on it and then the starter start jumping around. Better to stand back and flip a switch seemed to be less nerve racking than a wire with 12 volts on it in the hand reaching down in there. Might not have earned me man points, but I used a solder iron on the toggle switch so maybe that offsets it. You do not need a big diameter wire to do this. A 22 Gauge wire will do the trick.

Good Luck,

Paul

Hi,


Use a jumper to supply 12V Directly to the starter solenoid. This will help, but a through inspection of the grounding straps and the positive wire to the starter from the battery is also indicated.


Goatman

it goes to the D+ terminal on the alternator.

http://www.coolcatcorp.com/faqs/LucasBosch5.jpg

thanks, i'll look for that tomorrow when i get under there.

hopefully, this won't prove me to be an idiot and that problem IS low battery. did notice that when i disconnected or connected cables to battery, none of the usual hissing and sparking of norm. on charger now ( on dasher, on donder ...) and reads 10 or so. might be that red wire after all. silly me.

gary c.

Sounds like a good, cheap fix.

It's OK to sit back in Hind-site and say. "Of course, I should have checked the battery voltage." especially when all it costed you was a little time, no money
--
'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me http://home.no.net/ebrox/Tony's%20cars.htm

Hopefully my user name is right now.

That little red wire is what lights up all the idiot lights and provides the excite current to the Alt. If your no start is a dead battery, yes that will cause your problem,

Regards,

Paul, Not Punk
--
1992 - 244 - AW70 "Soft Ride" / 1987 - 244 - M47 (Hydra, turbo bars, bilstein, urethane bushings - now deceased)

you know that's the one thing i assumed was okay was the battery and never metered it thinking lights being on strong and all.

added signs. i don't hear fuel pump when i turn key on.

Paul here,

Back from being punked, You will not hear a fuel pump on a 240 when you turn the switch. The pumps do not come on unless pulses are detected and then the relay closes and sends power to the pumps.

The red wire will cause a dead battery and no idiot lights. Now if you have a pre 87 car those four wires in that harness are well known for having the insulation fall off and short out. And the ignition wire going to the starter is in that same harness. And if you did have issues with insulation on those wires, that could cause start issues.

To hear the pumps run search the BB for Jumping fuel pumps. You add a jumper and the pumps run if there is voltage.

Regards,

Paul

Yep I'm back!

You will not hear a fuel pump on a 240 when you turn the switch

On LH 2.4 cars the main pump will energize for a moment when you first turn the key on, if the car has been at rest for a while.
I believe it is this to which aka refers.
--
'80 DL 2 door, '89 DL Wagon