Hey guys, so my TL is getting up there in mileage, just hit 310k on it and lately I’m noticing a weird no start condition on my car.

Sometimes when I start the car after it sits overnight or after work, I turn the key and nothing. But when I take the key out and try again, it starts without struggle.

I checked the health of the battery and it’s still pulling good voltage and tests good at 675CCA so my only other theory is the original starter is finally packing it in or it could be the neutral safety switch.

It’s intermittent and it happens more often when there’s a lot of moisture in the air I noticed. It hasn’t left me stranded yet but I don’t want to be put in that position so I’m wondering if anyone else ran into similar problems and which repair route you took to solve it.

I get the starter is original but I haven’t seen any signs of abnormal cranking when it works (could be solenoid) but I was wondering if the Neutral safety switches are known to die in these cars after all these years.

 

You can "test" the NSS by wiggling the shifter and even switching from P to N when this happens. Check to see if your reverse lights work repeatedly.

Of course, it could be the starter, starter relay or even the ignition switch or any related wiring

So check your grounds. Check your battery cable connections at both ends. Look for signs of corrosion under the insulation

 

I’ll test the NSS once I’m finished work and as for the battery cables, it’s all clean at the terminals since I use an AGM battery so they’re more resilient to corrosion. I’ll check the condition of the ground and positive cable and see if they need cleaning up.

The only lead I have is that this happens usually when the air is wet outside, like after a rainstorm or heavy early morning dew. All help is much appreciated since there is nothing more frustrating than wasting money on parts only to find out it didn’t fix the problem.

I just wish our local part stores still had the bench tester for starters and alternators, it would make diagnosing much easier for me.

 

With that many miles on your car and being the original starter, I can imagine the contacts inside the starter have worn out. The contacts are made of copper and it wears out over time creating an ever increasing gap between the two surfaces. I think you can look up a starter rebuild kit with new contacts for cheap on ebay and see if that helps.

 

This is one of those things that I (rarely) go to the local auto shop for. I think I went to autozone for mine, because the price was more attractive than a new OEM unit, they are close by (in case you ever need to replace you are not waiting days to get a replacement) and finally because they are lifetime warranty which means that if it does fail again I just bring it in and replace it for free.

 

Is the green imoblizer light flashing on cluster when this happens ? Green key light

 

I had it at my pickup and it was worn out main wire. Go around check grounds, thick wires and such with voltmeter. https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...g-problem.html

 

Darksyne - I had an intermittent no crank/no start condition (Check out this thread) not too long ago. I suggest next time your car does not start, try to shift from park to any gear. If you can't shift out of park, the problem is likely the Neutral Safety Switch /Range Sensor. I figured this out after replacing the starter and relay.

Also, if the problem is the Neutral Safety Switch /Range Sensor, you can bypass it by removing the little tab to the right of the shifter and using a small screwdriver to press down the override mechanism. At least you wont be stranded until you can fix it. Good luck!

 

^^^ I replaced parking light switch and posted here about it to just can not find tread. Yeah it can be.