2002 No Start & Electrical power loss

[JBHDPH]

My wife’s 2002 bird won’t start. Key in the ignition turned no response. We replaced the battery earlier in 2020 and it is charged. I tried to charge the battery but heard a clicking noise from the fuse/relay box in the trunk and the needle on the charger bounced in time with the clicking. I opened the fuse box and pressed on all the fuses and relays To reseat. The clicking stopped when the charger was reconnected and the battery showed to be fully charged on the charger. Still no power when the key is activated. I plan on replacing the corresponding relay and retry. The only other idea is to test the ignition switch. Any suggestions?

 

[JohnS]

The first thing that I do when trouble shooting this type of problem is to observe the headlights. Turn the lights on and try to start the car. If the lights go dark then you can assume that there is a problem with the battery or battery cables/connectors. If the lights stay on full brightness I would look into the ignition/starter system.

 

[JBHDPH]

The first thing that I do when trouble shooting this type of problem is to observe the headlights. Turn the lights on and try to start the car. If the lights go dark then you can assume that there is a problem with the battery or battery cables/connectors. If the lights stay on full brightness I would look into the ignition/starter system.

 

[j&d]

Had this happen on a '62 Plymouth. The radio would work, the headlights would work, the car would only start with jumper-cables then after it was shut off the same problems occurred. After much angst I finally found what was wrong. The battery terminals were corroded. After a thorough cleaning and grease applied everything was fine again. I hope this helps. Even if they don't look corroded it can happen. Good luck. Jack

 

[Bond007]

Don’t forget clean also clean the cable ends.