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Chuck --
Sorry for such a late response -- didn't see your prompt. And I think you've received many good thoughts from folks who've already won similar battles.
If the engine won't crank when you turn the key, then you have a narrow set of possibilities within which to focus your troubleshooting. It has NOTHING to do with spark or FI or the 25-amp fuse.
You need to do some diagnostic work with a meter, a test light, and perhaps a remote starter switch.
Possibilities include:
- Bad battery connections
- Bad ground connections
- Bad connections at the solenoid (both the high current and the low current wires)
- A defective solenoid
- A defective ignition switch (it *does* happen sometimes)
- A misadjusted or defective neutral safety switch
- And, unfortunately, the generic "bad connection somewhere in the harness."
In short (bad pun), when you turn the key and the starter remains dead, you must learn if the start is getting the 12-volt "signal" from the ignition switch. For example, 12 volts might be at the female tab connectore, but because of corrosion, it might not get into the solenoid. On the other hand, if the connection is clean and tight, the solenoid might be intermittent (that happens, too).
If the 12 volts does NOT make it to the solenoid, chase it back through the harness, through the NSS, and to the ign switch.
I once saw an intermittent start problem, identical to yours, caused by a loose starter motor. Because the bolts were loose, the starter had an intermittent ground. Amazingly, when it cranked, the gears still meshed.
Does the solenoid ever click (but no crank-crank-crank)?
Do the headlights dim noticeably when you try to crank (but no crank-crank-crank)?
--
Don Foster (near Cape Cod, MA)
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