Will not start?

JH87258

MEMBER
2005 DODGE NEON
2.0L
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
66,500 MILES

My car will not start. Dome and dash lights come on when I open the door and get in, but when I turn the key to ignition, all lights turn off and engine makes no noise. I replaced the alternator and battery about two weeks ago. This happened 3 times in one day; the first, the engine started after a few tries; the second, it needed a jump; and the third, it did not start at all, with numerous tries and a jump.

Sunday, February 12th, 2023 AT 12:45 PM

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
34,093 POSTS

You're describing a rather common problem on all car brands. Follow the smaller positive battery wire to the under-hood fuse box, (power distribution center), and tighten those nuts. If they're tight already, remove that connection and clean the surfaces.

If you have to remove that connection, standard procedure is to disconnect the battery's negative cable first, then it's safe to work on any part of the electrical system. If you don't do that first, you can cause a huge spark if the metal tools you're using on the PDC touches that connection and anything metal on the car at the same time. Most people are aware of this. With this simple caution, tightening that nut just takes a few seconds.

You may find more useful information in this article:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/everything-goes-dead-when-engine-is-cranked

Let me know if that solves the problem.

Image (Click to make bigger)