Will not start

Tiny
JIMI-J
  • MEMBER
  • 1999 CHRYSLER 300M
  • 3.5L
  • 6 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 218,000 MILES
I was driving about thirty mph, the car just shut off as no power. As it was coasting I made a decision to shift gears to park so I could restart the vehicle. When I reached reverse, the grinding made me know it was a mistake. I moved the gear to neutral and coasted. The car was not running however there was power. I used a diagnostic tool and got a reading of battery below acceptable levels. The tool also gave read out of seventy (one of two) Chrysler transmission. The battery was struggling to kick in before the problem so I replaced it with a new one. Now it will not start but attempts to turn over. I am stuck. I was thinking I activated the anti-theft security. Please help
Friday, July 21st, 2017 AT 1:27 PM

3 Replies

Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 33,873 POSTS
Reconnecting the battery activates the anti-theft system. To turn that off, lock, then unlock either front door with the key.

There are a number of things that can cause engine stalling, but with your additional observations, it sounds like the charging system has stopped working and the electrical system is being run by just the battery. That will last less than an hour, if you are lucky, and less if you need to use the head lights or wipers. Instead of replacing the battery, measure its voltage, then charge it at a low rate for an hour or two with a portable charger. A good, fully-charged battery will measure 12.6 volts. A good but run-down battery will measure closer to 12.2 volts, and will drop a lot more when you turn on the head lights or heater fan. Also be aware that any good battery will read considerably higher than 12.6 volts right after the charger is turned off. That reading is not accurate. Turn the head lights on for about ten seconds to remove the "surface charge" from the battery. (That is the electrons in the acid that have not been absorbed into the plates yet, but that is not important to this sad story). Now the voltage reading will be accurate.

Be aware too that any diagnostic fault codes are erased when the battery is disconnected, so do not draw any conclusions when there are no codes to be read after reconnecting the battery.
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Friday, July 21st, 2017 AT 11:34 PM
Tiny
JIMI-J
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
Thank you so much. This was helpful and exciting to know I was valued enough to get a response so quick. I used the code reader (Innova 3100) before replacing the battery. Is this a code: 70(1of2) Chrysler Transmission. The DTC Definition is not available. Again thanks for your help.
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Monday, July 24th, 2017 AT 7:20 AM
Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 33,873 POSTS
I suspect that was code P700. That is in the Engine Computer which is the only computer most code readers can access. Code 700 means there are other fault codes in the Transmission Computer. You need a scanner to access that computer to read the codes.

Your transmission is computer-controlled, and computers do weird things and get confused when system voltage is low. I wouldn't do anything until the charging system is repaired / working. You can do the first part of the testing yourself with an inexpensive digital voltmeter. Measure the battery voltage again, but this time with the engine running. You must find between 13.75 and 14.75 volts. If it is low, we'll need to take a few measurements to diagnose the cause. If it is okay, that only means it's okay to do the rest of the tests, but that requires a professional load tester.
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Monday, July 24th, 2017 AT 9:25 PM

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