1998 Intrepid gauges went blank, now wont start

Wife called me frantically while on the road to say "all went dark,
except check engine light came on". After couple of minutes, gauges
came back and all seemed normal..until next time we tried to start.
Car fired up but died immediately three times, then stopped cranking
also. Battery voltage is good, and when it cranked, it did so with
authority. All dash lights working now, just not cranking. 1998
Intrepid LS 3.2 Thanks for any help.

Norm

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Norm II wrote:
> Wife called me frantically while on the road to say "all went dark,
> except check engine light came on". After couple of minutes, gauges
> came back and all seemed normal..until next time we tried to start.
> Car fired up but died immediately three times, then stopped cranking
> also. Battery voltage is good, and when it cranked, it did so with
> authority. All dash lights working now, just not cranking. 1998
> Intrepid LS 3.2 Thanks for any help.

The two most likely causes:
(1) Bad connection at the battery. The positive battery posts are very
prone to severe corrosion on the 2nd gen. LH cars. Remove the cable
clamp from the battery and clean all corrosion off with baking soda and
water solution - use Coca-Cola full strength if it's hard and stubborn.
Then inspect the clamp and cable, including the green fusible link, to
make sure that there's still enough metal left to do the job. Repair or
replace those items as needed.
(2) Check the tightness of the positive jump post connections (next to
the air filter box). Those connections can get loose. With the
exception of the hot cable between the battery and the alternator (thru
that green fusible link), *ALL* electrical power of the vehicle go thru
that jump post - one cable in from battery, one cable out to starter,
third cable out to everything else. When this connection gets loose, it
is often intermittent - which is what you're seeing.

Also check the tightness of the connection at the neg. jump post (on the
passenger side strut tower - single cable and nut. That is the main
ground for the entire vehicle.

It is also possible for a battery to have an intermittent internal
short. If your battery is 5 or more years old, you might ought to
replace it anyway. Even if that's not causing this problem, it's due
anyway.

Might be ignition switch, but I'd go thru everything else first and
eliminate those as the possibility - unless you can narrow it down with
a multimeter if you know how to troubleshoot with that (to see where
you're loosing voltage when cranking).

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

Wow, thanks for the quick reply!! I will check on the battery/ground
issues pronto. I'm wondering why it cranked so good for 3 times
(within a minute) without starting, and then NOTHING! I will report of
my findings in hopes that someone else may benefit. Thanks again Bill.



>
>The two most likely causes:
>(1) Bad connection at the battery. The positive battery posts are very
>prone to severe corrosion on the 2nd gen. LH cars. Remove the cable
>clamp from the battery and clean all corrosion off with baking soda and
>water solution - use Coca-Cola full strength if it's hard and stubborn.
> Then inspect the clamp and cable, including the green fusible link, to
>make sure that there's still enough metal left to do the job. Repair or
>replace those items as needed.
>(2) Check the tightness of the positive jump post connections (next to
>the air filter box). Those connections can get loose. With the
>exception of the hot cable between the battery and the alternator (thru
>that green fusible link), *ALL* electrical power of the vehicle go thru
>that jump post - one cable in from battery, one cable out to starter,
>third cable out to everything else. When this connection gets loose, it
>is often intermittent - which is what you're seeing.
>
>Also check the tightness of the connection at the neg. jump post (on the
>passenger side strut tower - single cable and nut. That is the main
>ground for the entire vehicle.
>
>It is also possible for a battery to have an intermittent internal
>short. If your battery is 5 or more years old, you might ought to
>replace it anyway. Even if that's not causing this problem, it's due
>anyway.
>
>Might be ignition switch, but I'd go thru everything else first and
>eliminate those as the possibility - unless you can narrow it down with
>a multimeter if you know how to troubleshoot with that (to see where
>you're loosing voltage when cranking).
>
>Bill Putney
>(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
>address with the letter 'x')


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Hey Bill (or anybody)... Well... Battery loked like it has seen better
days, so I replaced it and the terminals. I cleaned all cables you
mentioned and tightened (they didn't look bad) It looks like the
fusible link go's to the alt, so I checked for voltage there and have
12.7 volts. I'm now suspecting the ign sw. I have the plastic off the
steering column and called it quits for now (hot & humid). Should I
just get another sw, or are they ez to test? I didnt look to see how
it removes as i was starting to feel frustrated and miserable. Anymore
insight would br most welcome. I'm a r.r. engineer and have wiered
hours, so I'll check here as often as I can. Thanks again.

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Norm II wrote:
> Hey Bill (or anybody)... Well... Battery loked like it has seen better
> days, so I replaced it and the terminals. I cleaned all cables you
> mentioned and tightened (they didn't look bad) It looks like the
> fusible link go's to the alt, so I checked for voltage there and have
> 12.7 volts. I'm now suspecting the ign sw. I have the plastic off the
> steering column and called it quits for now (hot & humid). Should I
> just get another sw, or are they ez to test? I didnt look to see how
> it removes as i was starting to feel frustrated and miserable. Anymore
> insight would br most welcome. I'm a r.r. engineer and have wiered
> hours, so I'll check here as often as I can. Thanks again.

OK - so you did include the positive jump post in your checks? You
didn't specifically mention that, and sometimes people think that I'm
talking about the battery posts when I mention that. I think you did
check the jump post, but thought I better ask to be sure.

I've taken the ignition lock cylinder out of mine before, but that is
not the electrical part of the switch itself. I'd have to read the shop
manual to see what would be involved in getting to the switch itself.

If it was me, I'd get a multimeter out and start checking voltages to
see where it was and where it wasn't when the problem occurs. There's a
link to download a pdf FSM on www.dodgeintrepid.net, or you could get a
one-year subscription on alldata.com for $25 - would include some (not
all) info. out off the FSM, including *ALL* schematics/wiring diagrams.

With the right troubleshooting skills, the schematics, and a multimeter,
you can narrow it down to the failed component without guessing and
possibly wasting time and money (and we know that Einstein proved that
time = money) on replacing parts that may or may not be bad..

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

<Norm II> wrote in message
...
> Wife called me frantically while on the road to say "all went dark,
> except check engine light came on". After couple of minutes, gauges
> came back and all seemed normal..until next time we tried to start.
> Car fired up but died immediately three times, then stopped cranking
> also. Battery voltage is good, and when it cranked, it did so with
> authority. All dash lights working now, just not cranking. 1998
> Intrepid LS 3.2 Thanks for any help.
>
> Norm
>
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If you disconnected the battery you cleared all faults that may pertain to
the problem you are having. If the problem occurs again I would have the TCM
(Trans control module) PCM (power control module) BCM (body control Module)
And since it was a no start have the SKIM module (theft module). You will
have to have this done at a shop that has a scanner that will pull these
codes.

Glenn Beasley
Chrysler Tech

Thanks again Bill. Yes, I took all the batt connections apart and
cleaned/sanded until like new, including the pos jump post and the neg
as well. Car wont even "click" when turning key now, as it did for
three trys. three times it started, then died as soon as I let go of
the ign sw, now nothing. The "elect" part of the sw seems to be
opposite side of column from where you put key in. doesnt look like it
will lend itself to internal diagnostics, but maybe I can verify that
power is making it to the sw... then again, when i put the key in and
turn, all lights on dash and acessories work normally. I'd even
suspect the starter if it didnt crank so goo the three times it did
when it wouldnt stat lit... Oh well... I love my NON-COMPUTER slant-6
d-100... I can fix it with a few curse words and some chewing gum.
This one likes money...ugh Thamks for your help. I'll continue
checking with this thread,and will let you know what I eventually
find.

PS: after proof reading this msg, it may sound like I swapped the
batt, cleaned terms and THEN car wont even click. This is the wy it
acted BEFORE swapping/cleaning also. So no change after aforementioned
tasks. Starting to believe it's the ign sw, but would like to verify
as "shotgun" approach gets costly fast...$90 for battery and terms so
far...

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Hmmm...you right. Neighbor has a NICE scanner and found no codes, but
while attempting further diagnostics, it says something like "cannot
connect, check the ign sw is turned on, check grounds anf fuses"...
could the ecm(s) be fried?? It is not cranking or anything...so I
can't report on "occuring again". this one could get quite costly, I'm
starting to realize...Thanks for chiming in...need all the help i can
get... looks like it may be "off to the Dodge dealer" soon...nutz.
>If you disconnected the battery you cleared all faults that may pertain to
>the problem you are having. If the problem occurs again I would have the TCM
>(Trans control module) PCM (power control module) BCM (body control Module)
>And since it was a no start have the SKIM module (theft module). You will
>have to have this done at a shop that has a scanner that will pull these
>codes.
>
>Glenn Beasley
>Chrysler Tech
>


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It's running!!! I put it in neutral and she fired right up!! I didnt
shut it off yet, hoping to let it run long enough to re-trigger any
erased codes from replacing battery this morning. Neutrral safety
switch??


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update: well... it starts and runs evrytime now! alarm indicator is
flashing faster than normal,and for the cars first time, we have a
"check engine" light. Airbox is off (from this mornings batt swap out)
maybe that triggered the light?? What's your thoughts?? Anti theft
problems???


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