Most mechanicals are eliminated as the cause, some serious "jiggling"on the wiring usually gets this car to start, sooner or later. Not park/safety/neutral, not starter, not battery, not fuse. not starting. Thoughts and comments.

 

Does it crank and not start? Does it not crank? Where are you "jiggling" the wires when it starts? Need to know if it has spark or not. Need to know if it has fuel when it will not start. Need a little more information from you to help. If it does not have spark, look to the crank sensor connection or the sensor itself.

 

When you turn the key all of the dashlights, etc., are working and there is zero from the starter, no cranking, no response, no click. It is the same in neutral. Battery terminals are cleaned, connections have been checked., each mechanical system seems okay. It has been on the computer at a dealer, but it was starting at the time and they found nothing. Then it stops starting again until you "jiggle" the wire harness. This would be the section that has short branches. I am wearing my mechanic out over this, not to mention my visa for car rentals. The car will start if you work the shorter section enough, but there is no single section that we can see that is the culprit. He has had someone sit on the starter as he tries different wiring branches and extensions and nothing works twice. Then the car starts again for a while and then it stops.

When you've almost "jiggled"(hey, my mechanic gave it this word, not me) enough, you can hear a very faint crank, almost a sigh.

Did I mention its a dual fuel? I can only fill it with gasoline locally.

 

I know you'd rather be going direct, he asked me to see what I could find out

 

Sorry for delay. Been out of town. If you can describe exactly where you are jiggling the wires, I can look at the wiring diagram and might be able to pinpoint it a little more. Have your mechanic check the Transmission Range/ neutral Safety/Manual Lever Position Sensor(whatever you want to call it). See if this helps: Sorry it is so big.

 

If this might also be the Power Safety Neutral Switch, it's new. When it is not starting, it also doesn't start in neutral. Right now it's starting again so everything is checking out okay. (I'm getting a 98 Accord to drive to work so this can be my hobby car.) No small feed seems to be responsible, the short, (if it is) seems to be just off the big bundle that goes out to the rest of the engine, as it breaks out to the starter, battery, PSNSwitch, etc. We are working on narrowing it down, but from a physical "jiggling" standpoint, we can't pinpoint it.

If it were something else, like the ignition switch in the steering column, would all the dash lights, etc. work? Can't help but feel that this can't be so hard.

 

The dash lights would work if the ignition switch is going bad. The start portion of the switch is different from the ignition on portion. Have you checked the starter relay in the power distribution box under the hood? Start at the starter and use a test light and goto each connection back to the ignition switch. On one of the connections you will have current. That will isolate the problem to a more manageable section of wire.

 

The answer is now supposed to be the Power Train Module. It is not consistently sending a ground signal to the starter relay. The wiring checks out but the PTM will fail, now more often. Does this make sense and it's not another miss?

 

Don't assume it is the PCM. Check all connections and grounds in the circuit first. If there is a loose ground wire on the PCM, that can also cause an intermittent problem. A bad connection or corrosion in a connection can also cause the problem. What kind of diagram are you using? If you can find the ground to the PCM,check that and all the connections in the circuit. I will try to post as many diagrams as I can to help you. I hate to say it, but you are going to have to open the wiring looms up and trace the wires in the starting system. It is very time consuming and aggrevating, but there is no substitute for hands on and eyes seeing. Ford is also bad about collecting moisture in the low spots in the wiring and causing wires to corrode. Again, it needs to be opened up and look at it. But, check all the grounds first. There are some under the kick panels that are suspect also. Let me onow if I can offer any more help. Good luck.