Our 2002 PT had been sitting in the garage for about a week due to freezing weather. Today I started it up (which was normal) and drove about 600 ft and the engine just stopped. The electrical stuff in the car was working, but nothing happened when turned the key to start. I was trying to push it out of the way from the rear when a neighbor offered to help. So I went in to turn the wheel and thought I would try it again. IT STARTED! So drove it home. Don't want to take it out again with the possibility it will do this again. Never had this problem with any other vehicle (been driving for 60 years!). Appreciate any and all help. Thanks

 

it's not much to go on, but possibly a grumpy Starter relay?
I've never seen an 02 up close, so I don't know if they're SBEC or NGC, but if the latter it's important to remember the key doesn't TELL the starter to work; it ASKS the computer to turn on the starter relay to then start the engine. there's a lot of parts in that chain.

 

Don't know what ASD, SBEC or NGC are.

 

Good luck with that. I have an 06 Cruiser with the same problem. No one seems to have an answer to the problem. It is not uncommon. I have tried almost everything, starter, starter relay, Ignition switch and actuator, connections at fuse panel under the hood, crank sensor, cam sensor, clean ALL the grounds. Code set, = "lost communication with ECM" When the weather warms up I will trace the wiring from the starter and the crank sensor to see if there's a broken wire in the harness.

The car will start, run for a bit, shut off, then will not crank as if the starter died. Everything else works. Leave it sit for awhile, starts right up, runs fine, then repeats the process.
This car is in mint condition with only 70K on it. I'm not giving up on it. There has to be an answer to this issue.

 

I called O'Reilly Auto Parts today. They told me that they do not show an ASD relay. However, all of the relays in the box are the same. So I could bring it down and they could test it or match it. The tech suggested swapping the one in the ASD slot with another one to see if it does it. He also said the being sitting in the cold for so long the battery might have sensed an overheat. I checked the battery and it was fully charged, but the positive terminal was badly corroded. So I cleaned it and parked it outside the garage with the engine running for a 45 minutes. Then I pulled the ASD relay and it shut down. Reinstalled it and started right up. Weather is too bad right now to test drive. When it gets better I will drive to the parts store and get a new relay. I'll keep you posted.

 

any codes in the engine computer?

 

u0100
b212d
u1415

 

Those all seem to have the TIPM in common, as a potential cause.

 

Check the electrical grounds on the driver side strut tower. They may look good but they should be pulled apart and cleaned up. These are the main ground points for the PCM, TIPM/fuse box and relays. A poor ground will cause a low voltage condition which Chryslers do not tolerate well.

Note the 2002 does not have a TIPM which was introduced in 2006.

 

Yep, took ALL of them apart, scrubbed them clean and shiny. I was hoping that would do it but no luck. I have been told that connections to the bottom of the fuse box have been an issue as well so I'll have a look at that as well. Things to check going forward;
Fuse box
Crank sensor
Crank sensor connector and harness
RFID key fob
Transmission range sensor

I am going to beat whatever devil is possessing this car because the car is in perfect condition otherwise!