PT Cruiser starting problem
 

I just purchased a preowned 2008PT Cruiserwith 13,000 miles. We test drove the car & it had no problems at all. One day after purchasing it, wewent shopping only to getin the car to go home & it refused to crank. The battery wasn't run down. Thedash lights indicator came on like usual but it refused to crank. After about twenty minutes it finally cranked. We took it back to the dealer where they kept it overnight and we were told they could not find any thing wrong with it.

Well, I picked it up onsaturday morning only to have the very same thing happen that afternoon. The car sat still the remainder of the weekend until the mechaniccould come pick it up. Whereby it promtly cranked. This afternoon I get a phone call that the chrystler dealer mech can't find anything wrong either. Now, I know I'm not making thisproblem up so I wanted to know if anyone here has any idea why I might be having this issue?[:@]

Thanks
Barb 1077

RE: PT Cruiser starting problem
 

Things like the transmission interlock switch, ignition switch, ASD relay, and starter solenoid can all be a bear to find when the problem is intermittent.

Be a good diagnostician and figure out when it happens. Is the motor hot? Cold? Both? Is the weather rainy and damp? Can you wiggle your transmission shift lever and make the problem go away? Does it make any sound at all when it fails?

The answers to these questions can go a long way to help someone figure out an intermittent problem.

Also, if you have a friend who kinda knows a bit about cars, maybe trade for a while and get their input after they spend a while with it.

Again, intermittent problems are the toughest to diagnose. The more information the better.

RE: PT Cruiser starting problem
 

hi barb,let me ask you when this happens does the door locks work? what i getting at is they been having problems with what is called WCM?SKREEM .if your locks are inop when this happens then inform the shop that also happens at the same time.heres the tsb # 08-007-08.hope this helps moe

RE: PT Cruiser starting problem
 

Hi irdaneel, Thanks for the suggestions. Saturday when it wouldn't crank the motor was reasonably cool. I had driven it 2 hours prior to that. The weather here was perfect. I live on the North Carolina coast. I will use your suggestions in the future. Thanks for replying. :)

Barb

RE: PT Cruiser starting problem
 

Hi Moe, To tell you the truth, I didn't think about checking the locks. If this problem happens again I will certainly check that possibility with the locks. [sm=thanx.gif]Barb

RE: PT Cruiser starting problem
 

[align=left]Dear Barb
I wanted to post my problem here because it it similar to yours. Maybe someone will read my problem and be able to suggest a solution that would work for both of us.
I bought a 2002 PT Cruiser about 3 years ago. About a year after , the starter quit working. It would click but it wouldn't even take a jump. So I had it towed to a car repair shop. It would start the next day. I would start every time at the shop. Then once it didn't start at the repair shop so they changed the starter. Then after the warrenty ran out on the starter a year and 3 months later, the starter quit working again. I went through the same situation. Finally it quit working at the repair shop (different shop) and they changed the starter. That made it the third starter, the one it came with, the first repair and then the second repair.
A couple of times during all this I would have trouble with the starter and come back after sitting a half hour or so and it would start. One night after work at 12 midnight a guy with a large pickup with a hefty battery tried to jump it and it wouldn't take the jump. He hit the starter with a pole, but to no avail. One time it wouldn't start and some guys had me put it in reverse while they pushed it about 5 feet to have the starter moved out of any kind of null, but that didn't work, wouldn't take a jump. After having towed to a shop and not starting, the next day the repair shop called and said the car started every time. The battery has been checked.
Now it is in the shop again today (still another shop). Same problem.
Brucelog
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RE: PT Cruiser starting problem
 

Hi
get them to do a voltage drop test. I have had poor earths do this where the earth bolts on to the body behind the air filter box. no more then 0.3 volts on the earth wire when cranking. The one I had was over 2 volts lost by the poor earth.

It's electrical more than likely. I just took mine in and it has been doing the same thing. Of course it would always start right up for my husband...light panel would come on, radio etc, so not the battery or alternator- wouldn't turn over when cranked, but sometimes it would. Weather did not matter-SO! I took it to a transmission place where he came out and listened to it, said "let me do a test" came back outside with a metal pole, popped the hood and he rammed the pole down the inside front and said "crank it, keep it cranked while I am tapping on it" So I did and it started up better than it had in ages....he said it was electrical and would cost $185.00....I got home and looked to see what he was tapping but it looked like a black cylinder, I didn't see much to tap up and down on....Hope this helps anyone! I hate mystery car stuff!

that's an nice stuff it would really help me a lot thanks for the stuff........

Similar Issue
 

NOT A PERMANENT SOLUTION - A WORK AROUND

I have a Misubishi Montero V6 that has similar issues. Replaced the starter solenoid 3 times. Helped for a bit, but always returns to fail start. I finally figured out it is not the starter or starter solenoid at fault. There are several potential bad parts (wires/switches/connections and also bad wiring in the wiring of the ignition and run circuit that can cause the starter to not get sufficient current to properly activate the stater solenoid.

I have worked around this issue this way. Build yourself a jumper wire long enough to reach from the starter to the battery. Wire clips on one or both ends. Drop the wire down past the engine close to the starter. Connect one end to the small post on the starter solenoid post that is where your ignition circuit connects to the starter. This is the smaller or the 2 wire connectins at the starter.

When the car fails to start, raise the hood and just tap the other end of the jumper wire to the + post of your battery all the while leaving the key in the run position. It cranks and starts.

This method by passes all the safety features built into the electrical circuit like the park/neutral shift position switch, so make sure you car is in park or neutral when you do this.

My car starts and then typically restarts several times normally after this procedure (I'm thinking the solenoid likes the improved amps and voltage of the direct path to the battery). When it happens again. I repeat the above.

I'm thinking of making this more permanent by hard wiring this solution through a push button switch under my dash. You still have to have a key to get the ignition switch into run position before the car will go, so I'm not that concerned about this partial hot wire solution and resultant theft!

Hope this helps understand one posible issue and others can use this to diagnose there issues!

Battery cable
 

I've had similar problem - all the light were on, etc., but the starter would not crank. Ended up with replacing battery cables - the original hoockups were all worn out and oxidized, could not run strong enough current through.

Sounds like your battery is shot and won't hold a charge. Get it checked.

Battery drain PT cruiser 2.2 diesel 2007
 

Hi

Has anyone had any luck with battery drain? I have a 2.2crd 2007 with 23,000 miles on the clock. For the last 2-3 years I have had issues with my battery draining over night. I have had a new battery, had it diagnosed 3 times at Chrysler garages, who were pleased to tell me there is nothing wrong!, and at 2 other garages. All have advised they can find no drain, the battery is fine as is the alternator. I use the car for a mixture of short journeys and medium and it does sometimes sit for a day or 2. It usually happens when there is a hard frost but has happened in the summer this year.

I have gone to it this morning, after using it yesterday, and the battery is flat. At this moment in time I am just about to get rid of my prized possession as I just can't cope with not knowing if it will start in the morning. Anything else that people can suggest would be much welcome!

Get a digital volt-ohmmeter with the capability of reading current. Then you are going to have to connect the meter in series with the battery so as to measure the current flowing when everything is turned off. BUT, you want to do this without actually disconnecting the battery. Place a jumper wire between the battery terminal and the battery cable, then while maintaining the jumper connection, disconnect the battery cable. Then hook up the meter and then you remove the jumper. (This ritual is to avoid the surge that occurs when re-connecting a disconnected battery. Also, on those European models there could be a problem with the radio if the battery is disconnected.)
There should be no more than about 0.050 amps flowing (50 milliamps). This represents the expected draw from things like the clock and the remote keyless entry receiver, which are on all the time.
If it's much more than that, you've got a short circuit somewhere. Start pulling fuses one at a time until you locate the circuit with the short. Then you're going to have to try to figure out what it is on that circuit that is drawing current when it shouldn't. Might be something like a faulty component or a pinched wire.
People on the Forum have reported battery problems with diesels due to not enough driving to keep the battery charged. Some have reported success by upsizing the battery.
They don't sell diesels on this side of the Atlantic so you won't get many responses from over here.

Hi. Thanks for getting back and taking the time to respond. I didn't realise that diesels weren't sold over there!

Great advice and probably my next step if the garage don't sort it. It got towed in Monday to be re-tested from flat and everything came back as ok, except them saying it 'could be' the 2 year old battery! It was charged up and didn't start so they knocked the starter motor with a spanner and guess what! Some of the forums in the UK have suggested starter motor / solenoid issues but I had assumed it was battery drain, which it may well still be and I'm certainly going to look at an upsized battery. Many thanks.

02 pt cruiser wont start? need help ...!!!
 

02 pt cruiser will turn over with key but wont start, I got a tow from behind one more car & popped the clutch and it started right up. Very confused with the new battery and new starter. It's also getting air, fuel, and spark when turned over with the key.

PT Cruiser start problem
 

I have a 2006 PT I bought new in 2006. never a problem until this extreme cold below 0 temp. The battery was ok starter tried to start but after a few turns each time it quit. had it towed. They cleaned the plugs and injectors ant it started. @ days latter in the cold no start. Towed again. They said it was a problem with then sending unit on the temp gage . It was showing 60 degrees when it was really 0 it worked for another 3 days. then no start again. I waited for the weather to warm up for a few days then started it. I have been using 1/2 tank of high test since then and no problems

I have a PT Cruiser 2002 for 4 year now and today the starter (I think) has failed again, if this thing does not start tomorrow, I gonna need fix it, the third time in 4 years of the same issue. I gonna try some of your suggestions and figure out what is going on because a starter doesnt fail every year and a half! My post in a few days!

I have a starter problem too. PT Cruiser 2007. Just experienced the Polar Vortex and the car won't start. Just acts like it wants to start and then nothing but clicks after. Should I hit the gas when I hear it start to turn over?

THINK about what conditions you were driving thru before you parked for the night. Did you go driving thru deep snow? Snow could have "packed" around the starter and partially melted to then form ice and "froze up" the starter, if it does not spin the motor at all. If the starter is spinning the engine , but the engine not "catching " to run, how long is it spinning before getting just "clicks"...sign of a weak and dying battery.

Thanks. It's parked in a place where snow is pretty high so that may be. If I can get the hood open, do you think someone will be able to jump it so I can buy a new battery?

Hard to answer that for you, as you did not answer the question specifically of what it's (not) doing. IF you suspect a dead battery in this cold weather, yes a jump may get it started, IF the starter motor was making the engine spin over.

my daughter has a 06 with same thing happening my son came over with his diesel ended up hooking both batteries to her pt and got it started..yes he was giving it some gas while trying to start it

Im having the same issue 2007 PT CRUISER 2.4l changed starter,ignition switch, battery starter relay still don't crank all lights come on everything else works. any ideas help

You may know what you mean to say, but there are 2 very different uses of the word "crank" that many people confuse.Does the starter spin the motor and engine not run, or does the starter not spin the motor at all?

IF NO starter motor function, check the transmission range position sensor, it acts as a neutral/park safety switch. if it or the wiring plug to it are bad, it will prevent the starter motor from working. I had this show up on me with a Caravan once on a Family outing.Luckily for me, I had an idea of what was going on and found a broken wire at the connector to the TRS and was able to patch it together to make the trip home.

PT Cruiser Starting Problem
 

Hi, a starter has 2 parts. I assume he bi-passed the black cylinder solenoid part and made a direct positive and negative connection with the long screwdriver allowing the starter to get power and start the car. I assumed he replaced the whole starter or just the solenoid part for the $185. This is very good price he is a keeper. Call your dealer and ask how much to replace a starter probably be well over $500.