LEADASS

Ok, so today I jump in the car and run a few errands. I stop and shut the car off twice, both times she starts right up (i ran it for 10-15 minutes both times). Then while getting on the highway, this guy in a deisel pickup (he had the thing pimped to the nines) wants to go, He hits it hard (crapton of black smoke...actually pretty quick) I can't help myself... sooo I smoke the guy. A few minutes later I stop at another store and run in. I come out and try to start her after 10 minutes, no go. The clock and radio worked but no turn over at all. Here comes the real mystery, I pulled the key out of the ignition and by mistake hit the sunroof switch... it starts to open! WTF, I fiddle with it for a minute, no start but with no key in, I can move the sunroof!?! I then purchase a self-jump rig (I know I know, but I had to get home for the kids)she starts right up. I drive five miles home and pull into the garage and shut her down. I try to start and she fires right away. I try a few minutes later, and she fires right away. I have replaced the battery ground and I think I have properly cleaned all grounds. I have not done any electrical work in months, the last place I worked was the water bridge and thermostat ( I did disconnect the ground strap to work on her and it is tight). Please Help me! Thanks much for the comments and input you guys rock. Brian

pcar928fan

Could be the ignition switch... Always take the key out and put in a couple of times trying to start it each time...sometimes you get lucky...especially if it is an ignition switch issue. There is another active thread right now about this too.

Landseer

The 86 has power to the windows and I think the sunroof after turning ignition off, but before opening doors.

Noticed the window thing this aft when I was about to get out of mine.

SQLGuy

If you had the ignition on, then turned it off, pulled the key, but had not yet opened a door, it's normal for the sunroof to still work.

(Edit) Landseer beat me to the post because I went out to double-check that my '88 did this. ;-)

Landseer

Here's the documentation about the windows in the 85 model year information, note the reference to the relay that is special. That relay works with both fuse 14 and 15. One of those is the sunroof fuse, I think 14, so from the wiring diagrams it should work too. This doesn't solve your starting question, that could be a problem with the starter relay or a heat-soak induced issue with wiring somehow. Keep an eye on it. Not sure what to suggest on that.

davek9

Relay? And did you check the fuses for good connections into th CE.

JHowell37

The windows and sunroof are behaving normally.

Where did you connect the jumper battery? To the jump post or the battery itself? If the jump post, then inspect and clean the 14 pin cable that sits right behind it. If the battery, then check the ground on the battery, and then the positive terminal for signs of excessive corrosion.

karl ruiter

Could be worse. You could have a little Pacer living in your car.

the flyin' scotsman

Andy is having an exorcisim for his car.

Not sure what a self starter is but if the battery was dead confirm the usual battery voltages and charging system.

goodspeed928

Still having TOOMUCHFUN!!!!

Mrmerlin

replace the starter relay if the car has seen any long term cranking episodes its quite possible that the relay has overheated and one of the pins has melted in the base of the relay smell it for burning

dr bob

Sometimes it's stupid stuff. There's a neutral safety switch that requires the car to be in park or neutral before the starter will crank. It's picky sometimes. I'm pretty religious about using the parking brake, since I sometimes don't get the gear selector all the way to park position. When that happens, no crank. In your joy after 'smoking' the diesel, noticing that the sunroof worked with the key out, is it possible that the gear selector wasn't all the way forward?

Also-- If a portable jumpstart box got you going, it isn't the ignition switch or a relay unless you battery voltage was low from the excitement. Clean the battery and ground connections as others have recommended, and get a good voltmeter hooked up so you can see the charging voltage while you drive. More stupid stuff like an alternator belt that isn't tight enough will cause wierd electrical symptoms as the car charges sometimes but not others. Bottom line though is that adding voltage/current got you going, so look at typical voltage/current problems like charging and battery before you throw money at relays and ignition switches.

Calgary Ole

Just a thought. As I think was suggested earlier, have your battery load tested and put a volt meter on your alternator to elimenate a charge problem as you have already cleaned the grounds.

Bill Ball

We had a situation with George Suennen's car last week where the car would not start. There was no starter solenoid click and no starter action. We applied 12V to the yellow starter solenoid wire at the 14 pin connector. Still nothing. Went underneath to look at the wiring on the starter. It looked fine, but then George noticed a bolt that holds a small braided ground wire from the starter motor to its case was loose. This is a bolt you normally don't loosen to remove the starter as it does not connect directly to an external wire. Anyway, that was the problem.

LEADASS

Words fail me, I can't thank you all enough. The car seems to be fine, the worst type of problem! I did fiddle with the key a bunch of times. I did fiddle with the shifter a bunch of times. I even looked at the car in an annoyed (but non-threatening) manner. Boy did I glare. She has never had an extended crank issue, turn and burn(except when this happens). I replaced the battery,neg batt srap, alt belt is like a guitar string( perhaps I exagerate). I've had this problem a couple of times, sometimes when I've been on it hard, sometimes when I wash her in the drive. I'm always suprised, there seems to be no clear correlation, sometimes she goes and sometimes she don't? I want to be a good stewart, I want to make her better, more than that I want to be able to rely on the old girl. I think Roger, or Specialists should put together a ground/relay kit, just replace it all! Anyway, I need a couple of electrical tools and then figure out how to use em. Can someone please post a pic of the 14 pin connector inits natural habitat,I'm not sure where I'm looking. Thanks again, Brian