My car will not crank over

[vegetables]

My 1983 toyota corona st141 wont crank over i've never had this started i got it off someone to just drive arround engine looks good etc but heres what my problem is..........

no dashboard lights and wont crank over the only thing that works is the horn,headlights, and emergency lights..

Battery is fully charged.

i cleaned the terminals with petrol.

tried starting it in park and neutral.. and ive checked the wiring to the starter it all looks connected please can someone give me a good answer cause im sick of all the dumb answers i got on yahoo.

[Brian R.]

I don't think your dashboard light problem is directly related to your starting problem. When you turn the key, do you hear a click? If so, your starter relay is operating. If you connections are good, it is likely that you have bad starter solenoid contacts. These are easily replaceable and cheap.

[Brian R.]

Check your fuses for the dashboard light problem.

[vegetables]

Originally Posted by Brian R.

I don't think your dashboard light problem is directly related to your starting problem. When you turn the key, do you hear a click? If so, your starter relay is operating. If you connections are good, it is likely that you have bad starter solenoid contacts. These are easily replaceable and cheap.

When i turn the key i dont hear any clicking noise the only clicking noise i hear is from the fuse box thats next to the battery and it only clicks when i turn the headlights from low to high beam but it doesnt constantly click only when i switch it to low or high beam also i was wondering if a bad ignition switch could be the problem?

[Brian R.]

It's possible it's your ignition switch, but the battery and connections, neutral start switch, starter solenoid contacts, and starter relay are more likely.

If you don't get a click when you turn the key, try testing and then replacing the starter relay in the fuse box by the battery if it turns out not to work.

You should get a click from the starter relay when you turn the key to START, no matter if your starter is good or not. It is a separate circuit from the starter high-amp circuit. The starter relay controls the starter high-amp circuit. Also check your neutral start switch.

Don't forget to check the ground connection on both ends. They are as critical to your starting as the starter cable connections.

It is not likely your starter. That and your ignition switch are really low on the probability list.

[vegetables]

So i pulled the starter out and tested it with a battery charger and it makes a weird noise like thurrrrrrrrmmm theeeermm hard to put into words. any idea why its doing that? i checked the relay and it had some corrosion on the prongs... and there was another black thing like the relay but all it said on it was 12volt the actual relay said relay.. and at the second fuse box under the steering wheel it also had the exact same 12volt black thing any idea what that is? and everything that plugged into the fuse box (except the fuses) next to the battery had corrosion on it.. also i checked all my fuses and there fine but im still not getting any lights on my dash?

[Brian R.]

Check the starter with a battery. Chargers in general do not give good DC current, only rectified AC. Also, the charger may not be giving the starter enough current to actuate the solenoid.

Make sure you are finding all the fuses. There are always more....

Clean with emery cloth or fine sand paper any contacts that are rusted.

[vegetables]

Originally Posted by Brian R.

Check the starter with a battery. Chargers in general do not give good DC current, only rectified AC. Also, the charger may not be giving the starter enough current to actuate the solenoid.

Make sure you are finding all the fuses. There are always more....

Clean with emery cloth or fine sand paper any contacts that are rusted.

I took it to an auto electrician he said the points just needed cleaning and fixed it for 30 dollars which isn't bad at all.

[vegetables]

Originally Posted by vegetables

I took it to an auto electrician he said the points just needed cleaning and fixed it for 30 dollars which isn't bad at all.

Well it still wont work which is what i expected cause i didn't hear any clicking when i turned the key. so now what i think is it has to be the ignition start switch... that would explain why my blinkers,fuel gauge,oil lights etc dont work when i've checked ALL fuses and there not burnt out.

if i hear clicking when i turn the headlights from low to high beam that must mean the relay is operating right?

[vegetables]

Originally Posted by vegetables

Well it still wont work which is what i expected cause i didn't hear any clicking when i turned the key. so now what i think is it has to be the ignition start switch... that would explain why my blinkers,fuel gauge,oil lights etc dont work when i've checked ALL fuses and there not burnt out.

if i hear clicking when i turn the headlights from low to high beam that must mean the relay is operating right?

does the headlight relay control the starter as well? or is there meant to be a relay that just controls the starter?

[Brian R.]

The headlight relay only controls the headlights. You may not have a starter relay. Many cars have a starter relay for only that purpose, but you don't have to have one.

The ignition (neutral) start switch has nothing to do with the gauge lights, fuel gauge, etc.

If it's not a fuse, then you have a bad circuit in the dashboard lighting.

[vegetables]

Ok thanks now i'm thinking its the neutral start switch or i'm missing a starter relay because in the fuse box it had an empty socket. i guess im just going to buy the manual.

[vegetables]

How does the ignition switch have nothing to do with the dash lights? when if its broken how will it supply power to the dash when its turned on?

[Brian R.]

Sorry, you got me talking about an ignition start switch. I meant (and said the first reference) the neutral start switch, not ignition start switch.

[vegetables]

Hey again so i looked at the fuse box again thats next to the battery i've noticed it's missing a EFI relay and found out it stands for electronic fuel ignition... also next to that on the end of the fuse box i've got another thing called fussible links... and all it has there is two plugs one on each side of the box both with only one little prong so i'm guessing i'm meant to have two wires that plug in there? and could that be the reason why my starter isn't working?