rgwlk

ok guys sense i am a helpless girl i am asking for help. i have a 1998 seabring jxi ( convertable of course) i came out from work and turned the key and got a wimpy crank out of the engine then nothing. when i turn the key it isnt cranking at all. its not the battry, the following things are also not working wipers,radio,top,gas gauge,defrost. everything else works great. help im stuck! my e-mail is rgwlk@yahoo.com. ow and i did check the fuses and their fine. thanks all. :frog:

BLANCOKRACKER

u may need a new alternator, just take it in if you haven't already

rgwlk

ok now it turns out i keep blowing the ignition fuse. it takes a 20 amp and i have put in a 25 and when i start it it blows it most of the time

BLANCOKRACKER

theres your problem, happens a lot when people just buy things that look alike, not that im saying you did that.

rgwlk

looks alike? im afraid i dont understand you meaning

BLANCOKRACKER

nm just take it in or call the dealer you bought it from

rgwlk

if i had the money to do that i would but sense i am a single mom of 4 teenage boys i dont but thanks anyway.

dciobota

I was browsing through the forum and noticed nobody offered any real help, just wondering if you got it fixed (it's been about two weeks, I _hope_ you did). Anyways, just in case you're still stuck with a broken car, here are a couple of suggestions:

1. Starter motor shorted or starter solenoid shot. Either one can cause your fuse to blow. Btw, I strongly suggest you buy the correct 20 amp fuse, I've seen fried wires from using too high a fuse rating (especially if you end up with a short circuit).
In the case of a starter or starter solenoid short, the fuse will only blow when you try to start the car, not when you just turn the ignition to on.

2. Fuel pump shorted. This will cause the fuse to blow when you turn the ignition on. Make sure you turn off _all_ accessories to verify this, as it's possible one of the accessories (like the wiper motor) may be shorted out instead.

Hope this helps, better yet hope you got your ride fixed without too much trouble.

sprinkh

I have been having the same problems blowing the starter fuse. 2 months ago it happened, I changed the fuse and it was fine. Recently, I went to start my car and the fuse blew right away. I went though about a dozen fuses and just kept blowing them. I took the starter off and had it tested, it was fine. I was just wondering if you had found anything out about why this would happen? I am thinking there is a short somewhere, I just don't know where to begin to look

nezzer

My 98 Sebring just started doing the same thing. I suspect a short also. There are a lot of references to this ignition fuse blowing in this forum as well as other forums. Has anyone actually found the problem?

Wingsof66

It`s the starter.

There are some wire-windings inside the starter that will get juust a little loose after a while and short out against the anchor if the starter stops in certain positions. And blow the 20 amp fuse.
Change to 25 wont help, since it`s a direct short. (Like taking one end of a wire, connect it to positive and the other end to the negative.) You might end up frying some wires or something else.
The best bet is to change the starter. Think there are two different brands. One that it might happen on again, and one that it wont. Or if you are mechanically/electrically inclined and can open the starter and fix the problem.

brian7x7x7

Thanks for the info wings my sebring keeps blowing the 20 amp thiers not much ii can do but igess i would like to have afriend of mien come over and jump spin the starter from under neeth the car then replace the 20 amp it worked for me the first time this happend to my conv i hope it works will keep everone posted Thanks...

brian7x7x7

I JUST WANTED TO LET EVERYONE KNOW WINGS WAS 100% CORRECT ABOUT THE PROBLEM WITH THE 20 AMP AND THE STARTER PROBLEM I CANT THANK YOU ENOUGH YOUR ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH THANKS WINGS OF 66