IT WON'T START!!! 96 GT MTX Please Help!

[blinxpro]

Hi, this is my first post.

I just became a Probe owner yesterday!!!

I bought it at an auction for $475 It wouldn't start, so it never ran through the auction with the other vehicles. After the auction everyone left except 10 of us. We were alowed to check out the cars that didn't start and bid on them.

Here's the details:

1996 Probe GT
24 Valve V6
Manual Transmission
77,000 Miles
Oil looks very clean.
Seems well maintained.
Plenty of battery.
Everything electrical works great (besides starting)
Near perfect body and interior condition.


I have read other posts that are similar but not the same. The posts that are similar to my situation seem to have gone un-answered.

If there was power getting to the starter it would be cranking or clicking, correct?

It is not the neutral switch.

Yes, I have put the clutch pedal all the way down.

Yes, I have tried starting it in Neutral.

The battery used was powerful enough to start my truck after it failed to even try to crank the Probe.

I get no clicking when I turn the key.

There is no sound at all when I turn the key.

I am positive that the connections are good. I have disconnected and reconnected them tightly.

In the owners guide, fuses 6, & 13 mention "starter system". Fuse 23 says "Starter Interupt".
Could it be one of these? Is there a way to narrow it down?

How can I tell if the "Starter Interupt" (23) is bad?

Fuses 6, & 13 look good.

Please help me. I am very capable when working on older cars & trucks (pre 90's), but this is the newest thing that I've ever owned. All the electrical stuff is a little overwhelming.

Tomorrow I will use a tester to see if the starter is getting power. I'm pretty sure that it isn't.

[firlesfreak]

I dont know a whole lot about cars, but it sounds like a problem i had with another car i once owned. The car wouldnt start at all. Didnt make a peep when I turned the key. No cranking. No lights. Nothing. I got the fuel pressure regulator replaced, jumped the battery and the car ran just fine. Hope that helps.

[JimR]

no click? then check the starter.

[mav71]

Had a similar problem. There was no voltage getting to the starter when the key was in the start position. You can check this with a voltmeter but you have to take the air box and intake inlet off.

The problem was the cable was broken right at the starter. if you have voltage at the STARTER then it can either be a bad ground or the starter itself is bad.

[blinxpro]

Thanks everyone! I found the problem. It was the "starter interupt" in the fuse box!

I got one out of a Mazda 626 at the pick & pull for 6 bucks, put it in and it cranked!


More problems though.

NO SPARK!

I pulled the cap off of the distributer and saw that it wasn't even near the right plug at top dead center.
So I decided to check the condition of the Timing belt. I cranked the engine by hand and noticed that the distributer roter wasn't turning! Oh, *%@#!!!

I popped off the head cam cover and sure enough I have 2 broken cams! ;(

I am going to replace all four. Does anyone know what might have caused a break? Are there better cams that I can get?


Thanks,

blinxpro