1992 Deville won't start

[MikeReck]

I posted this question once already but think I did something wrong...first time on this forum.

Anyway..... My father in-law has a 1992 Deville that on occasion would have problems getting it to start i.e. it would not turn over. When ever this would happen he would lift the hood and find that the positive battery cable was loose. He would tighten the terminal and try again to no avail. He would then attach jumper cables to his Jeep and then the car would start right up.

The last time this happened the car would not start. You can short across the starter solenoid and the starter wil engage and in fact the car will start and run....for about1 to 2 seconds. Maybe the security syystem is keeping it from running?

Someone led my father in-law to believe that the neutral safety switch was faulty so he replaced it. Didn't solve the problem. You can obtain fault codes via the temp controls. The only one that comes up is E52. Correct me if I am wrong but this registers due to the battery being disconnected?

Can anyone offer some type of advice as to what to look for. My professional background is service and repair of manufacturing type electrical equipment so with a little guidance I think I can figure this problem out. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Just so you know, the battery connections have been replaced and the battery is good. Although I am not the one who checked I am told that the fuses checked good. My experience tells me to check the fuse myself and I will, should I be looking in more than one place for fuses i.e. inside the vehicle (under dash) as well as under the hood?

[maxwedge]

Is the security lite staying on when this happens, if so that is the problem, tell him to leave the key in the on position for 15 min. then try to restart, this is a temp fix only if the security lites stays on during the no crank event.

[custom-uniforms]

I had a simular problem with my 94 Deville.
My battery check good and held a charge but the inner terminals of the battery were not good and even though the screw was tight it was not making an inner connection.
I switched batteries and the problem was solved. I would recommend asking your mechaic to test my theory with a spare battery before buying a new battery.

[MikeReck]

Originally Posted by MikeReck

I posted this question once already but think I did something wrong...first time on this forum.

Anyway..... My father in-law has a 1992 Deville that on occasion would have problems getting it to start i.e. it would not turn over. When ever this would happen he would lift the hood and find that the positive battery cable was loose. He would tighten the terminal and try again to no avail. He would then attach jumper cables to his Jeep and then the car would start right up.

The last time this happened the car would not start. You can short across the starter solenoid and the starter wil engage and in fact the car will start and run....for about1 to 2 seconds. Maybe the security syystem is keeping it from running?

Someone led my father in-law to believe that the neutral safety switch was faulty so he replaced it. Didn't solve the problem. You can obtain fault codes via the temp controls. The only one that comes up is E52. Correct me if I am wrong but this registers due to the battery being disconnected?

Can anyone offer some type of advice as to what to look for. My professional background is service and repair of manufacturing type electrical equipment so with a little guidance I think I can figure this problem out. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Just so you know, the battery connections have been replaced and the battery is good. Although I am not the one who checked I am told that the fuses checked good. My experience tells me to check the fuse myself and I will, should I be looking in more than one place for fuses i.e. inside the vehicle (under dash) as well as under the hood?

The security light is not on (it goes off when the key is turned). One thing I did notice, not sure it means anything but seems odd, all digital outputs on the dash i.e. digital readout on stereo, digital readout on trip/mileage estimator, etc. all go blank when the key is turned to the start position.

[MikeReck]

Originally Posted by maxwedge

Is the security lite staying on when this happens, if so that is the problem, tell him to leave the key in the on position for 15 min. then try to restart, this is a temp fix only if the security lites stays on during the no crank event.

The inner contacts of the cables were replaced as were the bolts. He has a brand new battery that was put in another one of his cars earlier this week...he will put it in the caddy tommorw and see if that does anything.