HELP please - 98 taurus won't start

[elamarre]

After turning over briefly, the car went dead. I can hear the fuel pump initiate, dash lights are on, head lights work, though they do not dim as I try the starter key. Nothing obvious anywhere that I can see. This car has had some electrical issues - interior light stays on even while driving until the automatic locks engage, usually now it does go out but lately the interior lights would not come on as I opened the door. The ignition switch lately won't turn backwards to the acc. - only position. Ignition switch? Is that expensive?

[GPFred]

Something you might have checked is the battery. It could be corrosion at the terminals to where you are not getting a good contact. Fords are famous for this. The other possibility is the battery itself. My 98 Taurus had the battery gradually going dead from age and the car started doing weird things as well. Once I put a new battery in, no more problems. Based on what you have going on, some of the problem might be an aging battery. Good Luck.

[shorod]

Welcome to the forum!

You might try starting the car in the neutral position rather than in park. There have been reports of some interesting electrical gremlins caused by bad transmission range sensors (TRS).

-Rod