Help diagnosing weird occasional no-start

[mikeb23ft]

Car is a 1994 ATx with 130k. Starts the first time, every time, most of the time

But sometimes it gets in a mood where turning the key doesn't seem to do anything related to starting the car. I turn the key, all of the accessories turn on, the antenna goes up, etc, and then...nothing. I'll have to turn it 15 or 20 times to get it to finally hit and crank. I can hear the fuel pump priming but the engine doesn't turn over. Sometimes I can hear a 'click' from under the hood, sometimes not.

It got to the point today that I didn't think it was going to start at all after I turned the key 30 or 40 times so I put it in neutral and rolled it to the end of my driveway to get the hood up and look at the solenoid/starter. After I rolled it 10 feet in neutral and put it back into park, it started right up no problem.

So, the three things that I'm thinking it could be are starter solenoid, transmission safety sensor, and ignition switch. Whadda ya think?

 

[Wakeboy1337]

My neutral Safety switch is going bad. try taking it out of park and going into N. If that doesn't work go from park all the way to 1 and back really fast. If that makes it work it's your safety switch most likely.

 

[TimboSHO]

Try shifting it into nuetral when it doesn't want to start. If it still doesn't start when you shift it in nuetral, that will likely rule that out. You can also check to see if the switch is lined up properly. In neutral there are 2 marks that line up on the switch itself. I don't have any pictures, but you should be able to see them. If the marks line up and it still doesn't start in nuetral, it could likely be the starter as well. See if it's getting power from the ignition switch when commanded. Start there and let us know your findings.

 

[shocrates]

I think the next time you turn the ignition to start and nothing happens, you should put the gear selector into neutral, turn the ignition to start and see what happens.

 

[mikeb23ft]

It's not starting at all today. I tried everything. Doesn't start in neutral either. Where's the starter solenoid and how do I get to it to change it?

 

[SHO_ROLLER_2]

IIRC the solenoid on the Gen 2's are ON the starter.

My car was doing the same thing as yours. It would start most the time, but sometimes I heard a "click" from the solenoid. I'd try a few times and it'd fire up.

Turned out my POS battery cable was sliced and grounding out on the block, causing the solenoid to go bad. I went through 2 solenoids before I check the cable.:banghd:

 

[mikeb23ft]

I got under it yesterday and there is DEFINITELY some craziness going on with the wiring...lots of balls of electrical tape and stuff. If that doesn't fix it I'll have to start buying parts.

Thanks for all of the help guys. I will update with my findings.