Hello all. I am new to this board and have joined because I am getting a no start on a 97 Millenia 2.5 automatic. The car was driven earlier today and parked. When we tried to start it a few hours later the engine wont even crank. The headlights turn on but the dash lights are non existant. I am think 1 of 2 things, either Starter or alternator/battery. Whn the key is inserte4d and turnbed to run there is no clicking or anything coming from the car, just silence. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks,

Nick

 

Will it jump off? Starters draw a ton of amperage. Lights draw very low amperage so they work when a starter can't. Be sure the battery is fully charged.

 

We had the battery tested and it was dead. Replaced the battery with a brand new one and still nothing. No sounds from the engine at all when the key is turned. Is there anything that needs to be done after a battery is replaced in order to get the car to crank?

Thanks for the help.

 

Sounds like a blown fuse under the hood fuse block. Also check the altenator main wire at the altenator. The connector fries sometimes,especially if it is trying to charge a dead battery as it goes full field.

 

I'm also curious on how you "jumped" your car.
If the battery is truely dead ... I would suspect your alternator however, if you tried jumping the car ...........
First, take the battery's circuit out of the equation. Did you place the jumper on a good ground and not the battery terminal? (use a steel bolt somewhere on the intake) Does this start the car? If so, replace the battery leads and take off the jumper. THEN, take one of the battery leads off. If the car still runs = not the alternator. If it doesn't run = alternator.
Now, if you cannot get it to start using the above, do you have headlights? If not, you have a blown fusible link on your power line. And your alternator AND battery are probably fine once you replace it.
email me if you have questions on this

 

Check the 120A main fusible link under the hood. You get nothing but headlights if this baby blows. Mine blew when I replaced the battery. Also ensure your battery polarity is correct. The cables in the 95-97 are not clearly marked so stupid as it may sound, it's an easy mistake to make.

 

Sorry for the non response on this one guys, Work has had me busy with no time to look at this thing. Where is the hood fuse block located? I am new to these cars and while I have plenty of experince with other cars (domestic v8's) I may need more detail on this til I get used to it. I am going to be working on the car sometime this weekend but want to have all my ducks in a row so I'm not just messing around.

I never connect the negative cable when jumping a car to the actual terminal. I am a big fan of the old school "grounding on the car" practice. I did actually use an intake bolt to ground to. Regardless the battery was bad as tested and has been replaced. That being said and the battery being brand newI need to look at other options. I know that normally when a starter goes bad the car will at least click when the ignition is turned. therefore I am holding off on doing anything with the starter until I atleast hear that clicking noise and am going to be focusing my attention on the alternator and wiring.

Would the 120 fusible link be anywhere near the fuse block or is it located elsewhere? Can anyone provide pics of where these should be located? Sounds like I have a few things to look at and I dont want to pull the alternator off unless I absolutely have to.If the cables are hooked up wrong would it still power the headlights and interior electronics?

Thanks again.

Nick

 

The culprit was the 120A fusible link and a dead battery. I checked out the rest of the charging system with my multimeter and everything was within spec. Thanks for the help guys!!

Nick

 

found out my problem was the 120A Link, but my BIGGER problem is getting the damn fuse out so i can replace, the two thin pieces (for lack of a better word) are stuck in!!!! do i just replace it from the bottom of the fuse box or what???? PLZ HELP