Wont Start

[Guest redrobo197]

Hi, just after some advice if thats poss, i just bought a galaxy 2.3 zetec 6 yr old and it s been fine for one day, just parked up and then tried to start the car about 2 minutes later and nothing all the ignitions lights and everything come on but when i turn the key, nothing, the engine does not turn its completely dead. anyone got any ideas. its an automatic.

[Guest vr6galaxy]

Inhibitor switch on gear selector? try wiggleing the selector while attempting to start the engine? whats the LED on the door doing?

[springen]

You probably know already - but if you are new to automatics - selector stick has to be in 'P' or 'N' to allow engine to start !

[Guest redrobo197]

will try that in a minute and the door light is flashing as the owners manual says it should, thanx will go and try what you have suggested.

[Guest redrobo197]

tried playing with gear selector but unfortunately nothing, any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Guest vr6galaxy]

The LED will flash while the cars locked what happens hen you turn the key? if you have other keys try them :D

[Guest redrobo197]

the light flashes when just locked but goes off when deadlocked, the key will not turn in driver door either way, locked or deadlocked, hoever will turn in passenger door and just unlocks the car, car still fails to respond when turning ignition key.

[Guest vr6galaxy]

The LED should stay on for a short while when you try and start the car! it's a signal to say the key has been recognised by the pats system, if this is not happening then it could be that the key you are useing is not programmed into the system? or they pats system is U/S? or the key is being shielded from the sensor ring? do you have a lot of keys on your key ring? are you close to a radio tramsmitter?

[Guest redrobo197]

my drivers door is about 3 feet away from one of those green boxes (metal) which i presume is a telecom box the ones you see around on the pavement, is it possible that the telecom or electrics in the box could interfeer with the key

[Steven.Langdale]

I doubt the teco box is the problem.

 

I'm a little confised here, can you go over what th LED is doing?

 

1. When locked

2. When you put the key in the igintion and try and start.

 

ALSO, is what it does different to before?

 

Did the drivers door break at the same time, or has it been bust for a while? How did it break?

 

Steven

[Guest redrobo197]

when the door is locked the light flashes about every 0.5 seconds.

when turning ignition key the light does nothing.

when i first put the key in the ignition the light stays illumunated for about 1.5 seconds then goes out.

ive only had the car 2 days so i dont know what it has been like previously.

the car has been damaged on the drivers side door in the past but dont know when what or how, can tell from obvious small signs of respray.

[Steven.Langdale]

The immobiliser "looks" OK. They tend to flash like mad when there is a key problem.

 

I'd still be looking to the start inhibitor switch at the bottom of the auto selector.

 

Try turning the ignition, and whilst it's still turned, give the selector a good waggle letf to right.

 

failing that, I'd be inclined to short it out just to make sure it not that.

 

The pins on the switch to short look like 1 and 4

 

OR

 

The pins on the connector to short are 5 and 6 (both are red with black stripe)

 

Good luck

 

Steven

[Guest redrobo197]

do i have to remove the plastic cowling to get to the inhibitor switch. or do you mean the switch at the top of the gear lever.

[Steven.Langdale]

It's not the switch on the top, it's in the bottom. It actually monitors the position of the top switch.

 

You need to take the top of the selector off (small hex grub screw on right i think)

You then pull up the selector sleeve & the insert bit.

 

It's been a while, but i hink u can get to the switch / connector from there.

 

It sounds like youve not have this off before, therefore youve not adjusted the switch yet. Try that 1st. With the insert bit off the switch is to the left of the lever, you'll see a small screw on top of it with a blob of glue/paint to fix it. To adjust you turn the screw - but i cant remember which way!

 

Give it a turn one way then the other to see if it makes it any better.

 

Steven

[Guest redrobo197]

thanks for all your help and advice, have to go to work now will try your latest suggestion tomorrow and post the outcome, Thanks Paul.

[lazyb5]

God i`m about to buy an auto hope mine is ok just been for a testdrive and remembering my mate saying stand on the brake pedal but cant remember if this was before i started the engine or after sorry hope you get it going :rolleyes:

[lazyb5]

sorry just searched you press brake pedal after you have started the engine so you can move the gear selector. hope you get it fixed red :rolleyes:

[Guest redrobo197]

First of all let me just say a big thankyou to everyone for suggestions about my problem, car is now working and fixed, it was in the end the inhibitor switch as suggested by steve(thanks for that), did have to get someone out to fix though as i am a bit cack handed when it comes to stuff like that, so thanx everybody and i look forward to speaking to you all again but hopefully in the general chat forum and not this one lol.

[Steven.Langdale]

Did they replace the switch or adjust it?

 

Out of interest, can I ask how much this was?

 

Thanks

 

Steven from work and seen your reply. I'll have a good look at the pipes to see if there are any splits. I have just done a search on the subject and found the topic you started about brakes. Anyone got photos of these pipes and Vacuum pump. I see Masked Marauder suggested testing the Servo by pumping the brakes. My brakes are solid without pumping them up and do not change when I start the Galaxy. I just thought it odd that the brakes have gone like this after disconnecting the battery for a day and a half.

[Guest redrobo197]

The guy that came out charged me 20 quid for diagnosing the fault and bridgeing it for it to work, i have ordered a replacement inhibitor from polar ford at a cost of 33.50 + vat and then it will be another 20 quid for the guy to come back and fit it so all in all it will have cost me about 80 quid. cheers Paul.(Ford wanted 33.50 + 100 labour + vat=160.?).