It sporadically fails to start. I have to touch the negative to the positive to reset the car to start it. Today however, that didnt work. So I put it in neutral and started it.


Where should I look?

 

Try priming the fuel system over and over. My car has this same issue
and my mechanic suggested that a likely suspect is the fuel pumps.

I always am able to get it going by priming (ignition pos. 2, hold for
3s, flip to pos. 0, repeat) but I am not 100% sure what causes the issue.

Ian

 

Start interlock micro switch in the console shift assembly.

 

Has to be electric... My dash lights and wiper go haywire

 

Well, you didn't explain what "fails to start" actually means? Does it crank? If you turn the key to crank position, and nothing happens (everything else is normal,...dash lights etc.), it's the microswitch in the J gate. If there is cranking, but no fire,......well then we can talk about that.

 

Where do I get a replacement and how is it changed?

 

No crank, lights go on, but go bezerk along with the wiper spontaneously moving.

 

When you turn the key to crank, lights go out, but no crank. That's USUALLY the micro switch. But I've never heard of the lights and wiper go bannanas, with the turn of the key.

Maybe someone else can confirm. I've never changed the micro switch, but if you look at the J gate schematics, you'll see it. Call the dealer (as a reference point in price), and then all the "usual suspects". It's not a hard thing to replace it, IF that in fact is a problem.

 

This sounds like a job for (cue the superhero music)

WhiteXKR!

maybe he has an idea about what it could be, if you have a loose ground or something like that the circuits can do wacky things.

 

Here is the link of the video i just shot...

 

You rang sir ?

Start here: Open up the left (US driver side) heelboard fusebox. Find the heavy primary wire that feeds the fusebox and make sure the bolted connection terminal is clean and tight (disconnect the battery first before connecting a metal wrench to this 'hot' bolt).

 

Did that.... no dice... still wont get out of park and wont start.

I do have those kahtec blinking brake lights hooked up, i think some other thread said that it might have something to do with all this.

I can get it out of Park by touching the negative to positive on the battery, but still wont start.

 

Again tonight... Twice it wouldn't start.... Had to touch the negative to positive the shift in neutral to start it.... I'm about to burn this car..

 

You tinkered a lot with your car. You replaced rotors, brakes, and many other things (from your posts). It's all cool, as long as it's mechanical upgrades/mods.

As you know, these cars are VERY sensitive to voltage changes/fluctuations. IF you are having the electrical issues, start with the last electrical thing you installed. Remove it, and go back to stock. Reset the computer, and try. If it's still giving you trouble, go to the next electrical thing you did, and keep going like that.

Knowing how electrically sensitive these cars are, I would never "upgrade" the lights, stereos, gadgets, etc. Once the problems start, it's very hard to pinpoint the problem if the car is not electrically stock.

In any case,....hooking it up on the computer may show where the problem is. There should be some Indy shops in your area to check it out. Every problem has a solution, and sometimes it's better to bite the bullet and pay to diagnose, than keep chasing your tail/replacing stuff that doesn't need to be replaced. I am sure dealership can tell you where the problem is, especially if they hope to do the work themselves (not recommended!). Once they tell you what it is, tell them that you can not afford to fix it at this time, take it home, and go to work.

If there is an Indy (or a dealer) close by, joining AAA might be a wise investment (free towing).

Good luck.

 

I havent tinkered with electronics except that flashing brake lights which i removed. I'm thinking its the microswitch in the J Gate

 

I'm old school: at some point you need to tell yourself your blood pressure is more important than the car. Take it to the dealer. "High diddle, diddle, right down the middle" is the quickest solution, no matter the initial cost.

You have already hit some obvious fixes, but a bad tranny switch, even a bad brake light switch, has created all sorts of issues in these and in Land Rovers.

The dealer will first check for alignment of the shifter . . .

 

Have you had the battery tested, low battery voltage when cranking can cause some of the problems you are getting

 

Last summer, mine would do that exact same thing once in a while, but only when I left it outside in the hot sun for several hours. It would always start on the second try. By then end of September, it quit doing it. Its starting to warm up again and I haven't had an episode of it not starting yet this year, but I have seen the wiper swipe on its own upon starting the car. I read something about the micro switch, but mine is not an R and another thread only dealt with the R transmission interlock system which is different. I was leaning toward a temperature-related electronic fault in the instrument cluster module- figuring it had to be something inside the cabin where the temperature was reaching probably 150 degrees during the day. The car has been fine since September so I haven't pursued any diagnostics in a while, but I went through nearly everything that has been posted as a potential in other no-start threads.

 

Battery tested at 742 at cold crank

 

looking at the video, I think you could have a bad/broken connection/earth in the wiring on the steering column.
It would need the wheel off and to check each wire on the wiper stalk, ignition barrel, clock spring etc. Whatever it is, it's creating an issue with the bcm.
I've posted a number of times on the r&r of steering wheel, only thing to point out is drop the battery before as it's good practice in case of airbag deployment. It's a simple job.