My 2005 has been experiencing an intermittent no-start. Insert the key and everything is normal - all dash lights and beeps as usual. But when the key is turned to Start, the dash goes blank — except for the oil and battery idiot lights. This has happened on and off for a year or so and usually, a hard reset would restore things to normal.
Recently, after sitting dormant for a few weeks, she wouldn’t start and a hard reset did not work. Newish battery tested good, all cables and grounds were checked, the two main fuses are good and clean. I was stumped. Then, the other day, I tried the hard reset for the hell of it and it worked, and she has run perfectly for several days. While the car was not starting, I scanned the OBD, and got the expected and unrelated O2 code along with the code P1638, which indicates a “CAN link ECM/instrument cluster circuit/network malfunction”. However, after the car started I scanned again and the P1638 code no longer shows, just the P0037.
I really know little about the CAN network, but I am wondering if that code is related to the no-start since it disappeared when the car started up. Could the ECM be my problem? Any thoughts appreciated. Thanks!

 

Could be a failing ignition switch....

 

Anything's possible, but given the oil and battery lights are always lighted unless the battery is disconnected I suspect there's another culprit.

 

cluster recieves ktm code and has to fake the pats sequence for these ecms

 

xalty, thanks, but as I mentioned I know very little about the CAN network, so I truly do not know what your reply means and how it relates to my issue.