Sorry, as I’m traveling and in a time crunch, I don’t have the luxury of hunting for this issue. ‘97 xk8, conv, well maintained, 68,500mi. Just now experiencing a total non start when ignition key turned. Nada. All lights work, no warning lights. No crank, nothing. Then on 3-4th try , it turns over and runs as usual. Strong.
Help please guys

 

Obvious candidates would be the ignition switch itself, the relay for the starter motor, or the solenoid on the starter motor. I would start by spraying contact cleaner into the ignition switch and working the key on and off to see if it improves. Next check online to see which relay operates the starter and temporarily switch that relay for the one for the horn, or similar. If that makes no difference you could bridge the contacts on the starter motor if it's accessible and see if the starter motor spins. Check online for details about which contacts to bridge. This should narrow down the most obvious sources of the problem.

 

Thank you RichardS! That gives me a great starting point. I appreciate it!

 

There might be two relays to be checked / substituted, one in the engine bay and one on the boot.