[Corp]

Hello! im new here and was wondering if someone could point me in the right direction. I just bought a 1993 dodge stealth R/T not running. It will not crank at all, i have lights on the dash but when i go to start it nothing happens. From what i could tell , the wires on the starter all look ok. I cant seem to see any grounding issues from the battery. Im 90% certain none of the fuses are bad and to clear some variables i jumped the starter relay, thinking maybe that was bad. Nothing. There is no starter click at all.
Could someone kindly point me in the right direction as i dont know a thing about these cars.
Thanks for your time

EDIT please read- We discussed a LOT of issues not related to the cranking issue. My issue turned out to be a bad starter solenoid. Starter was good, solenoid was not.

 

[RealMcCoy]

First thing you need to do is download the PDF versions of the FSM. There are many different sources to do so on the forums and at most of the 3S specific vendors. The wire diagrams will point you in the right direction.

The starter relay should really be called a start inhibit relay... It's a normally closed relay that opens and inhibits starting if the clutch switch or alarm system switches it on.

If you jumper the relay, you bypass the clutch switch and alarm. If it starts normally at that point, you know which direction to look. If not, there's also a connector under the airflow sensor that can be problematic...

 

[Corp]

First thing you need to do is download the PDF versions of the FSM. There are many different sources to do so on the forums and at most of the 3S specific vendors. The wire diagrams will point you in the right direction.

The starter relay should really be called a start inhibit relay... It's a normally closed relay that opens and inhibits starting if the clutch switch or alarm system switches it on.

If you jumper the relay, you bypass the clutch switch and alarm. If it starts normally at that point, you know which direction to look. If not, there's also a connector under the airflow sensor that can be problematic...

thanks for your reply man, i tried jumping the starter with a jumper cable from positive of battery to positive of starter and nothing happened. I then hooked negative of battery to ground and still nothing. I am reading on a different thread that someone applied power to the relay under the hood it should crank, is this the starter relay "box fuse" hes talking about? Would i just apply 12V to one of the terminals of that relay?

EDIT I did some searches here and cant seem to find this FSM (which i assuming is the service manual) for this car on here. Ill keep looking.

 

[OhioSpyderman]

Tech - Manuals! Service, Technical , Reference | 3SX Performance Home Page

The world's oldest and largest 3000GT and Dodge Stealth Source for Performance, Maintenance, and Service

www.3sx.com

Bob.

 

[Corp]

I managed to get the starter off and had it tested and it tested GOOD. Im at my wits end with this thing.

 

[Corp]

Tech - Manuals! Service, Technical , Reference | 3SX Performance Home Page

The world's oldest and largest 3000GT and Dodge Stealth Source for Performance, Maintenance, and Service

www.3sx.com

Bob.

thanks for this, now to figure out what im doing with it!

 

[white93gt]

There’s several things that needs to be cleared up for anyone to offer good advice.
1) Is the car a manual transmission or an automatic?
2) Does it have Theft-Alarm system (OEM) or no alarm system?

i tried jumping the starter with a jumper cable from positive of battery to positive of starter and nothing happened.

What positive of starter did you jump to from battery, large positive post of solenoid or small positive labeled “S” of the solenoid which pulls in the solenoid?

I am reading on a different thread that someone applied power to the relay under the hood it should crank, is this the starter relay "box fuse" hes talking about?

If it’s a manual transmission it does have a starter relay in relay box beside air filter box under hood, if automatic it doesn’t use a starter relay.

Would i just apply 12V to one of the terminals of that relay?

If you applied power to one pin of starter relay socket starter should engage, BUT it won’t stop until you remove the power if engine starts, which could damage starter and maybe teeth on flywheel/converter gear (same as holding key to start position after engine start). So the answer is not simple in that case, which is what RealMcCoy was indicating about it being a normally closed relay that opens and inhibits starting. Meaning it will keep starter from working if that relay gets activated.

 

[oldmaninsaline]

Dumb thing to point out, but just for giggles, open the hatch with the key. That disables the starter lockout.

 

[Corp]

There’s several things that needs to be cleared up for anyone to offer good advice.
1) Is the car a manual transmission or an automatic?
2) Does it have Theft-Alarm system (OEM) or no alarm system?


What positive of starter did you jump to from battery, large positive post of solenoid or small positive labeled “S” of the solenoid which pulls in the solenoid?


If it’s a manual transmission it does have a starter relay in relay box beside air filter box under hood, if automatic it doesn’t use a starter relay.


If you applied power to one pin of starter relay socket starter should engage, BUT it won’t stop until you remove the power if engine starts, which could damage starter and maybe teeth on flywheel/converter gear (same as holding key to start position after engine start). So the answer is not simple in that case, which is what RealMcCoy was indicating about it being a normally closed relay that opens and inhibits starting. Meaning it will keep starter from working if that relay gets activated.

sorry for leaving so much info out, its a 5 speed. I bought this from a friend, he claimed it was running one day and the next nothing, no crank. i unplugged the alarm system clip in the lower right of where the pedals are. It does have a starter relay inside the fuse compartment under the hood. It was recently replaced as well so i doubt its bad. The starter will spin if i jump the leads with a screwdriver (although it doesnt enage the flywheel) so i know the starter and solenoid are good ( i also had it tested at part store) Ive checked all the fuses under the dash and they are all good. The car does have an aftermarket push to start ( im assuming the igniton switch went out but i do not know)

I ran out of things to check as my uneducated brain is spent. The only thing that is sticking out to me is a bad ground somewhere, but i wouldnt even know where to start to find a bad ground

 

[Corp]

Dumb thing to point out, but just for giggles, open the hatch with the key. That disables the starter lockout.

wait really? Hm i will have to check that out

 

[white93gt]

Dumb thing to point out, but just for giggles, open the hatch with the key. That disables the starter lockout.

Say What? ….. Not if factory wiring, because hatch switch is not in starter circuit.

 

[Corp]

Would a bad ECU still allow me to have all my dash indicators and heat controls? Weird thing though, when i turn the key i lose the heat control screen, the radio turns off and the light on the wheel turn off. All the dash indicators stay on though

 

[white93gt]

The car does have an aftermarket push to start........

But does it have a OEM Anti-theft system????

 

[white93gt]

i unplugged the alarm system clip in the lower right of where the pedals are.

By this do you mean the right relay circled in this picture.

 

[Corp]

By this do you mean the right relay circled in this picture.
View attachment 292678

i think i unplugged the one on the left, and not the one on the right. Correct me if im wrong though as im still learning the basics of this car, i had the starter relay jumpered with a wire, so this would have bypassed the clutch switch and the anti theft switch? I had the same results with the relay jumpered, no crank.

 

[white93gt]

I'm pretty sure the one on the right is the anti-theft relay.
To be certain it would have Green/black striped, Black/blue striped, Light Green/black striped and Solid Black wires (total of four wires).

But yes if you jumped pins 2 and 4 in relay socket, that would bypass the theft and clutch switches.

 

[Corp]

I'm pretty sure the one on the right is the anti-theft relay.
To be certain it would have Green/black striped, Black/blue striped, Light Green/black striped and Solid Black wires (total of four wires).

But yes if you jumped pins 2 and 4 in relay socket, that would bypass the theft and clutch switches.

How do i know which pin is what? I went off of this "diagram" posted on another thread.

.....A.......................I.......
..B C D.............I..--..I...
.....E........................--.....

i jumpered A and C

 

[Corp]

I'm pretty sure the one on the right is the anti-theft relay.
To be certain it would have Green/black striped, Black/blue striped, Light Green/black striped and Solid Black wires (total of four wires).

But yes if you jumped pins 2 and 4 in relay socket, that would bypass the theft and clutch switches.

i went off this thread here in which terminals to jump
Won't turn over. Test relay?
A and C

 

[white93gt]

The car does have an aftermarket push to start ( im assuming the igniton switch went out but i do not know)

This also concerns me, since this sounds like something to eliminate turning key to the start position and I have no way of knowing how it’s wired up.

 

[Corp]

This also concerns me, since this sounds like something to eliminate turning key to the start position and I have no way of knowing how it’s wired up.

it concerns me too, its janky. My friend who sold it to me said, if you turn the key to ON and them press the button installed it should start right up.