Car Engine Will Not Turn Over Or Start

I have a Dodge Stratus and it suddenly will not start. I had the starter checked and it was ok. The battery and alternator checked out ok also. The engine will not turn over at all. what do I do about it?
Thanks,
Tony

Well hello Tony,

If the engine won’t turn over at all, that should be pretty easy to find during a simple electrical system test that your mechanic can do for you pretty quickly and inexpensively.

As a general rule of thumb you can try the following.

With the headlights ON as you turn the ignition key to the start position.

1. If the headlights dim down, you probably have a bad battery or a bad starter motor

2. If the headlights stay bright, you probably have a wiring issue, security system problem, clutch safety switch, bad connection to the starter, relay issue etc. etc.

3. If the headlights go out completely you have a loose battery connection, dirty battery cables or a bad ground at the battery.

Please do NOT rule out the obvious and jump to the expensive parts like the stater. Always start with cleaning and tightening the battery cables AND using a new battery or a known good battery.

I have seen a bad cell in a 6 month old battery cause this type of problem and another mechanic ruled out the chance of a battery problem because it was new. So he spent 2 hours checking and guessing at other items before he came back around and tested the battery with a load test.

This is how you load test a battery.

Please share this with your friends,

Austin Davis