So over the last week, my 99 SE AT has gone totally dead with no power coming from the battery a few times and when we take the keys out and put them back in and jiggle them and play with the AT Shifter, all of a sudden everything electrical works again and the car starts.

Where do I start and where might the fault lie?

Thanks in advance!

 

When you say dead, does that mean there are no lights in the dask, no dome light, etc?
Or is it just a no crank situation?

 

KP, the symptoms you describe lead me to think of two things ...

Ignition switch : based on your "fiddling" with the key thing and going from no power to power that leads me to think ignition switch.

Neutral safety switch : this comes to mind based on your description that repositioning the gear selector results in a power up. The only thing here is that I'm not fully certain that a failed/failing neutral switch will result in no power as opposed to just no crank.

 

Gentlemen,

Thank you both for responding!

Dennis, yep everything dead like there is no battery in the car. Then suddenly like somebody put one back in at full charge.

Tb, I'm thinking more along the ignition switch too, I'm just not sure it's capable of disconnecting the entire power from the battery as it goes through the failing process?

These cars have so many good things........

And a few VERY frustrating quirks. (Poltergeist) LOL

 

I had round of that last summer on the Q45. It turned out to be from the negative battery terminal. No lights, no starter, no nothing. Then I could work with the battery, jumper it, and it would start.

So I switched from this lead type negative connector:



to this type and solved the problem:



Go for the GOLD!

 

************************************************** ****************

Only the BEST for our 4th Gen Golden Boy and his Maxima farm. LOL

Checked the negative terminal this morning and it's clean and making perfect contact. It's somewhere after that power is being disconnected until there's movement @ the ignition and/or AT shifter.

Maybe it's just "That Time of the Month". I doubt it though.

I'll break the connection again tomorrow and clean it thoroughly with steel wool and non residue contact cleaner and coat it with dielectric grease again.

 

Try disconnecting the cable from the lead terminal buckle and checking the wire strands for any hidden corrosion.

 

Yup, because those Always have hidden corrosion and cause trouble. If you do have this type of clamp, take it apart, tgen clean all the conductors and the clamp it' self.

also buy non-corrosive paste which is intended for the purpose. Either at the auto parts store, or a place where they sell house hold electrical wiring, plugs and such things.

Otherwise, I'd also be considering the ignition switch. It is a common issue on our cars.
The neutral safety switch is also possible.

 

Sure enough, you guys were right.

Freakin battery terminal was the cause!

I'm tempted to solder it to the post! LOL

But the good news is, it's NOT the ignition switch and/or other ghost chasing problems!

 

Glad that worked for you, just as it did for me in the past, with other old cars.

 

This very thing happened to me this morning.

All dash lights functioning properly but upon turning the key to the "start" position ... nothing ... absolutely zero response in any form.

Two or three attempts, same result ... nothing.

Upon moving the gear selector to the "N" position ... startup.

It may have been a proper/full "P" engagement fluke on my part but my first thought is the NSS/Range Selector.

Even though I typically keep my e-compartment pretty clean, I'll be checking all cable connects and cable ends for corrosion and damage but be ready to replace the NSS.

 

Tb.......

Before you do ANYTHING else, go to your negative battery terminal and post and see if it slipped up. The posts are tapered up and bumps somehow help the terminal lift and not contact like it did last time you did any work. (loose)

If it's clean and solid as a rock (can't budge the terminal from the post), progress forward on the logic ladder.

I hope this helps!

 

Thanks for the input my friend ...