98 Stratus Starting Difficulty

[jvet4]

HI! I am having some problems with my 98 Stratus and I am having trouble locating the source. There are a few symptoms and I am not sure if they are related. The first is that the car is having a hard time starting. When I turn the key I hear the starter but the car takes several seconds to turn over. The battery and the plugs/wires are all new and the starter sounds fine. This symptom is present after the car has sat for a while (more than say 20-30 min), if I turn off the car, then turn it back on it starts right up. The second problem is with the fuel gauge. The gauge is keeping an accurate measurement of the amount of fuel in the tank, however, periodically the fuel light comes and the gauge begins to drop (normally no more than a quarter). Within a second or two, the fuel light goes off and the gauge returns to the proper level. The third problem appears to be something in control panel. Occasionally I hear a clicking noise (similar to a relay opening/closing) and there is a flicker of the Odometer/Shift Position Display. I have no idea if these are all related or are independant problems. If anyone has any info that could help in troubleshooting I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks, Jason

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[tomthedog]

if can hear the starter turning but the eng don't, your starter is on the way out (bad solenoid). if it takes 1-2 sec for the starter to start turning it may also be the starter. did you change the batt cause it wasn't holding a charge or cause it was old? have you checked the chaging sys to make sure it's working. the prob you discribed could also be a weak batt. good luck.

[f0x672]

yea just get a multimeter and check to see if u got voltage in that battery... when my chrysler cirrus started * dead due to sh*ty aftermajket alarm system* it took a while cause it was getting old... these car's are famous for the ridiclous gas gauge issue.... mine will b on full when the tank is full.. when i had 3/4 of fuel left... the gauage read half tank.. when i was really at half tank.. gauage read empty with the gas light on... ifi had the car parked on a hill facing upwards... the gauge would go up just a little bit..... super i know... and your instrument cluster... most likely u have to replace that part...its like $250... its part of the speedometer and tachometer... most likely part of the circuit board , theres is rust that is effecting the odometer... too small to repair yourself... jsut get a new part... good luck dude