1. Drove the Durango around the block
2. Pulled up into inclined driveway
3.Turned off Durango
4. 30 seconds later tried to start Durango
5. ...nothing but guages and idiot lights.
6. No activity in the key starting position
7. no starter, no clicks...nothing but idiot lights.

Almost feels like I am trying to start it in gear. Lockout device? Neutral safety swithch? Transmission binding???
Wierd!

 

do you have an aftermarket security system, or remote start system installed? that could be causing the problem, also, which engine, what year, what driveline (all of this affects what kind of electronics we could be looking at) and any other aftermarket toys you have installed that that use the electrical system, thanks

 

Bone stock
5.9 liter
A/T
55K miles

 

ok well start with the simple stuff, check the starter relay its in the fuse box (PDC?) under the hood, there should be another relay under there which matches, then check the connections from the battery to the PDC to the starter and make sure they are all tight, clean any corrosion off of the terminals, and let us know how that goes.

 

Did you park it with the trans in the "park" position?

 

I may have. I was in a hurry. It wont let me run through the gears though. Stuck??

 

Did the dome light dim? If it did it is probably a bad connection or the starter is dead. If the dome light does not dim you are not receiving current to the starter meaning the problem is upstream. Read through the electrical diagnosis and testing write up stickied to the top of the forum and get a multimeter to test the circuits. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

 

Sounds like a bad connection. Test between the battery leads with a multi-meter and have someone try to turn it over and look for the voltage to drop. No drop then connections. Still no drop, lisson for the relay to click or swap out the relay under the hood in the PDC with a different one with the same number. In fact there should be a spare in there.

When you park on a hill you need to engage your E-brake BEFORE placing the transmission in park. This keeps the trany from locking up from torque in gear and gravity.

Turn the key and pull the trans down hard or you will have to push the truck up to get the torque off it.

Check the battery for water.

 

Update:

Got home from work and my Durango was in the driveway. I asked my wife if "she" fixed it and she said it started right up and she moved it to the driveway. wtf?! I wonder if something (Neutral Safety Switch??) is on it's way out.

So what I think had happened is I shut it off in gear on the incline without the E-brake on and it locked the transmission in gear and wouldnt let me start it since it was in gear. However the wife claims that it started right up with nothing wierd.

I guess all I can do is drive it and see if something fails. I'll keep you all posted. Thanks for all your input.

 

It was simply bound up. Parking on the hill isn't good. Leave the D angled if you can. It will dramatically reduce the load.

IndyD