I know this isn't a neon, but the neon was the successor to the Shadow, so I figured I take a shot here.

and I guarantee you've never heard about this kind of problem.

my wife has a 1993 Dodge Shadow, and a while ago it developed this strange problem.

none of the auto electricians in town will touch it.

at first it wouldn't stay running unless the door was open, the sensor was removed because the buzzing was VERY annoying, that worked for a while and now the car wont start at all.

What about the door being opened or closed would permit or prohibit the car from running?

I'm a mechanic, not an electrician, I do know how to do advance audio installations, so a few cutting and splicing jobs dont concern me, but making the car a burning inferno just by starting it IS.

Any ideas?

I don't wanna sell either one of my trucks to get her a new one, and she can't see over the hood of the Explorer Sport (3in lifted off-roader) and she is afraid of my diesel, so her driving them is, yea, not gonna happen.

Let me know please.

 

Is there an amp wire running through the door jam? I've never heard of it killing the car but I have seen them run through the door before and short out. That was my first thought. My only other thought is a security system or something gone crazy. If it's neither one of these then its a good old fashioned electrical problem. Learn how to use a multimeter really well.

 

I'm not familiar with the electrical layout of the shadow, nor do I have the schematics in front me, but this sounds like a grounding issue. Would this happen if you left the door open and then pushed in the button on the door jam for the interior light/chime?

Check to make sure all of the grounds for the engine, computer, etc... are in place and making good contact. Get a service manual with schematics if you don't already have one, and go over all of these circuits. Wherever you see a ground symbol on the schematic, check it and make sure it's there and making good contact with the chassis. My point being with this is, that when the door is opened, the interior light/chime cicuit is energized and a path to chassis ground is created. If the pcm or coil or some other components ground is compromised, but still shares something with this circuit, it may be able to get it's ground at that point, letting it still work. When you closed the door, it loses it and the circuit would be incomplete. This is a long shot, but it sounds more plausable than a short, because most likely you would've blown fuses at the same time and you're not (are you?)

I'll give you a good example of a problem like this I have and just haven't gotten around to fixing yet. Someone installed an aftermarket CD player in my Neon before I got it. When I shut the car off, the CD player stays on for about 15 seconds and then shuts off. BUT if the wipers are on, or I turn them on after the key is off, the radio will immediately shut off. It's a similar problem, I just haven't been annoyed with enough yet to fix it. Somebody didn't know what they were doing when they wired it.

 

There are no fuses blowing, I am going to be contacting a friend of mine who used to collect the Shadow America and Highline models, he may be able to give me some insight to where I am to look for the grounds.

Thank you and any further ideas would be much appreciated.

 

Is there ANYTHING that is not OEM? such as a high power stereo system?

 

All original equipment, she hasn't even let me install a new CD player, the one in it died miles ago.

All I have done is tuneups and the such.
the 6-12 mos following the issue were un-eventful and with no repairs needed.

 

may b yall got pwoer windows or locks and some wiring in the door is shorting? i seen that on a gm

 

i cant figure out how to post a new thread but i was just wondering if any of you guys would know what would cause a 93 dodge shadow es to be running fine then not run at all it has no fire and its not fueling anyone got any ideas

 

there's an electrical problem. that's an idea I have. maybe you need to tell us what engine you have, codes you have and any other diagnostic information you can provide.