i have a 2001 stratus 2.7 lt 4 door. jumped in it the other day turned the key and nothing, complete silence. oil light is the only light that comes on when i turn the key and the info panel shows NW -40 degrees, radio will not come on. i new the battery was getting week. i put a new battery in and the same thing happens. i heard that if the engine light does not come on when the key is turned to the start position that the computer may be bad. i checked what i thought was the proper fuses and they were ok. does anybody have any ideas.
thank you

 

Do you have a meter? Verify the battery has 12 volts with the meter is the first thing I would check. If battery has power and you have checked all of the fuses, it may be the ECM.

Jeff

 

i did not verify it with a meter. headlights and power window/locks work. i wil lcheck it with a meter just to make sure.

 

Check the fuse for the ASD relay. It may have blew and this will cause the same type of problem you are having.

 

12.5 volts for battery. the asd fuse is good. i spoke with someone and they said that even if the computer was bad the engine would still try to crank. is this true.

 

The next thing I would check is turn your headlights on and turn the key to start. If the headlights stay on it is not your battery. If they do stay on, shift your car to neutral and see if it will crank and or start there. It could be a bad neutral safety switch. If you still have nothing and the lights stay on, it may be your starter.

If your headlights go out when you turn the key to start, take the battery out and take it to your local auto parts store and have them test it. I have seen batteries that had over 12 volts with no load and turn the key to start and it goes down to less than 1 volt!

Jeff

 

i did do the headlight test and they stay on. i will try and put it in nuetral and start it. do you know anything about the check engine light theory i described in my first post?

 

i put the car in nuetral and still nothing when i turned the key. did a computer reset and still nothing

 

With a wrench, can you turn the engine over? If it does, I would start looking at the starter.

 

I am having a similar issue, I turn my key and nothing happens. I took my battery to Pep Boys and had them test it (Battery is 2 months old). Battery was diagnosed as bad, they replaced it, I proceeded to clean cable connectors and install new battery. I go to turn the key and still have the same results.

Can you advise where the location of the starter is so I can pull it and have it tested?

2001 Stratus R/T 3.0 Liter.