well i walked out to my car this morning to go to school, put the key in the ignition, turned to the on position, and nothing! everything cut off. like the battery was dead or something. but i had a feeling that wasnt it because it has done this before. so i checked battery connections. and just waited around a while. my dome light came back on and i tried again. this time it started. it ran fine the idle wasnt low or anything. it has done this once before about 4 months ago. could it be a bad ground? if so how do i check? any input is appreciated

 

TTT

 

could be your starter? Are you sure your battery is not dead?

 

You already checked the connectors at the battery, so check all the wires and stuff at the starter solenoid and the ignition switch in the steering column. The starter solenoid oe ignition switch could be bad. I really cant think of anything else though.

 

its not the battery and its not the starter. everything turns off when the key is turned to the on position before i even try to start it.

 

Is the security light on in the dash? Just throwing stuff out here

 

how is the condition of your chip on your key? That could be the problem too. if you haven't tried use your spare key to start your car

 

well its like this. i get in, put the key in, everything comes on, turn key to on position and everything shuts off. dome light and everything. then i take key out and everything is still off. you gotta wait around for a little while then lights will come back on. put key back in and either it starts or does the same thing over and over til it decides to start. i dont think it is the starter because i havent turned the key over to try to start it yet when the car cuts off. its just when i turn it to the first position

 

the chip on my key looks fine i think? how can i check the ignition switch

 

could be your clutch switch

 

I know you said the battery is "good" and the connections are "good" but: It is imperative that you are "sure" that your battery is "good" and your connections are "good".

If your battery is old or your connections, especially your grounds are not good, then you are just burning daylite by looking for other problems.

With a bad ground, for instance, sometimes the car will start and sometimes it won't. JMHO

Let us know what you find out.:cool

 

how do i check the ground? i have never dealt with anything electrical on my car

 

best bet for you is to purchase a mechnic book about your car. they tell you everything you need to know....Check ebay...