blackonblack2007

My car will randomly not start-you turn the key to START and the car will click approx. three times and flash the dash lights. Repeated attempts (more than 3) will completely kill the car-no dome lights, nothing. If you remove and replace the negative battery cable it resets everything, restores power and you can always start the car the next try. This started happening after I installed my Diablo Sport tune. The PATS light does NOT flash or light up abnormally when you attempt to start, all systems look normal, no trouble codes or anything. This is driving me nuts because I doubt the dealership would find the problem-"can't duplicate customer complaint", or something along those lines. Any one had this issue before or can enlighten me on what is causing this?

Car Mods:
AirAid intake
DiabloSport Predator tuned (91 Airaid performance tune)

MustangRetribution

though seriously doubt its your tune I would start with returning it to stock to see if it solves the problem.

if that doesnt solve the problem it really could be any number of things, could be the an issue with the pats system, the battery could be bad, starter solenoid, (do cars still have these, sorry old school mechanic here lol).the starter itself. Battery cables not making a good connection

when does this usually occur? cold start? hot start?


remind me of a funny story, customer had this brand new truck, brought it in 3 weeks later on a tow truck said it wouldnt start. got it off the tow truck started just fine tested everything and couldn't find anything wrong gave it back to the customer brings it in again a couple weeks later, same story, brings it in again finally fed up and said if the problem wasnt going to be fixed he wanted his money back for the truck.

well this last time it finally wouldnt start and the battery failed the tests, replaced the battery customer never came back. out of curiosity cracked the battery open turned out one of the straps the connected the cells was loose and could connect and disconnect kinda funny really.

MSP

Check out the fuse box under the hood. Look inside the lid for the fuse diagram, and look at all the fuses related to ignition and ECU control. Theft prevention..

There is also another fuse panel inside the car on the passenger side kick panel. Check out all those fuses as well.

You may have a fuse which need to be replaced. There are also some relays inside the fuse box under the hood.

A volt-meter would be a handy tool to test defective fuses,and relays.

blackonblack2007

Thanks for the quick responses guys. I have posted on other Mustang forums and have never received such quick and through help. I contacted Diablosport yesterday and they confirmed that it could not be the tune. I will check all of my connections and fuses tonight to see if I have anything lose or blown. The randomness is puzzling, which lets me to believe that I possibly have a loose connection. The non-start happens whether the engine is cold or hot, and varies in time. It happened twice in one day, and then not again until a week later. I will update you guys if I find anything.

MSP

I have had the exact same problem in the past, and I traced it to the fuse box under the hood. I found a fuse that looked like it was ok, but in fact was blown. So I am 100% that you will find the problem in that location.

That is of course if you have not attempted to tamper with anything else but the tune using the Diablo. Us Mustang guys do like to tamper. Some call it tinker. Some call it voiding your warranty. Be careful bubba!

blackonblack2007

I will definitely double check the fuse block under the hood-my first check looked OK but I will have to pull each one individually to be sure. I have kept the car pretty simple so far, just intake, GT Takeoff muffler, hurst shifter and the tuner. No point in risking my 5yr/60K warranty for no reason.

ford4v429

theres been quite a few mentions of water getting into the SmartJunctionBox in the passenger kick panel due to improper firewall sealing- if that thing gets wet, I guess all kind of weird things pop up- most folks say carpet on passenger side is damp if theyve had the problem...

blackonblack2007

Hmmm....I will have to check that too. I rarely ride with a passenger and supposedly Ford fixed that issue for the 2007's but I will check after a good soaking. We have been having a mini-drought out here in Hawaii and the rainfall has been way low from last year so I believe that the water issue probably isn't the case. But we will see!

07mstnggt

I just bought a 07 mustang gt that does the same thing it just randomly does not start i checked the charge and it is fine.
Any word on what caused your car to not start.

silverbullet_88

I am too having this type of problem with my mustng after a tune up with a diablo sports tuner my engine will not turn over. does anyone know how to fix this?

ford4v429

my 09 (still undriven- 4.9 miles now) started doing this recently too...charged the battery, clickked a couple times then suddenly started cranking...almost certain theres a broken connection IN the battery/post, as last time I put a meter on it, voltage dropped from 12 to 5 volts while clicking, then jumped to 12 when it started cranking...measuring at the posts- and battery is only a year old(only start/warm it up every couple weeks, rough on batteries...)

have read of quite a few battery issues in these cars, my 06 has had a couple... think the 09s likely busted just from taking the terminals off and on so many times...cant leave it connected as its dead in just over a week- time to buy a battery disconnect before replacing it again...

Hadtohaveit'13

You have an 09 with 4 miles on it? Why

jerseygirl

Lurking and I DEFINITELY want to know as well.....

ford4v429

I always said 'if I could go back in time I'd squirrel away a new 1969 mustang for someday' - well that aint gonna happen, but...

I love my 06, know it wont last forever and neither will I...stayed up to watch the 10 'reveal' on the speed channel, hated the 10 rear so bad ordered a 09 the next morning...if something woulda happened to my 06, no way was I gonna replace it with a 10, nice car, just not my cup of tea...dont miss it as i drive the exact same car every day, had just paid off the 06, same payment, etc...so other than having to run it on occasion to cycle the ac/steering/whatnot, never even know its there... someday it will be my 'next new mustang', and if the 06 outlasts me, the wife and kids can fight over it
at the time though, employee pricing/end of modelyear deals made for a affordable GT... Im sure if another 5-10 years go by, it will be degraded somehow, but still will be more than just 'clean'...just hope the garage dont fall on it or something.

I bet theres a boatload of undriven shelbys out there that folks bought as a 'investment' to be flipped someday- time will tell, but i really dont think theyre going to be like the originals appreciation-wise... doubt if another virgin lowly base GT exists though- it wasnt picked up to flip someday, just 'pre-buying' my next new mustang while I could swing the payments on a car I truly loved- to me the best bang-for-the-buck ford ever put out if you look at styling/comfort/handling/performance- and most of all sound..the little 4.6 just sounds so great going thru the gears, the exhaust note alone was worth the gt option price...the 06 will be 8 yrs old in december, still as fun to drive as the day I picked it up, I'd be content to drive it the rest of my life, couldnt want much more in a fun car. if it dies before me, theres a rewind button just sitting there...

sorry for derailing this thread... to get back on track, still think battery post or internal break most likely causing the intermittent start thing. next time I'm out to start mine up I'll do some closer checking, but pretty sure mines got a cracked post inside losing connection.

Buckshot Barry

ford4v429 is my idol for having a pristine GT.
I haven't been quite so disciplined. My 2007 V6 Pony Package has 752 miles.

ford4v429

Buckshot- I never saw a 07 pony package with cloth seats before, didnt know that was possible... my wifes 07 pony came without ABS, I didnt even notice till changing the oil- guess there were a lot more option combos out there than I thought...

Buckshot Barry

Sorry for the poor interior picture.

ford4v429

I'd always thought the PP had the aluminum IUP also...personally I preferred the darker dash and the cloth seats- the wife likes her leather seats, but the few times I drove it, I was glad mine are cloth...think they are cooler on long trips. the PP grille I think was the best looking of the S197s to date, with that interior, a very nice combo.

my all time favorite seats were the comfortweave highbacks in the 69, they are vinyl, but seem to breathe very well- never got that 'stuck to the seats' feeling like with some leather- and that car didnt have AC! I wish ford would bring that material back, wears well, looks great, loved those seats...

Quake Guy

Was there ever a solution to random no start condition? The few instances I can find online, nobody ever has a solution. Maybe they all got frustrated and traded them in and/or set them on fire...

Unhooking the negative battery cable or unplugging the starter relay usually lets me restart the car. However, sometimes I can do one of the two actions and never get it to start. But as soon as I do the other, I am good to go. And then its vice versa...

I have cleaned all battery connections, checked the grounds and connections at starter, replaced alternator, replaced battery and swapped the above relay with an identical one in the car.

I don't think there is a PATS issue as the light is flashing as per normal behavior.

Could it be solenoid and/or starter?