2002 Chrysler Sebring Logo
Posted on Sep 02, 2010
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2002 Sebring Starting Problem - 2.7 L V6 Problem: Won't start. When the key is turned, I can hear the starter relay click. That's the only think that can be heard. This is the third we have encountered the problem in the last couple of weeks. First Time: The car was sitting in the garage and when we went out to start it, it wouldn't start. We tried a few time, then I tried checking that all the relays we tight by pressing on them and the car started. I can't remember how long it was between the last failed attempt to start and when it actually started. When it started, everything seemed perfectly normal. I assumed the relay had just come loose and the problem was resolved. Second Time: The car had been sitting in the garage over night. Went to start it and nothing other than the relay clicking. We continued trying a few thing like removing the relay and tapping it. Wiggling wires to see if any were loose and still nothing. We call AAA to have it towed. The AAA guy ran a battery check and the battery tested strong. He then asked us to try to start the car and it started right up (just like normal). The AAA guy said his best guess was that it was the starter relay. He said that allowing it about an hour to sit may have given it time to cool down and reset (if it was somehow stuck). That seemed to make sense, so we REPLACED THE STARTER RELAY and hoped that it resolved the problem. That was last 5 days ago and it worked fine until now. Third Time: The car is currently at the gym. After working out for about an hour, we came out and it did exactly the same thing. It hasn't started yet, but we are currently giving it some time to cool down after several failed attempts. We have also encountered a problem where the keyless entry won't always unlock the driver door. That was the case when we first entered the after the gym (we used the key on the driver door). We have since been able to unlock the door with the remote. I write this in case it could be a problem with the factory alarm. I wouldn't think this would be the problem since the starter relay clicks. Is this a known problem for the Sebring? What would you guess is the most probable cause? I'm currently thinking that it's either a short in the starter or in the solenoid. Thanks in advance for any help.

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Jeffrey Turcotte

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  • Chrysler Master 8,991 Answers
  • Posted on Sep 02, 2010
Jeffrey Turcotte
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Joined: Aug 22, 2010
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Not sure what the starter relay is but I would have said solenoid after reading the first few sentences.

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