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2.3L 4cyl or 3.0L V6, 6th Generation

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Brake lights wouldnt turn off,drained battery to bad battery got new one

Brake lights wouldnt turn off, drajned the battery, had to replace battery because autozone said it was bad (3months old) so after replaced battery car just wont turn over at all now, dont know what the problem is, was told ignition swith and bout to replace that, but is it that or a relay, starter??

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@headache The fact your brake lights wont turn off is a clue here and that a 3 month old battery has gone bad is another . The most likely cause is a bad frame ground check the grounding wire that runs off the battery to the frame . Look for burns or cuts in the cable and take the cable off the frame and clean the contact point and then reattach and make sure it is secure . next check the body grounding straps . there should be several around the car . small straps that run from the body to the framework of the car . once again make sure there secure and there's good contact . Finding your ground problem will also likely fix your starting problem . You can test this theory by using a set of booster cables and running a ground from the negative battery terminal to the engine block , then try starting the car . Hope this helps

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Your short drained the 3-month-old battery so much that a quick charge attempt by the store was not good enough to bring it back to life, it only needed an overnight slow charge. Normally you have a short to keep the brake lights on, but sometimes there is a little electronic box to control or monitor the bulbs for being bad and this box can go bad. A wiring diagram will help us out here.

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Hi Eve,

If you try to start the car, and you can hear the starter trying to crank the car, then the ignition switch shouldn't be the problem.

If you try to start and hear a "click", but nothing happens, then it’s not the relay. It could be a bad starter. In this case, try starting the car 4-5 times in quick succession (all within 5 seconds). If you hear it trying to crank in one of those times, your starter may need to be replaced.

If you try to start the car and hear nothing, it could be the ignition switch. Turn the headlights on, and try to start the car. If they dim slightly when you try to start the car, then it probably isn’t the ignition switch.

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Eve O will be eternally grateful.
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