Sat Jul 02, 2005 11:01 am
If your headlamps work OK when the fault is present, then it's nothing to do with battery earth straps.
You say that the ignition light comes on and there is no effort at all from the starter motor or ignition.
If the starter motor does nothing, then what makes you think you have no ignition?
The engine body earth strap is a remote possibility, but in intermittant cases like this it would normally identify itself by the smoke and sparks. Also, there is a parallel earth path on cars with an oil level sensor, which will severly damage the whole engine loom if the earth strap is faulty.
The next time it happens, switch the ignition on, make sure the car is out of gear, remove the cover on the diagnostic connector (front left of engine), and with a short piece of wire, connect together pins 11 and 14.
This should engage the starter motor,the same as tiurning the key to position 3.
Difficul to see any connection between your locking fault (if things like lights and hazard lights work when the fault is present) and the no start problem, but slamming the door could well cure both of them.
On the information you've given, I would say your locking problem is down to corrosion in the driver's door pillar socket (do search on red/black wire) and the no crank could well be the ignition switch.
When tracing electrical faults, it is important to test things logically, and not to get involved with random part swapping, as you disturb connections, and can end up with multiple faults, often with similar symptoms, which doen't help the diagnostic process.
