So recently my 2003 m45s starter went bad so I replaced it and it started once but had some problems driveing so I turned it off and drove my brother to work. When I came back I tried to start the car but it didn't start. When I try to start it the dash lights do not turn on but the radio and the LCD screen do turn on. All the lights work except for the dash lights. I checked all the fuses they are all good. But I noticed the ignition fuse doesn't seem to be getting power and when I wiggle it the dash lights will flash. Any help would be appreciated.

^^^

Loose or poor connection at that fuse. Tighten it
The use of a multimeter or 12v test lamp will pin point the loose fuse connection

Telcoman

Oh man not good news. You likely have a short in your dash wiring. I had a short in my car (electrician fixed it) with the same symptoms. NO DASH lights yet everything worked.

Thanks for the replies I will see if I can pinpoint the problem. Although I don't think it's a short in the dash because the car doesn't start.

Turnert wrote: ↑

Thu May 09, 2019 5:58 pm

Thanks for the replies I will see if I can pinpoint the problem. Although I don't think it's a short in the dash because the car doesn't start.

If you haven't already done so clean the battery terminals and clamps thoroughly with battery corrosion cleaner and wire brush. Rinse off with water then spray some crc electrical spray and tighten all connections. This is what I did after having starting problems and as a last resort before going to replace my starter.

My symptoms we're not starting after the car had not been used overnight on a cold day. The car wouldn't crank at all yet all lights were bright. Only after about five minutes of turning the key the car would finally start with a strong crank which led me to believe that the battery was good and so was the starter and my problem was only the connections or bad ground. It only happened after I changed my battery and not cleaning the clamps on the car. It's been 2 months and car starts flawlessly after doing the cleaning.