Starter Relay

[Long Island RT]

Can it be bad sometimes?  Sometimes my starter works from the key, sometimes it doesn't.  It will always crank over if I jump it at the relay.

Did I mention I hate electrical problems!

[71ChallengeHer]

If you can jump it at the relay, it's prolly bad.

[Nacho-RT74]

Points inside the relay can be corroed/sulfated

OR

Ground is getting a bad and unconsistant signal in N or P

OR

Same about the yellow wire from ign switch

[John_Kunkel]

Next time it fails to turn over with the key hold the key in the Start position while cycling the shifter between Park and Neutral, if it then turns over there's a problem in the NSS or the linkage.

[b5blue]

You can attach a short wire with a female connector on it to the mounting screw of the starter relay. Clip the connector where the interlock wire runs to. Now you can use the car for a while to see if that's the problem.(Of course keep in mind the car would start "in gear" that way!) In a pinch if you need to, you can run a jumper off the feed to the washer pump to where the yellow wire goes and use the "washer" switch as a push button starter switch.(Bypassing the ignition switch) When fighting electrical problems I found it helpful to think outside the box, carefully bypass complex problems with simple, reliable, temporary fixes till you can isolate the exact area of issue. A no crank could be the switch, interlock, relay, harness, wire to the starter, or the starter itself. An intermittent problem is the worst as odds are it will not fail at a good time (when you are ready to "deal with it") so keep a box with wire, connectors, tie wraps, test light and/or meter in the car till fixed. 

[maxwellwedge]

When that happens to me it is usually the curse of the little yellow wire. Check that wire from engine compartment to interior. Put a meter on it and crank the key etc. Check out all the other stuff already mentioned as well.

[slyfox]

Well i got the same problem as you, i change the starter relay, still did it, now i'm changing the starter, but i think it's the ignition switch myself, i'm going with a light weight starter, and i have a new ignition switch, and change that to, drove the car for 2 years with no probems, thank god i can still start it,  Don't like towings

[b5blue]

I installed a new one in my column and it stopped cranking in 60 days! I took it out and found it would work by hand but not rotate far enough mounted in the column to activate the starter.