Turn The Key And The Entire Car Goes Dead

[Cynical]

I had an interesting situation today with my SC. After installing my new speakers I went for a drive and all is well, I came and left again a few times everything was normal. Just about an hour ago I went out put my key in the ignition turn it and the EVERYTHING in the car turn on then within a half a second went dead. It seemed to die when I tried to start it, but EVERYTHING shorted out nothing worked not a single light, sound.....nothing, the engine didnt even have a chance to try and turn over.

I took the key out and tried a few more times, but the entire car remained completely dead. I popped the hood checked the fuses, and not a single one was bad. For ****s and giggles I tried it again and the damn thing worked perfectly fine, BUT my steering wheel, Radio and clock were all reset.........its as if the battery was disconnected. I was under the hood for all of 5 minutes or so and didnt touch the battery at all.

It is to dark for me to trouble shoot tonight, where should I start? Oh the battery and starter is less than a year old, I'm thinking possibly the alternator but for some reason that does not sound right to me. I really hope to god its not the starter, I will be *BLEEP*ed if it is seeing how it is the ONLY part I had Toyota repair for me.

My thoughts are either Ignition Switch or alternator, what are your thoughts?

__________________

[john denninger]

My thought is a bad ground. I would clean both ends of the ground cable and consider adding another.

[dcfish]

I had an interesting situation today with my SC. After installing my new speakers I went for a drive and all is well, I came and left again a few times everything was normal. Just about an hour ago I went out put my key in the ignition turn it and the EVERYTHING in the car turn on then within a half a second went dead. It seemed to die when I tried to start it, but EVERYTHING shorted out nothing worked not a single light, sound.....nothing, the engine didnt even have a chance to try and turn over.

I took the key out and tried a few more times, but the entire car remained completely dead. I popped the hood checked the fuses, and not a single one was bad. For ****s and giggles I tried it again and the damn thing worked perfectly fine, BUT my steering wheel, Radio and clock were all reset.........its as if the battery was disconnected. I was under the hood for all of 5 minutes or so and didnt touch the battery at all.

It is to dark for me to trouble shoot tonight, where should I start? Oh the battery and starter is less than a year old, I'm thinking possibly the alternator but for some reason that does not sound right to me. I really hope to god its not the starter, I will be *BLEEP*ed if it is seeing how it is the ONLY part I had Toyota repair for me.

My thoughts are either Ignition Switch or alternator, what are your thoughts?

__________________

Remove and clean both battery terminals like if you think you just contracted a STD, Then follow the neg battery cable down to where it is bolted to the body/frame, Disconnect it and clean it also like the afformentioned.....................