sebring won't start.

01 sebring convertible, 2.7 won't start. Battery hot, turn switch, nothing, no clicking, grunting, groaning , nothing. Replaced the Starter relay, nothing, am going to replace the 40 amp ignition switch fuse tomorrow in the daylight. 130k miles, have never replaced the starter, but there has been no indication it was going bad, my daughter has been driving it... Any ideas?? Thanks.

Very simple verify battery 12 volts at the big terminal and 12 volts at the little terminal when trying to crank. If you have both and a good ground to the starter its the starter. If you can hit the starter while trying to crank it may just make it spin. If so its still a time bomb and time to replace.

Thank you nitrousn, The dang battery is in the wheel well, can't even see it under the hood, can I check at those two outlets for jump starting under the hood?? I put a charger on it and it was good and hot, didn't actually check the voltage with a meter,, it doesn't make a sound when I turn the key, will probably have to jack it up, and get my daughter to turn the key while I "peck" on it....

Had that problem a couple of times on our old '02. It is likely the starter fuse and the starter itself is drawing too many amps even if it is working.

Even though it might seem like a silly question, it is in park correct?

Nothing in park or neutral?

Yes, it is in park, and tried neutral, and tried jiggling, had a pt cruiser, that the neutral switch was bad, then learned that they are built inside the tranny, what a bummer. replaced the starter relay, that didn't work, going to daughters house in a few minutes to try a new ignition switch 40 amp fuse,,, Is there a starter fuse itself???? will look in the fuse panel In the dash, didn't see one at the under hood fuse panel? Thanks guys for the ideas. Guess next step is jack it up and try the connections to the starter, then peck on it a little with a hammer.

Jim Lusk,,, I replaced the ignition switch fuse, kind of a funny looking fuse, 4 bucks, still didn't work, BUT noticed when I tried it I didn't hear the fuel pump buzzing. Lo and Behold, there is a fuse marked start/fuel, pulled it , and it was blown, replaced it and it started right up, after spending 24 bucks, I had the fuse at home in my garage, but I left the starter relay and the ign. switch in and marked the ones in the boxes as good. THANKS guys for the input.

Yup, that's the fuse that blows when the starter is ready to be replaced. I put a new starter in and the fuse lasted more than a year and blew again. Replaced the starter again (lifetime warranty) and it held until the car was totaled.

just something to look at quick on your starter. if the contacters have not been replaced since new, now's the time. they are in the box the battery hot post is connected. the set is cheap, and easy to replace. i have done that countless times, and nothing else needs done. when they become pitted, they will take too many amps to make contact, blowing that fuse. the starter motor and drivetrain are super reliable, and will go hundreds of thousands of miles, even with eleventybillion starts. you just occasionally change out the contactor set.
the other thing to look at, is the condition of the case itself. if you are in an area that uses those nasty chemicals on the road in the winter that cause rust, they also do bad things to the case. i have found if there are any cracks in the case [due to corrosion or otherwise], the starter will bind up, due to the case flexing at the crack when trying to start. if any cracks are found, it's time for a starter. a boneyard starter will be ok if you can get one, or buy new, your choice.

Moparx, what part exactly do I ask for at the parts store, are they the contacts that attach at the starter"??

I'm having this exact same problem on an '01 Sebring convert, 2.7 L, 95k miles

No crank, found fuse blown, started no problem. Next start two days later, Blew the fuse, replaced fuse, started 3 times no problem. which is where I'm at now, with a bag of fuses in the console...

when you remove the front cover on the solenoid you will see a round disc and two L shaped copper contacts ,one on each side,those are the 3 pieces that need replaced,FYI the L shaped copper pieces are different from each other,its really a simple job,as they say.....even a caveman can do it

^^^^ this. caveman simple. over time, these contactors/contacts [all i've ever heard them called] become pitted and burnt from use [think welder]. when they get really bad, sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. when they don't, sometimes they click, other times, not. in some cases, [not very many though] you can sand the pieces to a shiny, copper color, and they will work for a while, but you will eventually need to replace them.

I haven't achieved caveman yet, Is a kit like this what you recommend?

https://www.ebay.com/i/191700929607?chn=ps

I assume the starter has to come out of the car?

Thanks!

yes. looks like it. appears to have gone up about 3bucks since the last time i bought one. the starter on the bench is the way to go. i never tried to change those out in the car, although on my old man's 1990 dynasty with the 3.3, i shined up the contactors enough to get it to start with the starter in the car. that gave me a day or so to get a set.
of course, my old man being himself, didn't bring his car around until it wouldn't start [again !].

Cool, thanks!

Follow up - Multiple sources confirm that there is no Plunger and Contact kit for the 2001 2.7L starter.

One response stated it is a Mitsubishi PMGR starter, and offered a complete solenoid, but how do I know if it's the same failure mode?

I have a totaled '05 Sebring convertible, 2.7 L that I can pull the starter from, but they list as different p/n's, so I'm trying to find out what's different and if they are interchangeable.

Any insight?

Thanks!

i apologize profusely that i lead you down the wrong road ! i ASSumed [and everyone knows about that !] your sebring had the denso starter.
so sorry fo getting your hopes up on an easy fix. i know nothing about a mitsubishi starter.

No problem at all, I appreciate the suggestion, would have been nice!