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Mercury Grand Marqui 2000. Had issue last winter with needing to be jumped on very cold days. Was fine in summer. This winter the problem returned so I bought a new battery. Still, when car sits for more than a few hours I have a portable jumper I have to use. Except last week one time I shut the car off right after a jump (accident) and it would not re-start, even with jump cables left on 8 hours until the flashing light indicated battery was full. Would not start. Next morning hooked up the jump kit and it started. It's been starting up with a jump every few days but today I jumped it, drove for 20 min and let it sit for 2 hours and it would not take a jump from a truck. Put gas in it, that isn't the problem. Lights work, car cranks it just doesn't ignite. Usually with the 4amp charger it will start in 2 minutes even after sitting for 2 days. But tonight it would not start same as last week. Like it will only allow 1 jump per day? So it does jump most of the time, crank sounds normal, no clicking, no issues with lights while driving or misfires, no other symptoms. I thought 100% it was some drain but the fact that it isn't taking a jump tonight must mean something else is going on?

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  • So the starter turns the engine over at a good (normal) speed, but it just doesn’t fire up?
    – HandyHowie
    Commented Jan 25, 2021 at 8:35
  • Yes. It sounds so normal I thought I might be out of gas but my gauge reads 1/2 full and I added a few gallons to be sure. It just won't spark. Usually the jumping works. But it now looks like it isn't going to be a solution every time.
    – Joel Rivard
    Commented Jan 25, 2021 at 8:50
  • I will clean battery connections and try newer jump cables tomorrow. But maybe a battery cable in the car is corroted?
    – Joel Rivard
    Commented Jan 25, 2021 at 8:53
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    What difference do you hear when you put jump leads on and it starts? Does the starter run faster? Is it the fact that you can run the starter for longer? Is it simply the fact that you put the big connectors on the battery terminals that make a difference? Maybe you just need to clean all the connectors on the battery terminal.
    – HandyHowie
    Commented Jan 25, 2021 at 10:22
  • No with the leads on the battery it cranks exactly the same except it (usually) completes the ignition and starts the car. The crank is ok but I'm not getting the spark or something. It just keeps cranking but won't turn the engine on? Today anyways. Earlier in the day I hooked up a 4amp jumper and it started right up. Ran it 30 min. 2 hours later it refused to take a jump. The starter sounds the same with or without the jump. I thought I had a parasitic bleed for sure but this "no 2 jumps in 1 day" thing is odd? Assuming it starts up later today.
    – Joel Rivard
    Commented Jan 25, 2021 at 11:19

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From our discussion in the comments, it would appear to me that you possibly have a bad connection of one of the wires on the battery positive post. The starter is getting power, but maybe one of the other wires that gives power to the ignition or fuel pump is not connecting every time. I think adding the jump connectors you are making the connection work.

I would remove each of the wires on the battery terminals and check and clean them before refitting them.

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  • makes sense. But if that doesn't work the next step is to check fuel delivery. You could have a drain back issue with your fuel pump. This is done with a fuel pressure gauge. Then to confirm Handy Howie's suggestion you can use a spark tester while it's not starting.
    – Jupiter
    Commented Jan 25, 2021 at 14:22
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    Along with what HandyHowie is saying, also check the wiring (thick wires to ground and starter) to ensure there's no bulging in them. This would indicate corrosion within the wire which impedes the flow of electricity. If you find bulging, you'd need to replace the wire. Corrosion can cause issues as you've described.
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Commented Jan 25, 2021 at 14:56
  • Thanks! It did start again with a jump today and re-started fine after 1 and 2 hours no problem. Most often after a jump and a long drive it will always start for the next several hours. Also this only happens with cold weather. I did clean the battery hookups and the battery posts are new.
    – Joel Rivard
    Commented Jan 25, 2021 at 23:37

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