So, I drove 30 minutes to dinner, then 5 minutes to the store. Went to leave the store and no crank or start although all lights, lights showing gear position (when shifting between P, R, N, & D), dings and bings all worked. Had it towed.
So far we've replaced the battery and starter. The starter relay has been tested good. Voltage to the relay is good. Starter fuse is good. Jumping the new starter from the new battery by turning the key worked and car ran (causing me to exclude the ignition switch as the culprit). I've tried jiggling the gear shifter and starting in all gears to no avail.

My next thought is the neutral safety switch. Before I do that, I figured I'd ask for help. So, any help or insight is welcomed and much appreciated because if the NSS doesn't work and I can't figure it out, she's going to the scrap yard.

 

I'm trying to understand but I am confused

Please explain again, this part.

Did you jump the starter selenoid or use the key?

Another words, what was jumped when turning the key?

 

So, since I was the one turning the key, I had to ask my BF what he did. He said he "Gave the starter power to solinoid". Hope that helps.

 

I don't believe we can rule out the ignition switch until more is known.

Just having the key in the ignition only satisfies the immobilizer.

Turning the key all the way forward to start position powers the starter selenoid, which was jumped in your test.

A test needs to be done to see if you get voltage to the starter selenoid when turning the key, I'm guessing not but needs tested.

If no voltage is seen at the starter selenoid when turning the key, problem can be from the ignition switch and all the way forward to the starter selenoid.

 

#1 - you didn't give any specifics on what car, year, mileage
#2 - you started throwing money/parts and time without knowing if they were needed
#3 - checking the starter without it being "under load" means very little, both the battery and the starter could still be the issue they need to be tested under load to conclude whether they are good or not.
#4 - lights being on means litlte, you need to know if the battery has enough amperage to turn the engine over or not. An almost dead bettery may light lights but not turn the engine over.
#5 - have you tried using a jump pack or jumper cables to start the car?

Have you done or had any work done on the car recently? How old was your battery? Have you ever run your battery down by leaving lights on and had to recharge it? Were there any symptoms at all prior to your not being able to start the car?

There are many possible problems, many are not expensive but you've given very little information to assess the problem then started implimenting solutions wthout knowing what the problem(s) are, very costly and time consuming inefficient way of going about it.

Good luck

 

Thanks for your reply.

1. Car is an 2004 rx330 with 240k miles.
2. I was trying to do the easy things first. Battery was replaced first. Then a new starter.
3. They're both brand new, fresh out of the box. And when I went to my starter place, was told that my old one was still good. I replaced it anyway due to the age and mileage on the car.
4. Battery is definitely not dead and the one that came out of it when the issue first presented was also not dead.
5. Jump box does nothing, changed nothing on either the old or new battery.

Car had the timing belt and water pump done approximately 300 miles earlier. Old battery was less than a year. New battery has a 12/23 date in it.

About 2 years ago I had the same issue. I had it towed to a shop and once it got there, the car started and the issue would not replicate. I assumed it was the starter that was bumped when it got its ride on the back of the flat bed. That's also another reason why I went ahead and replaced the starter.

I'm not a mechanic nor do I have any motor/electrical experience. I'm just trying to do the best I can which is why I decided to post on here. All in all, this car has been an entire pos that has cost me way more than it's worth. I'm tired of taking it to the shop all the time so I was hopeful I could figure it out on my own and maybe save another $1K.

 

I'm think I'm down to the ignition switch, shifter cable, or neutral safety switch per the diagram below. I'm hopeful it's not the ECM.

 

Like you said, I'd look at the park/neutral switch, the starter relay, and ignition switch.

I'd check the park/neutral switch first.

PS- the ignition switch appears to be a "double throw" stye.
One side goes thru the neutral/park switch to the starter relay coil.
The other side goes thru the starter relay contacts to the starter solenoid.

Here is what I have for the RX330, I made some notes.

(Posted in fair use for commentary and discussion).

 

It sounds nothing like an ECM to me, nor does it sound like a starter (rarely a problem). A volt meter/amp meter is what is needed, start at the starter end and work up from there. The neutral switch is a strong possibility but again start at the starter and go upstream from there... throwing new parts at it is wonderful if your goal is to finance a mechanic's or dealerships life but not likely to get the most effeicient solution. This should not be a tough problm to solve. I would not have replaced either the battery nor the starter before finding the problem despite the starters age they don't often go south - if it were the starter it would dim the lights terribly when you hit the key. In the meantime the battery ought to be on a charger or maintainer to assure it is fully charged while someone hunts down the issue... also checking all the fuses and ground points would be prudent - you are in an area that uses salt that messes up all elecronic connects/grounds in every car. Grounds would be free to fix, fuses only a dollar or two.