My 1995 960 wagon was running fine-left key turned to 'on' position overnight by accident-took pos & neg cables loose from battery & charged battery with a battery charger I have. When I hooked the cables back, car ran for a few days then battery began acting weak-Someone had to give me a charge with a hotpack charger kit-a few more days & car wouldn't crank again so I bought a new battery thinking that would fix things. After installing battery, the car would not crank at all-and there she still sits. It turns over strongly but just won't crank up-.I have checked all the fuses-What else can I check? Another clue may be that after the car battery has been disconnected , the radio usually says 'Code'- now it says 'Off' & will not accept the code & come on like normal. Any suggestions as to what to do next will be appreciated! Thanks, Gloria

I am a little confused, will the engine turn over on the battery now? Crank and turn over are the same thing, is it turning over (cranking) but not starting, so it is not firing up, correct?

What is the temperature around your area? The last time the engine did run, how long was it run for? A very short time, say to move it on the driveway?

If it is not starting up and the engine cranks, you will need to verify that it is getting spark and/or fuel. One way to tell if there is spark, there is a single plug at the rear of the engine near the fire wall the wire to it is red and white, with the ignition on and engine not running, if you put a volt meter between that wire and ground it should read battery voltage. This test socket is with two other components that plug at the back of the engine with it. You might spend some time unplugging and replugging the connections under the hood, maybe someone messed with one and it is not fully connected?

To test for fuel, a simple way with someones help, it to have some one gently squeeze a rubber fuel line in the engine compartment, another person turns the ignition on, one should feel the hose pulse as it stiffens from the fuel pump turning on, the fuel pump will only run for a second or two then shuts off until the engine starts and runs. This test though only gives you one chance, then it will take about 20 minutes for the fuel pressure to drop enough for the hose to soften again.

The code/off on the radio means that you failed in three attempts to get the correct radio code entered. You will have to read the owner's manual for the length of time, but you will have to leave the ignition key on accessory setting and the radio on for an hour or two to get the radio to reset for the code number to be entered, after a length of time which is in the owner's manual the radio should read code.

Write back and tell us what worked and what didn't.

DanR '94 964 334,000 miles (100,000 on the new engine)