Hi, Guest
06-24-2012, 07:25 AM
Wow, I just had a very similar experience, so I hope this helps. First, you gotta know my wagon is all SVT underneath, engine, transmission, engine control module (computer), etc. Parked the car in front of the local hotel, went in for a beer (yes, only one). When I went to start the car, nothing. The first time this happened, it started after a couple of tries. This time, nada (you would almost think it had an interlock on it.)
My son came and we towed the car home. In our case, the negative post on the battery had split, and the clamp was a little loose (actually, you could wiggle it easily.) Just like you, the odometer/trip odometer displayed nothing but [- - - - -]. We were quite concerned the ECM was toast. However, replacing the battery clamp (which took about ten minutes) allowed the computer to reset. Now it works again. Good as gold. The [- - - - -] on the dash is the clue. Your ECM (computer) for some reason has shut down. It needs to be disconnected for about ten minutes to reset. But, and this is important, you have to find the original problem as well. Good luck.
My son came and we towed the car home. In our case, the negative post on the battery had split, and the clamp was a little loose (actually, you could wiggle it easily.) Just like you, the odometer/trip odometer displayed nothing but [- - - - -]. We were quite concerned the ECM was toast. However, replacing the battery clamp (which took about ten minutes) allowed the computer to reset. Now it works again. Good as gold. The [- - - - -] on the dash is the clue. Your ECM (computer) for some reason has shut down. It needs to be disconnected for about ten minutes to reset. But, and this is important, you have to find the original problem as well. Good luck.