Vehicle Won't Start
The solution to this problem was simple, embarrasing and frustrating. The dome light was left on, and discharged the battery....enough to prevent the ignition from firing apparently. I did not suspect this, because the starter would turn the engine over very well, for a long time, and would do this repeatedly. In all my experience, I have never seen an engine spin that well and not start. According to the dealer, the voltage was too low for the ignition to work. While I do not know the exact threshhold where the voltage is too low to crank, I could have detected the condition by checking the voltage at the battery while cranking. It should have been significantly below 12 volts, indicating a low battery. The tow truck driver who picked it up simply used a portable battery to jump it off and cranked it with no problem. The symptom of the starter continuing to run after releasing the key is new technology with computerized controls, and is normal nowdays. You don't really notice this because the engine usually fires so quickly that it is undetectable.
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