so im in a dilemma here. the car just wont start on its own. at first i thought it was just a dead battery so i jumped it and drove it around for a good 25mins (enough time to give the battery enough of a charge to start on its own) that did not work. then i checked to make sure that the alternator was good with my multimeter (its putting out the standard 13.5-14.5). So i figured the battery was bad, i went and bought a new one threw it in and still no start (does the same thing). What is odd is if i jump it it starts instantly. If there was a short in wires it wouldnt start even if you jumped it. Also if the starter was bad it wouldn't start. can someone throw me some pointers im so lost, i have even checker auto and advanced auto stumped over this. thanks in advanced.

I had this problem on my 2007 Rav4 this morning. I happened to tap my auto-shifter and it made the difference. There must be a switch in the shifter that keeps you from starting the engine while in drive. After this happened I remembered an old vehicle my dad has that needs to be in just the right position on the drive column to start. Try this and see if it hepls next time your engine won't turn over but your gauges all work.

Joe R.