No start

Hello,
My 1997 Riviera is not cranking when I turn the key. All lights come on, but the starter does not engage or click. Jumping the battery didnt help.  Before I do other troubleshooting, there are two odd things I don't understand:
- After I try to start, the tach needle goes all over the place. Never did that before.
- I can't get the shifter out of park. Normally, after turning the ignition key and stepping on the brake it releases, but not now. Also a new thing.
 Any suggestions? Thanks.
Mikel

The first thing that comes to my mind is the Park/Neutral safety switch on the transmission, which is connected to the shifter cable. If it has gone bad (and they have) then they can certainly cause all those issues. It thinks the car is in some other gear and wont start or release the shifter solenoid, thus not starting the car or allowing you to move the shifter.

I wrote all that and now I cant remember if the '97s have the P/N safety Im thinking of...either myself or someone else here will get back to you.

What you actually have is a won't crank, not a won't start. My first thought was the V.A.T.S. system. Is the security light flashing?

No, the security light is not flashing (this has been a problem in both Rivieras I had).

I have thought of the shifter cable (makes all the sense in the world), but what puzzles me is the tach needle moving randomly.

I will look at the cable when it stops raining

Thank you.

So if it helps, yes the 97s do have the P/N safety switch on top of the trans wbere the cable attaches like I thought.

Nearly this exact problem happened on an older Park Avenue my friend had.

It was a bad engine ground. Thank you all.