joekaz1070

I have a 305tpi auto Trans Am 1987,Driven on weekends. Recently when I go to start it up I turn the key what sounds like the solenoid goes click once and nothing. I try again same thing. After the 2nd or 3rd time she starts right up. This has been happening each weekend. After car runs normal. I can stop for a half hr. then starts right up. But when I wait a Week same thing happens. But may take 5-6 times. Please help.
All lights and gauges normal.

camaronewbie

Make sure you're getting 12v at the purple wire where it attaches to the starter - when the key is tuned should get 12v+ there. If not, then trace this backwards - purple wire runs from starter to neutral safety switch in center console - see if there's 12v coming out of the NSS on the purple wire. If it does, then there's an issue with the purple wire between NSS and satrter. If not, continuing backwards see if there's 12v on the larger yellow wire going into the NSS. If there is, then your NSS is bad, if not, then continue tracing backwards to the ignition switch (NOT the key cylinder), see if there's 12v coming out of the ignition switch on the large yellow wire, if not then it's the ignition switch. If it is, then check the wire running from fuse block to the ignition switch for 12v.

Forward - 12v from fuse block to ignition switch (don't know that color wire on your year), then out on yellow wire to NSS, then out to starter on purple wire.

Make sense? Hope that helps!

gurkgurkgurk

i cant be 100 percent positive on your situation but thats how you first see the signs of the starter going bad. try tapping it with a hammer while trying to start it to see if it remedies the problem. you can also pull out the starter and just bench test it yourself or at any auto parts store. either way when u buy a new one youll have to turn in the old one as a core.

JakeJr

What you have is an intermittent no crank condition. When mine did that on my 96 Vette replacing the starter cured the problem instantly.

Jake

camaronewbie

Everyone is quick to say "get a new starter" (including me, before my experience). Unless you have money and time to throw at parts, test the connections like I stated above.

I had an intermittent starting issue for months, and my first thought was to throw a starter at it (I assumed I had fried my starter with heat soak from my headers since they touched ). New mini starter did the same thing. I replaced NSS, still had issue, replaced relay, still had issue. I finally got my head out of my @ss and traced the wiring down as I should have to begin with! I found where a previous owner had done some wire splicing into the ignition wires - I never saw it before because I was @ss-uming instead of LOOKING deep enough. The bad connection was hidden way up atop the steering column, it took me pulling on wires here and there until I found it - the main ignition wire had been cut, and reconnected with a crimp-on butt connector that had not been crimped well enough. Cost me a new starter, relay, and NSS - along with many hours of cursing those new parts for not working, all to find out that all I needed was to put a little manhandling on that butt connector and crimp it the way it should have been (I've since soldered it as well).

Lesson learned for me - maybe you can save yourself the hours of heartache and headache and do what I (and everyone else) should do in the beginning - trace the wires.

FlamingPhoenix

Sounds like just the solenoid to me, if the whole starter was bad it would crank slow, and be reeaally slow when hot.
Had the same problem on an old cultlass, the guy in the shop told me I needed a new starter, I said "replace the solenoid I gave you, drop it down off the lift and if it still won't start I'll buy a starter from you" long story short after huffing and puffing he did as I asked, dropped it down, I reached in and turned the key, and voila!! it fired right up. I then proceeded to laugh as I handed him the $20 and peeled outta there.

P.S. That situation was the catalyst for doing my own wrenching.