My car is a 91 5.7 with VATS with alarm. When I would go to start my car sometimes it wouldn't start and then 5-10 minutes later it would. Since then I have added hedders which i dont know if this is the culprit, but now I go to start my car just about every 2-3 times and it wont start for 30 minutes to about 2 hours. Just today I went to go start my car for work and nothing, it hasn't started all day. It does not crank, all my lights on the dash light up and my temp gauge goes up and my voltage when i turn the key, this happened when my car would start after 5-10 minutes too, now it just takes forever to start or like today it hasn't started. Please help me out guys.

 

Can anyone please help me

 

what happens when you turn the key? nothing? do you hear clicking? does the starter spin? does it sound weak if it does? does it just turn and turn and never fire, or does it not turn over?

 

My car was doing the same thing. I have a 91 z and ever since i bought it it starter like every 2 times i turned the key. Sometimes the starter clicked and sometimes the relay in the kick panel buzzed. Then it didnt work at all eventually and i just brought it to the shop the other day. I treied everything and couldnt fix it so i broguth it to the mechanic and he said the alarm was faulty. I didnt know i had an alarm but you said you do. Your alarm, if its old or something, might be starting to go bad like mine did and it prevents the car from working. I would get it fixed or taken out before yo get stuck like i did. Now also, check you security light, if it comes on when u rutn the key on and then goes out after like 2 seconds then it is probly ur alarm but if it stays on or flashes then it is a VATS problem.

 

starter doesn't do anything.

 

ok so when you turn the key nothing happen? ok first thing, check your connections...clean up any rust or corrosion on the battery terminals and cables, same with the connections at the starter. If that doesnt help get a multimeter and start checking for voltage.

 

My firebird was doing the same thing, sometimes it would start and sometimes it wouldn't. I too have an alarm, and that could be the problem, so you might want to check that out. The problem with mine was the selenoid on the starter, it was shot, so it could be something as simple as the starter.

 

I've taken the car to my meachanic, says the car is starting every time. He tested everything and said nothing is wrong. He disconnected alarm, it started, put it back in started. He tested for everything possible. Now this is the same thing that happens. The car starts and then sometimes it wont. This is happerning to him. When I get the cvar back it's gonna started doing the same thing of not starting. Whats else could be the problem as why my car wont start sometimes and then it will. My car started the night before i was gonna get it towed so i brought it to his place and dropped it off. When he went to start it a couple days later and nothing. He had is other guy come in the next day and nothing. So they disconnected the alarm and it started. They connected it again and it started. And now he says its been starting all day. What gives.

 

try using a new key. the little resistor wears out over time. hey.. its worth a shot!!

 

I've used my spare and nothing would happen

 

Geez man, I don't know what to tell ya, are you getting the SES light? Other than that, I'm stumped. Except for maybe your alarm brain is on drugs and just lets your car start sometimes and sometimes it won't. Does your alarm have a starter kill on it? If it does, that may be the problem. There is a relay used so the alarm can disable the starter if your car alarm is going off. If that relay is bad, then that could cause the alarm brain to disable the starter and not let it start. But sometimes it may let it start. If you had the alarm installed by somebody, have them check it out and see if the relay is working properly. If not, replace it, they usually cost 10-20 bucks. Good Luck man, I hope this helps.

 

I had that same problem.
I replaced the battery, starter and cable and cable ends.
Still nothing worked. Sometimes it would start sometimes it wouldn't. When this problem started the alarm was maybe only 3 months old. I turned off the alarm(valet switch) or disconnected it's power and it still did it. I noticed when I turned the key the Security light came on. So I figured it recognized the key/chip and cranked right up. Sometimes the Security light wouldn't come on and it wouldn't crank up. So I figured it was a security problem (it not recognizing the key/chip). I replaced the ignition switch, the key/chip, and the ignition switch down on the lower part of the steering column. It seemed like the fix, but I doubt it. It hasn't done it for about 6 months now. So I have no idea what it was and what fixed it.

good luck!

 

I had a similar problem about a year ago in a 90rs.One day it wouldnt start.I checked all the battery cables and replaced the starter but it still wouldnt start.I gave up after 2 weeks.It went to 3 mechanics over a 4 month period and noone could figure it out.The 1st mechanic replaced the entire ignition,fuel pump,computer, and bored out the injectors.He did all that and only charged $85 for labor since it still didnt run(I buy the parts myself on a discount).The 2nd guy didnt do jack (no new parts) and he had it for 2 months (but only in the garage 2 days) but said something about the security and charged $150.The 3rd guy had it a while and said the entire wiring harness had fried.I traded it to him just to get it out of my hair.

 

I got my car fixed. The alarm fried the whole electrical system and I had to replace everything that had to do with the ignition system(vats, steering collumn and everything) and it cost $960 so have fun gettin it fixed because if its the same problem i had your screwed.

 

sounds to me like your haveing VATS problems. there is a reisitor in your key right? well anyhow it sounds to me like the problem lies in that system somewhere. more than likely a wire that is coming apart on the ignition lock cylender. I work at a Pontiac dealer and I cant count on both hands and feet how many times Ive ran into this problem. the security light should come on when it acts up right and then after ten min it will go out and then you can start it. well what is going on is that it cant read the key because of a poor connection at the lock cylender and it thinks someone is trying to steal the car. It will then go into safe mode and disables the starter relay and I think it even disables the fuel pump on some models.it can be a very frustrating thing to find but if you think about it its pretty obvious what is happening. Every single time you turn the key the two very little wires move with the lock cylender and they become weak over time and start to break inside the insulation and wont make contact at all times.

 

yep sounds about right.
that's what was wrong with mine.

Now you have to pull the steering wheel off and all that crap in the middle to get to the ignition cylinoid.

 

ok let me think here. First the wheel has gotta go but you have air bags so that has to come off first, and do me a favr take that panel off at the base of the column and find the yellow connector and disconnect it first, I dont want to see you eating an air bag. then take the wheel itself off. then you have the the lockplate which is held by a little clip but you need a special tool to take it off. then you have the horn ring. After you get that all off you need to take the turn signal switch out. Then you can see the screw that holds the lock cylender in. take the white peice out that partially covers it with a p[ait of needle nose pliars, then the bolt itself. you can then slide the lock cylender out a little bit. I usually just cut the two wires coming off it if Im repalacing it just to get the cylender out of the way. then you should tape a peice of fishing line or something small to the wires and slowly pull them down out of the column. the line will let you feed the new wires though the clumn. you then just reverse the proceedure to install it and your done. Goodluck with it and I hope this helps and it should be pretty accurate, Im going off memory because Ive done quite a few at work.