I recently bought an 89 RS for my fiance. The guy we bought it from said it was sort of running the week before we bought it. I saw pictures and relized the problem was the VATS. I replaced the lock cylinder and got the proper resistor key made. But the car still wouldnt start. It sounded like timing, so I had my mechanic friend time it and it started. It ran a little rough, and died a couple of times, and the SES light told me it was the TPS. I ordered one, but they said it wouldnt be in until Tuesday. So I drove the car Tuesday it drove great. On my way to the parts store the idle started creeping up. So with my foot on the brake, at a stopsign, I tapped the gas, and it died. And it wouldnt start. I kept trying to start it until the battery died. Now it wont start even if I jump it. It will just click. I have replaced the Ignition Cylinder, the Ignition Module, Distributor Cap, Plugs, Wires and Battery(high CCA) before Tuesday, so they arent the problem. And the car still wont start it just rapidly clicks. I dont know much about these fancy electronic things on these new cars. So I'm hoping it something like a relay. Any help would be greatly appretiated.

 

Starter?

 

Your sure the battery is completely recharged?

 

The starter was working just fine the entire week before no problems. And I left the cables on the battery for twenty minutes after that the voltage gauge was around ten volts, but thats what it always sits at with a full battery.

 

Starter Solenoid maybe? Try jumping the 2 terminals on the solenoid with a screwdriver. That used to work for me on my 59 Chevy. Although there was alot more room under the hood with that 283.

 

Are the battery connections good and tight? Over time, both my 3rd gens develop poor connections at the battery itself. Dont ask me how but the buggers work themselfs loose enough to power everything but the starter. Then again, just enough to make it click or turn over once. Sometimes all it takes is to crank the battery connections down tight into the battery.

My RS did this very thing today. Loose battery ground. My IROC hasnt had a battery in it in weeks. Late today I put one in it and had a hell of a time getting it to fire. Kept tightening the battery connections, she fired.

Check your connections and cables.

Good luck

 

i agree. try checking the battery cables. i have the sae problem every so often and once i tighten the cables it starts right up

 

I just now got back to the car after the icestorm. Jumped it from another car for like an hour. And while trying to start it you can see the engine turn with every little click. but it wont actually crank the engine over fast enough to start. I mean the engine barely turns, maybe a half degree per click. And as soon as I take the jumper cables off it will click once and the battery is dead. I thought the pinion was jammed on the flywheel so I loosened it and tightened it back up and still the same problem. Could it be the solenoid? or is it something else?

 

Hmmm, is the crankshaft locked up? As if you spun a bearing or siezed a piston? Whatever you do don't try to rotate the engine from the crank pulley, its very easy to break the bolt holding the pulley on this way, instead rotate it from the flywheel, but MAKE DAMN SURE you can't start the car this way! pull the battery, relieve the fuel pressure, pull the injector fuses, pull the coil wire. You don't want to accidentally start the motor!

It ought to turn with a good amount of effort.

Our starters click because either:

a. not enough current to engage the motor - this could also be because a great effort is needed to turn the flywheel because of something similar to above. This could be due to corroded wires (either the negative terminal (which should go to ground), or the positive, which goes directly to the starter.) loose connections on the starter, loose connections on the battery, corrosion on the starter, a broken wire (that appears solid but only making minimal contact).

b. The starter motor itself is locked up. With the amount of starting you've been doing I wouldn't be shocked that its gone bad.

c. The solenoid is not engaging the pinion with the flywheel (either striking the flat surface of the flywheel and not fully extending, or hitting a tooth end on). If it doesn't extend fully it won't rotate.

New batteries don't come charged you know, I don't see that you hooked it up and fully charged the battery, so that could be all it is. I know you jumped it for a while but that doesn't fully charge the battery either.

Doesn't mean anything at all. You just bought this, so you could have a nice cheap discount OEM replacement starter in it. I had one suddenly die after 3 days once.....

You said it yourself... the battery is dead. You also mentioned an ice storm - you must live in a cold part of the world. Cold reduces a batteries capacity as you well know and a partially charged battery can be totally wiped out by the cold...
Bring it out of the cold and get a charger on it, its the only way to be sure.

I've learned that once a battery does that "one-click then nothing" - no amount of charging will save it. A dead batteries a dead battery regardless of how new it is- Return it under warranty and see if the parts store will charge it fully for you.


Another thing to do is pull the starter bolts all the way off and let the starter lay on the exhaust - crank it, the starter ought to spin like crazy.

Again I can't stress enough how our cars seem to have trouble with battery and starter connections - It might look tight, but is it really?