I've got a 91 Firebird L03 Auto
Starter replaced a little over a week ago
Turn the key and all I get is dash lights, but not a single click.
Battery is good, interior lights work fine, I checked connections.
Have VATS, but circumvented it by soldering the necessary resistors in place.
Replaced the neutral safety switch.
Unplugged alarm system.
I haven't checked any of the wiring to the starter yet but they looked fine when I changed it last week. I even hit it a couple times with a hammer but its brand new, shouldn't be malfunctioning already.

This happened once before, I moved the car in the morning, turned it off, came back out a few mins later and it wouldn't start. Hit the starter a few times with a hammer, still wouldn't start, opened the hood, poked around, gave it another try and it started right up. Then this happens a few days later but now its not starting at all.

Please help... this is my daily driver. If its not fixed by Monday I'm screwed. Any ideas?

 

I think either you have a loose connection somewhere, or you got a bad starter. Try giving power directly to the starter and see if it works. You are going to have to go through and start eliminating things till you find out your problem.

 

Did you try to jump it yet?Maybe the battery is low or starter is bad and it might need some extra juice to start it.

 

Ditto on the battery and such. You'd be surprised how much chaos the battery and terminals can cause.

 

UPDATE:

Tried jump starting, voltage guage inside read higher voltage when connected to other vehicle but still no crank, no click, no dimming of lights, no waivering in voltage.

Visually inspected starter, wires connected fine, wires look ok.

Bridged terminals on starter with screw driver, the starter spins but doesn't engage, engine doesn't turn over since its not engaged.

Security light goes off when I turn the key.

I reused the starter bolts from the old one as well as the shims that it had.

We bypassed the ground to the block by attaching a jumper cable from the neg. terminal of the battery to a bolt on the block, didn't help.

I'm half way to pulling the steering wheel off now thinking theres something wrong with the ignition cylinder.

EDIT: Where is the fusable link and what does it look like?

 

Are these black things fusable links? They have 16 written on them supposedly meaning 16 guage right? Is the only way to know which has gone bad to strip the wire before and after and check for continuity?

EDIT: I went ahead and tested them anyway and they all work (if indeed they are fusable links). Any others that I should test?

 

First of all, did you hear the fuel pump prime when you turned the key to "ON". I believe with VATS, it enables both the starter and the fuel. So its getting fuel, its not the VATS and try the starter. By-passing the solenoid won't work because the solenoid engages the pinion to the flywheel in addition to closing the starter circuit. Instead, run some 10 or 12 gauge wire from the positive battery terminal to the starter solenoid power terminal. I think there are two terminals on there: one to energize the solenoid and the one you're seeing that connects the fusible links to power the rest of the car. This should let you turn the motor over and start it (with the ignition ON), assuming everything else is OK. If this is the case, i'm 99% sure you have a bad connection somewhere down the line from the ignition switch to the solenoid OR the ignition switch itself is bad. If it still doesn't bump over, the solenoid is bad.

 

Red is on the right track, but right now fuel has nothing to do with this problem, at least yet. If it was a fuel problem, the car would at least crank.

First things first...Raise the car, make sure ignition is off. Take a wire and connect the positive post of the battery to the single post wire on the starter solenoid.

Does the car crank? If it cranks, your starter and solenoid are ok.

Start from there and post back.

 

Yeah i know. Checking to see if the fuel is pumping is a way of eliminating the VATS as a possible culprit.

 

You might need to replace the ignition. Test the ignition coils and relays.

The fusible link is connected to the battery's positive terminal. It's usually wrapped in red tape-like material (kinda like an amplifier fuse).

Your interior lights do turn on, so it's not the fusible link.

Akshay

 

You might need to replace the ignition. Test the ignition coils and relays.

The fusible link is connected to the battery's positive terminal. It's usually wrapped in red tape-like material (kinda like an amplifier fuse).

Your interior lights do turn on, so it's not the fusible link.

Akshay

 

When you turn the key to the on position did you hear the fuel pump turn on. I don't know if you are having the same problem i had, but one day i messed with my car and when i went to start it and nothing. But my head lights worked my radio worked and stuff but wouldn't start. Well after 2 days of searching I found a little fuse that is the fuel pump/ecm fuse. Mine was located right above the battery but you can't see it because it is inside a little black capsule it was attached to passenger side fender. I have an 87 iroc with tpi. Well i hope this helps. I know the feeling all to well, and if you find the problem please let us know so if anyone else has a similar problem.

 

Fuel pump fuse is fine, pump primes when I turn the key.

Jumper cables aren't available to me right now but I was going to try to run one from the positive terminal of the battery to the solenoid and see if it cranks.

I don't get any voltage at the solenoid when the key is turned so I think the problem is in the ignition switch. I'm in the process of tearing everything down to get to it but I've run into some difficulty getting the steering wheel lock ring and horn contact ring off. I'm gonna give it another try in the morning, the tool I have to depress the rings is too big I think. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

Before doing any excessive work, have you checked to see if both yellow wires at the starter enable relay get 12V while the key is in the START position? The relay is behind the driver kick panel.

If no 12V to either yellow wire, then the ignition is your problem
But also make sure you are getting the proper ground to the same relay via VATS.

If only 1 gets 12V, most likely you have a break in one of the wires.

If both yellow wires do get 12V while key is in start, then you know it's not the ignition switch. If this is the case, try applying 12V to the striped green wire at the same relay, with the key off. If it cranks, change the relay. If it doesnt crank, double check that new park/neutral switch, and the wiring leading to the starter.

If you follow the path of 12V, starting from the ignition switch all the way to the starter, it is fairly easy to eliminate what works and what doesnt work, without having to guess.

Ignition switch gives 12V to 2 yellow wires at starter enable relay.

One yellow wire gives 12V to striped green/white wire.

green/white wire gives 12V to park/neutral switch.

If in park or neutral, park/neutral switch then applies 12V to purple wire.

Purple wire heads to starter solenoid, giving it 12V.

Starter engages, starting car.

Some years may have different coloring of wires, but you get the idea. If you dont have a test light or voltmeter, now is the great time to invest.

 

Its ALIVE!! Turned out to be a bad solenoid. Thanks to Omar, I did what you told me and tested every point. I got 12 volts EVERYWHERE even though I tested the solenoid before, I think I either had a bad ground when I tested it or I was testing the wrong connection. After all this stupidity, the solenoid was bad on a brand new two week old starter Oh well, had a lifetime warranty on it, so it didn't cost me anything. I didn't end up taking the entire column apart before I started this testing and everything's back together and just in time for my classes today. Thanks to all who gave their input!

 

I glad it was something simple, and that is was fixed before your entire column was apart.

I battled a intermittent no starting problem recently. I would somtimes get a click, sometimes get nothing.

The ignition switch powers the positive coil side(85 or 86) as well as the 30 side on the relay. For some reason, my ignition switch couldnt handle both. So I took the (30) yellow wire, cut it from the ignition switch, and wired it straight to the battery. No more problems.

I assume the ignition switch powers both for some inductive lockup prevention.