Hey guys, got an issue with the Firebird. Over the last 2 years it has intermittently refused to start and starter just clicks. I would always just assume that something got left on and drained the battery. I would put cables on the battery and it would start after a few tries.

Now it's at the point where it won't start at all, no matter what I do.
So far I've done the following:

-Load tested the battery
-Replaced the neutral safety switch
-Cleaned the connections at the battery
-Replaced the starter even though the old one tested fine.
-Checked grounds from the battery
-Checked power wire from the battery to the starter and it's in good shape

Here's the weird thing though. When I turn the key and the car is in Park it clicks once, but if I keep the key turned and push the brake pedal it continually clicks but won't turn over....maybe that's normal I don't recall if I pushed the brake to start the car or not.

I'm starting to suspect the keyed ignition switch is bad? Any ideas?

 

Sounds like the ignition switch, either bad or loose, it has two screws to adjust it. See if it is loose

 

Might be worth doing a loaded circuit test if you have a test light. Hook it up to battery ground then touch it to the block when you're trying to crank, if it lights up at all look for bad grounds.

 

Never attempted to take the ignition switch out, any good guides on the site? I get a lot of dead end links when I search

I'll try the loaded circuit test, although I'm pretty certain the grounds are good.

 

I assume the "click" noise is the sound of the starter throwing and hitting the ring gear. Might need to shim the starter to increase gear backlash so the starter can engage easier. Or it could be low voltage at the starter solenoid switch terminal.

Repeated start attempts with the pinion throwing will burn up the solenoid pull-in coil very quickly (possibly in a few seconds depending on starter design). If that coil is overheated then the click-no-crank rate gets worse. Kind of a snowball effect. Don't keep hitting the key switch over and over again when you get the click-no-crank thing going on. Maybe 2 or 3 attempts, each no more than 1 or 2 seconds.

 

It's just at the base of the column, under the dash, held in with two screws and there are 3 tabs holding in the two connectors with large gauge wires in it. It is a pain to get the connectors out because the female pins grab the switch tightly. It's not hard, just look under there with a light

 

For the OP.... When these guys say "ignition switch" they are not talking about the key switch where you insert the key. They are talking about an electrical switch box that is attached to the steering column under the dash. There is a rod from the key switch that pushes on that electrical box to open/close main circuits for the car, including the starter solenoid.

 

Shim as in add a washer between the block and the starter? It's been starting just fine with an occasional no start over the last couple of years. Replaced the starter and same result. I'll look at shimming and see if that helps.

Next will be to replace the ignition switch as described above. Appears the actual key switch has no electrical connections.

 

Yeah, sorry, thought you knew. The lock cylinder only prevents the column from turning and moves a rod to push/pull the actual switch

 

Correct idea but don't use washers. 1) Washers are too thick; and 2) You want to spread the bolt clamping load across the entire mounting pad of the starter, not concentrate the load under a washer. The shim is a thin piece of metal that spans the whole length of the mounting pad. You don't need much because a small change in center distance between gears will have a large effect on gear backlash.

I rather doubt it is a tight gear backlash though, based on your latest description. Tight gear backlash would cause more frequent issues. Keep focusing on high resistance in the solenoid switch circuit.

 

Starter Shims

https://www.napaonline.com/napa/en/p...239/NDP6551239


Have you tried hooking the starter straight up to battery power on the car? If you unhook the power cables and hook up some jumper cables connected straight to the starter that should tell you a good bit.

 

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I'll do some additional testing and report back

 

When did ls motors need starter shims? Or are we talking about a different motor than whats in your sig?

Sounds like the ign switch/rod assembly as stated earlier. I remember long ago when i had my auto car..having to wiggle the shifter into park while pressing the brake to get the car to start.things were getting loose on that old bird.