I posted what is down below last year and thought everything was fixed as far as the hot start but it is not !!!!!!!! I am at my wits end and have been through everything except the obvious thing that is causing the problem. help!!!!!!! The radio also goes from station to station and I replaced all wiring in column!!!! So now Solenoid, Neutral safety switch, starter, starter enable relay, battery Vatt key , new cylinder, Blah blah blah!!!!! what else??? I also failed emisions but it could be due to a cool fan switch ,160-175. I failed with 590 hCo and it has to be below 200. Do you think if I disconnected the switch so computer turns fans on a 223 will help? Also 1/2 the gas that was in the tank is 6 months old. The car was off the road since mid last year till now and now I want to drive it!!!!!!



I've got an ongoing problem that was solved for 5 months and is back.When I start the car when cold ,it fires up no problem,then when it is warm it might start might not. No click no anything, guages do move. I checked out voltage at starter solenoid still hooked up and voltage was down at 3 to 7 volts. If I get a jump from a running car 13.7 volts it fires right up.I replaced starter and solenoid tightened groundsbut just sprayed WD40 at back of heads at grounding points.It worked great for 5 months but is not starting again when warm plus Radio acts up changing stations, fader changing, volume changing on its own! When the car worked good for 5 months radio did not act up. If the car sits for 20 or 30 minutes it fires right up. When I bought the car It came with this problem.It is not neutral safety switch or bad battery.Is the ground for radio at back of head?Do you think it sounds like a ground problem?

 

Could be a ground problem, or a bad flywheel, or the starter solenid is connecting when hot (kicks out) but it doesn't engage the flywheel. I'll do some research on this.
worst case scenario: VERY ****ED UP ELECTRICAL SYSTEM!!

 

It doent even turn motor over. Totally silent! 20 minutes later it firs up no problem. It does this intermitantly. I could drive it 5 minutes then it wont start or it might or drve it 45 miutes and it will restart. But it always starts when it it cold.

 

I'll try to get back with all the possible problems soon. Mind you that it is only a troubleshooting guide. If there are any fixes, I'll list'em for you.

 

I have exhausted all ideas. The weird thing is it will start up instantly when I use a 12 volt hot wire from fuse block to ignition start side of solenoid so that illiminates stater and solenoid. When I get a jump from another car it will also fire up instantly, so that illiminates any problem with VAT key . I am finally lost!!!!!!

 

Heres a picture . Its a shame that I cant figure it out since the weather has been the best summer in Seattles history

 

do you have headers on it, if so you may need a heat shield for your starter, it could be getting heat soaked, which would explain the fact it wont start up after you shut it off and then as time goes it will start.

 

No headers and it will start with different power source to starter. I ran an 8 gauge wire into drivers floor area from the small wire that is the ignition starter wire to starter and a wire from 12 volt source at fuse panel. When it wont turn over I just touch wires together and vroooom vroooom. This is just a way to get it to start and would really like to figure out the problem source. Previous owners had the same problems.

 

hmmm. thats a toughy, sounds similar to what happened in my sunbird, turns out it was the alternator, i figured it was the starter, well actually that went before the alternator, after the new starter and alternator the car worked fine. Its weird i was drivin it and all of a sudden my radio went crazy and the lights went off and after i shut it off i could not get it started again.

 

The 3 to 7 volts indicates a voltage drop somewhere inline between the battery and the starter. It could be caused by either a poor connection in the 12+ wire or a bad ground. Since it is intermittent, and seems to be hit or miss, AND you have verified a perfect, clean, tight ground from engine to chassis, battery to chassis, starter to chassis, and starter solonoid to starter body connection, I would say it is in your 12+ line somewhere. Most likely a hairline break in one of your fusable links. Could also be a hairline break in one of the wires leading to the starter.

When you tested and found the voltage drop, was it on the main 12 volt feed, or the trigger wire coming from the key cyl.? Isolate it to either wire, and then replace the entire length with the fusable links and all. It's not as bad as you might think, all the wires are pretty accessible.

Also keep in mind that for your grounds, they have to be a clean connection. No rust or paint can be under the terminal on the ground wires.

Take care,
Matt

 

It was the 12 volt ignition wire that dropped at the solenoid but it is weird that it starts every time when cold and when it doesnt start after driving it , if you wait 30-45 minutes it fires right up. I took the block apart that goes through the fire wall and and it seemed OK but just as I moved it the trunk release started and so I cleaned up conections and then coated with dielectric grease in case some contact is loose. My big problem now is pass emissions. I have jerry rigged it so when it doesnt start I have an 8 gauge wire that goes to solenoid from drivers foot compartment and a 12 volt wire from fuse block and I touch them together to fire it up. But I need to fix it correctly. This is an L98 car if that makes a difference which it shouldnt.

1989 GTA Convertible L98
1974 454 Convertible Corvette
1968 Firebird 400 with 538,000 miles(Sanding car for paint as we type.
1968 Firebird Convertible Tri-Power 400 4 Sp 13 sec car that is a
1st place show car and hard running street car.
1968 Firebird 400 12 sec Coupe that runs on Arco Gas
1982 Harley Davidson Sturgis solid roller ,dual plugged
1989 Full size Blazer 6" lift 35" tires and 3"flow Master exhaust.

 

it wont turn over? replace ur ignition switch. if the starter works then you arent getting voltage to it,so its either the ignition switch or the nuetral safety switch...
oh,and to help pass emissions,retard ur timing some, and add some alchohol to ur gas tank.

 

Replaced Ignition switch and neutral safety switch Starter and solenoid, battery, starter enable relay, Vat cylinder, keys, etc etc.

 

use a voltmeter to check the ground from the battery to the fender, i redid the connection on mine using the wire that was attached to the battery cable to find out that the actual wire was bad 3 hours and a lot of swearing later. try runing a whole new wire from the bat to the fender just to make sure, my bad wire made me hate chevys up and down for about three hours until i ran a whole new ground and fixed the starting problem.

 

Wierd thing is, my car does nearly the same thing. Only this happens when anything like the A/C or heater is on. When I do a hot start with those on nothing works. However, off it does it fine???

 

hey 2:73 , sounds like you then had no power whatsoever, no head lights gauges etc? I have all of these.

 

yea i had headlights and everything but they all turned off as soon as I tried to start it, then turned on about 2 or 3 seconds later

 

Is this car a 5 speed? With my clutch, sometimes theres something that doesnt activate, something for safety, that wont let the car start. No matter how far you push the pedal in, it wont active this "safety switch" and your car wont start. Its underneath the clutch pedal. I know its there, just dont know where it is. Its a very random thing. Clutch has to be in to start?

 

check all the wires n ground for the neutral safety switch

 

Yep, gotta be all the way to the floor.

 

Sorry lights stay on even when key is turned to start position and gauges move but no ticky no washy. Nodda ,Zero, Zippo, nuthin,. It also is a 1989 GTA Convertible 350 L98 with auto so that eliminates the clutch switch. All wires to neutral safety switch are getting good contact. This car has 70,000 mileswhich amounts to about 5000 miles a year tops .Now I know why!!!! Evil spirited car!!!

 

shall I come over with the .44 magnum now and do the shooting?

 

Actually I am shooting my 1968 Firebird tonight and tomorrow and if you can shoot paint real good you can relieve me. You have to be good though since just the material has set me back $1450 !!!!!!And I am on unemployment right now!!!

 

nope I cant shoot paint good and Im about 3500 miles away, a long drive for me, awsome that you have a 68 bird tho, my buddy just got a 69 maro convertable but it needs everything, and really mean everything, gotta love the first gens

 

Got more than one first gen bird.

 

Cant help but love the torque of a 400. the one with primer does 12 secs on ARCO gas . This is my 400 4 sp with Tri-Power. Love the torque of those tri-power carbs wide open. Can you say 30MPH and then smoke the tireswhen you floor it Yeee Haw!!!!

 

"I am so going to kill whoever buys Little Bandit!"
- Snake from the Simpsons

 

she needs premium duuude premium!-Snake

 

"Screw the honors system, my car needs me!" - Snake

 

I had the same sort of Problem in my 300 ZX twin turbo. Come to find out the alternator had a short in it. It would start fine with a jump. The radio acted funny a/c and so on. I replaced it and the car was like brand new.

 

I had the same symptom's, and this was after I bought a brand new GM alternator from Pep Boys. Turns out it was a bad batch of alternators, and the internal band(s) were snapped.

It sounds like you're car is running solely off of the battery, but when it gets to a certain point, since the alternator is still connected, it drains the battery throughout.... causing no re-start afterwards.

You must have a new battery for it to 'come back' (re-charge) so fast.... as usually it will take a few hours. If this isn't the case though, you're pistons may be expanded to a point that the block is holding them in place (due to overheating.... possibly by bad timing, and not coolant).

But since you said that she fires right up with the aid of a jump start.... I'd go with a bad alternator!

 

It's a bad connection somewhere. If it was a dead battery, his lights would be dim, most accessories wouldn't work right, and he said that if he bypasses the vehicle wiring with his own 8awg from the fusebox straight to the solonoid, it'll start.

Take care

 

Also, the most likely reason it starts with a jumpstart is because it has the amperage neccesary to jump the gap of the broken wire or fusable link

 

If you re-read my original post, you will find that I said he might have a faulty 'alternator', and not a bad 'battery'.....

 

hes not jumping it though, he said he can connect anbther wire from the same 12 volt source and it will start right up, it defently sounds like a bad connection somewhere.

 

"But since you said that she fires right up with the aid of a jump start.... I'd go with a bad alternator! "

I know, I was (mis)quoting the text above I stand by my original thoery though, that it isn't a charging system or ignition problem, it has to be a bad connection somewhere. If the alternator was bad, it wouldn't be able to start, and then not start, and then start. A dead alternator would kill the battery, and then he wouldn't be able to crank it.

Make sure to let us know what it is sixt8bird, I'm pretty curious

 

But this is exactly what I'm saying, if it wasn't the alternator, and the battery isn't being drained by it..... then why does he have to wait a while for it to start back up?

If it were a ground strap, or the negative battery cable.... the car would start right up afterward. Something is draining the battery, don't you think....

Plus the fact, if it were indeed a bad ground, and/or the battery cables are loose.... then he would have eventually fried the alternator when putting his lights on.

 

yes i have the same issue on my 92 rs 5.0. after driving for few then i try to start all the gauges work but nothing. i am able to wait about 5 min then she starts right up

 

yes i have the same issue on my 92 rs 5.0. after driving for few then i try to start all the gauges work but nothing. i am able to wait about 5 min then she starts right up

 

it's called an intermittent ground or intermittent connection problem. A slight break or in the connection that sometimes makes a connection, and sometimes doesn't. It can also be caused by corrosion built up between two terminal points, where the connection can only be made by arcing. Try this: Disconnect your battery and try to start your car. It won't start, will it? Now, reconnect your battery and try to start your car. It will work. The same thing is happening with the intermittent connection. Thru various vibrations or shifting of the cable even a tiny bit, the connection can make good contact again and work. That's why one second he will get 3-7 volts, and then all of a sudden he has 12 volts.

As far as frying the alternator with the lights, the only connections that would do that is the one between the alternator case and the bracket, or the head to chassis. That'll make the alternator work much harder than needed to charge. Once the vehicle is running, it should NOT need the battery for anything. The alternator should be running every single electrical component in the vehicle. Here's another experiment for you: Start your vehicle and then disconnect the battery. It'll still run as good as before you disconnected it.

He ALSO said that he can bypass the vehicle wires and make the car start with his own wire going from the fusebox to the starter solonoid. Does him running his own length of wire all of a sudden make the alternator charge properly?