Leaving a meeting last Thursday night, I get in my RS and turn the key and nothing... no clicking, won't turn over. All dash lights working, full charge on the battery, but it won't start. It had been starting regularly with no problems up until this time. I make a few phone calls and about ten minutes later try again and this time it starts no problem. I drive home and park the car.

Saturday morning, I get in the car to bring it around back to the garage (completely forgetting that it nearly stranded me Thursday), it turns right over and I park it in back. A couple hours later, I go out to run some errands, get in the car and nothing. Again, full power from battery but no clicking or turning over. Tried it again this morning and still nothing.

Outside of there being a loose connection somewhere (which I don't think is the case) me thinks that the starter solenoid is bad. Has anyone else had a similar experience or maybe the same experience and it was something not related to the starter solenoid? Thanks... -Jerry.

 

ive had it where all that stuff worked, at least to my recollection. i replaced all the fusible links, i even replaced the battery, which needed replacing anyway. Turns out i had a toasted solenoid as you proposed.

 

i've had similar problems with mine recently. remember when diagnosing, my RS is TPI.
anywho, earlier this year (before i put the car away for the winter, so about mid-November, before i had swapped TPI and ZZ4 stuff on), the car would have trouble starting in the mornings. i would turn the key, and it would act like it wasn't going to crank, then it would slowly start cranking and start right up. i replaced the starter, and had the same problems, so i figured it was simply an old battery.

when i got the car back out for daily driving a few weeks ago (after everything had been swapped on and tested), it of course had problems starting the very first time, but has been running fine ever since, until this week. this week, it started the same old not wanting to crank, then slowly cranking. except now it will start up, and die immediately after it gets started. i'll then have to start it again, and then it will start and stay running. this is unusual though, and it worries me. all i've done recently is clean out the K & N (with the kit ), since i was already going cleaning the carb one on my suburban, and figured might as well get both out of the way .

i'm hoping the fact that it's happened this week is simply a coincidence, and has nothing to do with the filter. cause if i've got dust all over the FI and engine, that would obviously be very bad....anyways, any ideas on what this could be?
do i just need to replace the battery already, or what?

 

Did you ever find out the problem? My 89 T/A is doing the same thing?

 

I am having a similar problem. I turn the key and nothing happens. I'm driving a TPI with automatic transmission. The battery has full charge and I just replaced the starter this morning...still nothing.

I am thinking it has to do with the park lock cable or park lock switch in the steering column.

Has anyone run into this and if so, what did you do to resolve the issue?

Thanks, Adam

 

I tried it again, and it fired right up. I have to go to work but I am leaning towards a bad ignition switch connection. I will be taking off the steering column and checking all the connections. I will post my results. - Adam

 

I'm leaning towards heat soak. The way it behaves, it's the most logical (and easiest and cheapest) diagnosis! My husband suggested this experiment... easy, fast and you'll know RIGHT AWAY! When it fails to start, pour cold water on the starter, OF COURSE BEING CAREFUL NOT TO WET ANY "UNWETTABLES!" If it then starts, that's the problem.

Mine did it again yesterday... 105F here in Southern California. I opened the hood and the headers were ROASTING! I let it roll into the shade, gave it a few min. and vroom! I got a heat-shield for $3.99 at Auto-Zone and I'm going to put it in as soon as IT COOLS DOWN OUT HERE!

Terri

 

Do any of you that have posted with this problem have a pellet in the key? Does the security light on the dash come on and stay on, or does it go out after two seconds?

 

I think if it were that, the BRAKE light would come on when you turn the key, just like if you were trying to start it in gear.

 

Trickster,

My key has no chip in it. I asked the guy I bought it from and he said he wasn't sure why it was changed (wasn't first owner).

 

The Park/Lock cable goes from the automatic shifter assembly to the steering column and prevents the key from being turned if the shifter is in any gear except Park or Neutral and is not associated with the brake light.

To Half-Fast Racing,
Someone in the past has by-passed the VATS in your car, either by putting a resistor in the wire harness under the dash, deleting it in the eprom chip, or doing it like it was done on my car. They took a VATS lock cylinder with an uncut key with the proper resistance, plugged it into the wire harness and then stashed it under the dash above the fuse panel. Then installed a regular lock cylinder in the column.

 

Comes on, goes out after two seconds. EVERYTHING is as it should be, but no crank at all.

 

Hello MizM,
Your problem sounds like a failing starter enable relay (theft deterrent relay on your car (don't ask why)). It is located under the left kick panel beneath the hood release cable. It will have 4 wires going into it, the wires will be 2 yellow wires, a dark green/white wire and a dark green wire. The two yellow wires splice into one wire and goes to the ignition switch on the steering column under the dash. The dark green wire goes to pin "A3" of the VATS control module. The dark green/white wire goes to pin "F" of the Park/Neutral switch (automatic) or the Clutch Start switch (manual)

 

Heh then I guess some of my previous cars have had shorts because if I left them in gear and turned the key, the BRAKE light would illuminate as long as the key was held in the Start position. I thought it was designed like that.

 

I've been to three car parts places looking for one and they INSIST my car doesn't even HAVE ONE!!! Bunch o' really bright guys!! Gotta admit, I'm better with OLDER cars, all this electronic crap mystifies me!

Hubby is going to look at it this weekend. He's busy rebuilding the '70 Camaro, so my car comes SECOND! I won't complain though, as I'LL probably be driving the Camaro!!!!

 

Thats why i go to parts stores with part numbers. Its next to impossible to botch that up.

MizM, you have a very..."interesting" interest.....i hate spiders, no offense.

 

I hate spiders too!! Tarantulas belong to a completely different family, Theraphosidae!!

The public has been led to believe that they are big hairy monsters. Truth is, they are solitary, shy creatures who avoid human contact. Of 850 known species, not one is deadly and the majority have venom who's strength equals bee venom. Even my Old World "defensive" species are calm and handleable when they are out of their burrows, they are only defensive, never aggressive!

I currently have 87 in the house and my breeding projects have gotten me two eggsacs! It's a fascinating hobby!! And the tarantula stickers on my care REALLY make people look!!

You can visit me at www.arachnopets.com if you want to learn more!! (Don't be scared!)

Whoops, back on topic, I'm still holding out on heat soak. EVERY time it does it, it starts the minute the headers start to cool. Like I said, I have to wait till the weekend, and we'll get the heat shield on. I aslo bought a new solenoid just in case it got TOO hot!

 

MizM,

If you are referring to the starter enable relay or theft deterrent relay as it is called by pontiac. Most auto parts stores don't carry them as a aftermarket product. About the only place to get them is at the dealership or find one in a junkyard.

 

Yup, that's the one! They say my car only has 7 relays and that isn't one of them! That's when I use my dumb blonde valley girl impression and say, "Well, it's like, next to the foot that I don't drive with, and it kinda looks like a cute little pluggie thing?" They ALWAYS treat me like I'm such a girl!!!

 

Hello MizM,

I know, some of them are such idiots. Notice I said some of them, not all of them. Next time you go in there, maybe you should have one of your pets on your shoulder.

 

Hey, great idea!! Thanks for the tip!:hail: