Weird problem
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,135
Likes: 0
From: Sebastian Florida
St. Jude Donor '06
Weird problem
I took my son home and I turned the lights on when it started raining. Well to make the story faster, I turned off the car when I got to my ex's house. Well after I unloaded my son's stuff, the car would not start or turn-over, the LCD display stayed on. After trying several times with no success, I started looking into fuses and boy most of the fuses were tarnished. After playing with fuses, I tried again and it started and have not had any problems. WTF happened to me?
Advanced
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 64
Likes: 0
From: Houston TX
Same thing happened to me awhile back. It was close to an hour before it started. It's if it totally died on me an crapped out. The only sound was click!!!!!! It's I think maybe 1 of 2 things if I'm right. Either the chip in the key is going bad, or the ignition wires and stuff in the stering colum is going out. I havent looked into it any more. I just try not to turn it off when I do drive it!
Instructor
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 108
Likes: 0
From: Snohomish WA
If the key got wet, or you put it in your mouth while your hands were full it may not have made a good contact with the VATS key reader in the ignition switch and triggered the VATS system. Once triggered you have to wait 4-6 mins to attempt a restart. The key/key reader could have possibly dried while your were checking the fuses thus allowing for a good contact and you were on your way.
Or, maybe the car was just in a playful mood & wanted to jerk your chain
Or, maybe the car was just in a playful mood & wanted to jerk your chain
Last edited by Brianjt1987; May 2, 2005 at 03:38 PM.
Advanced
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 58
Likes: 0
From: miramar florida
it wont start
Bryant is right about the key and the chip on it, next time take a wet napkin (KFC type) and clean the key with it, the alcohol on the napkin will clean it and your ignition switch should be able to read the pellet.
it is always good to have a spare one,check the resistance on your key with an ohm meter, record the reading(should be from .40 t0 12.2ohms) take it to a dealer and have a key made, otherwise if you get stuck becuse the chip is not good any more or you loose your key, it is very expensive to get a copy( dealers have to check by bin # from GM to get the right code, no big deal but pricy)
it is always good to have a spare one,check the resistance on your key with an ohm meter, record the reading(should be from .40 t0 12.2ohms) take it to a dealer and have a key made, otherwise if you get stuck becuse the chip is not good any more or you loose your key, it is very expensive to get a copy( dealers have to check by bin # from GM to get the right code, no big deal but pricy)
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 2,524
Likes: 10
From: Lufkin Texas
St. Jude Donor '05-'06
With the last two guys. I even had it happen in the steamy near coastal heat of Texas summer. After the keys spent the night in my well air conditioned house they sweated like a beer out of the fridge when I went outside. I warmed the metal tip of key with a lighter a bit until the key would stay dry then VIOLA, she started right up.
Pro
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 678
Likes: 0
From: Oslo, Norway
Hi.
I have an 854+3 which works very nicely, but I have had this weird function. If I stall the engine by mistake one in 20 starts, I guess, itbis totally dead with the cluster bright and no decrease in the brightness when I turn the key, By accident I found out that torqueing the minus pole on the battery it worked and it started again. This can happen when stopping the engine and go shopping for a quarter of an hour then come back and start the car some times it is dead as described above. It is incredible that torqueing the minus pole or release it and retorque will solve the problem. I cannot find any logic because the battery cabel and the poles are absolutely as new with no corrosion and the battery is fully charged. The toqueing of the minuspole is a 100% hit, WHY??? There is nothing wrong as I can see. If it had been the solenoid why should it be solved by the retorqueing. The starter has always worked fine and it cranks the engine fast and with no abnormalities. I do not have the VATS on the key though so it cannot be that. Interesting!!!!
Jan-Erik
I have an 854+3 which works very nicely, but I have had this weird function. If I stall the engine by mistake one in 20 starts, I guess, itbis totally dead with the cluster bright and no decrease in the brightness when I turn the key, By accident I found out that torqueing the minus pole on the battery it worked and it started again. This can happen when stopping the engine and go shopping for a quarter of an hour then come back and start the car some times it is dead as described above. It is incredible that torqueing the minus pole or release it and retorque will solve the problem. I cannot find any logic because the battery cabel and the poles are absolutely as new with no corrosion and the battery is fully charged. The toqueing of the minuspole is a 100% hit, WHY??? There is nothing wrong as I can see. If it had been the solenoid why should it be solved by the retorqueing. The starter has always worked fine and it cranks the engine fast and with no abnormalities. I do not have the VATS on the key though so it cannot be that. Interesting!!!!
Jan-Erik
