Need some help with a "no start" situation.
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 59
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From: BC, Canada
Need some help with a "no start" situation.
I have an '86, 4+3 that I have been replacing the sound system. Recently when starting the starter is turning slower and slower like the battery is dying. The battery is fully charged (so it seems) at 12.5 volts.
Now it has an intermittent start problem. I can start it twice and on the third try the starter will not even engage. If I wait a while (30min - few hours) it will start again. Otherwise, everything else powers on perfectly but, when it will not start, the headlights don't dim at all. This leads me to believe that it can't be a battery or charging problem. It is a new battery (few months old), albeit a cheap one, and the alternator was tested a few months ago and seemed to be charging ok.
I have seem several similar threads in the archives, any ideas about this particular situation. :confused:
Now it has an intermittent start problem. I can start it twice and on the third try the starter will not even engage. If I wait a while (30min - few hours) it will start again. Otherwise, everything else powers on perfectly but, when it will not start, the headlights don't dim at all. This leads me to believe that it can't be a battery or charging problem. It is a new battery (few months old), albeit a cheap one, and the alternator was tested a few months ago and seemed to be charging ok.
I have seem several similar threads in the archives, any ideas about this particular situation. :confused:
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 54,124
Likes: 30
From: Cincinnati, Oh USA
Re: Need some help with a "no start" situation. (Crazy Canuck)
When cranking, the battery voltage should not be below 9.0 volts or the battery is discharged or at the end of its service life. Measure at the battery terminals when cranking. Remove the batt cables and clean them and batt terminals and replace. Can you hear a click from the center of the dash when you hit the starter but it doesn't budge? If not , then your VATS start enable relay is not closing probably due to worn contacts in the ign sw not making reliable contact with the pellet. Try your spare ign key, it has newer higher pellet contacts. When it won't crank, unplug the 2 pin connector under the carpet at the column base and measure the resistance of the wires from the column with the ign key in place. It should measure the same resistance as your pellet. If over 10k ohms, then you have worn out contacts in the ign sw and it needs to be replaced. You can clip a fixed resistor the same value as your pellet onto the wires going to the passenger side (VATS module) which will bypass VATS until you can get the new ign sw installed. Don't permanently override the VATS because your C4 can easily be stolen by bashing the column and jumping the ignition which is how 99% of cars are stolen. Good luck.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 7,072
Likes: 4
From: Maryland
Re: Need some help with a "no start" situation. (Crazy Canuck)
When my car started behaving like that I replaced the starter & solenoid and that fixed the problem. I don't think the old starter needed to be replaced, however I insisted it be changed since the old one wasn't original, or even a GM part. Funny thing is that my '70 had the same issue - I swapped both out for the same reason on that vette too. :cool: Did you know that it's a heck of a lot easier to find a correctly dated 1970 starter than a correctly dated 1987 starter!?!? :yesnod: :crazy:
