Trouble Starting - Starter Solenoid the Problem??
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,079
Likes: 1
From: Niagara Falls ON
Test everything before buying parts. Why spend money if you don't have to.
I had a VATS problem once. By chance it turned out that the ignition key pellet had worn out so it wasn't contacting properly. I found out because I decided to try my spare key to start the car and it worked. It was one of those moments when I realized that I often over complicate things or look for the big problem when it is something small right in front of me.
There used to be a website called "VATS Sucks" It was good because it told you how to troubleshoot VATS and if you wanted, how to disengage it....not recommended though. The person who ran the site is a member on the forum.
Good luck!
I had a VATS problem once. By chance it turned out that the ignition key pellet had worn out so it wasn't contacting properly. I found out because I decided to try my spare key to start the car and it worked. It was one of those moments when I realized that I often over complicate things or look for the big problem when it is something small right in front of me.
There used to be a website called "VATS Sucks" It was good because it told you how to troubleshoot VATS and if you wanted, how to disengage it....not recommended though. The person who ran the site is a member on the forum.
Good luck!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 3,108
Likes: 126
From: S.L.C. UT
It sounds like it could possibly be a VATS problem, but I would still start with the basics. Test the battery, and check the battery cables and connections. Make sure your ground cable is tight. That is always the place to start for problems like you are describing. It's better to test parts than throw parts at it.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 316
Likes: 2
From: Fayetteville Arkansas
Is a clutch safety switch something they have on automatics? And where should I look for it. I'm not a mechanic in ANY way. 
I will test it tomorrow morning. 
And thanks for all the info guys.
I will test it tomorrow morning. And thanks for all the info guys.
- 1986 Original Owner -
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 3,193
Likes: 139
From: North Yorkshire, England
Cruise-In I Veteran
Cruise-In II Veteran
Cruise-In III Veteran
Cruise-In IV Veteran
Cruise-In VII Veteran
No, automatics will have a Park/Neutral Safety Switch located at the base of the shifter.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 316
Likes: 2
From: Fayetteville Arkansas
From jfb's post, I can already tell FOR SURE that it is the VATS and not the solenoid or starter.
1) When it doesn't want to start, there is no cranking or solenoid click.
2) You have to let it sit for 6 minutes before it will start.
3) Disconnecting the battery for a minute, then reconnecting will make it start.
I don't have a ohmeter that can read numbers smaller than the tenths place (X,XXX.X) so the closest reading I got from the pellet on my key is .7 - actually one side was .7 and the other side flashed back and forth between .7 and .8 .
I will try to find those wires tomorrow and compare and borrow a more accurate ohmeter. But I bet that's what it's gonna be. Nothing else makes any sense, and jfb described its symptoms exactly.
1) When it doesn't want to start, there is no cranking or solenoid click.
2) You have to let it sit for 6 minutes before it will start.
3) Disconnecting the battery for a minute, then reconnecting will make it start.
I don't have a ohmeter that can read numbers smaller than the tenths place (X,XXX.X) so the closest reading I got from the pellet on my key is .7 - actually one side was .7 and the other side flashed back and forth between .7 and .8 .
I will try to find those wires tomorrow and compare and borrow a more accurate ohmeter. But I bet that's what it's gonna be. Nothing else makes any sense, and jfb described its symptoms exactly.
