Hey guys. I have a no start issue that I have done much reading on.
Turn the key and I have lights and accessories but no fuel pump or starter.
I have 12.2 volts from a brand new battery to the brand new starter big lug.
​​I have replaced the starter, starter relay, new VATS key, a VATS bypass switch from Zip (all correct resistance), no security light on, no power to purple wire at solenoid when key is turned. HEEEEEELLLLPPPP!!!

Charles

 

When you say you changed the “starter relay” are you referring to the solenoid on the starter?

Have you tried jumping the solenoid on the starter to see if it will close and engage the starter? We need to confirm that will not burn out anything before doing that little test. (I did that with my old truck for months until I got around to changing the solenoid.) Just trying to find the break in the path of power to your starter.

What about the key switch itself when it goes to the “Start” position? Any chance of bad contacts? When you twist to the Start position, do the lights dim or do you see any indication the contacts are making?

 

I replaced the starter assembly, (starter motor and solenoid.) I replaced the starter relay under th das to the left of the steering column. The starter will spin when I jump from the big lug to the solenoid hot lug.

 

Well...that is a teaser.
so when you put power directly to the solenoid, the starter spins. Does the bendix engage the gear with the flywheel and spin the engine, or does the starter just freely spin?

 

Just spins the starter - doesn't engage the bendix. I was using a light gauge wire with alligator clips.

 

I do not know what is wrong with your car. I am also not even close to being a top notch super mechanic on these cars. I am just a guy trying to help get some ideas flowing.

I wonder if you got a better connection, if the starter would engage the flywheel, and spin the engine. If the engine started spinning with the ignition in Run, would the engine start?

You need fuel, air, and spark with compression to make it run. So what are we missing?

Fuel - maybe. Don’t know if we got fuel pressure to the rail.
Spark - maybe. Need to spin the engine/ignition system to see if we got spark.
Compression - need to spin the engine.

Fuel pressure won’t help us if the engine is not turning over, so I guess we got to get this thing turning over first.

A great spark is of no use without the engine turning over. So we come back to getting that starter to engage and spin the engine.

Has the new solenoid ever worked and engaged the starter?

If there were a weak cell in that battery, poor ground, or some other reason to have a poor connection of power in the car, the starter may not be getting enough power kick in the bendix.

I know you said 12.2 volts at the starter. What if it something simple like a corroded negative post on the battery or a dead cell where the voltage makes a quick drop under a load?

Do you have the ability to load test the battery? Like a carbon pile load tester? We can start the analysis at the source of the power and go from there.

If anyone else has any ideas or can contribute, now would be a good time....

 

Autozone can test the battery. BTDT.

Has the OP looked at the circuit? Perhaps what we need to do is put an idiot light at the exciter wire. This is GOLDEN. If it gets the signal, we know there is either a ground fault or there is an unusual current draw. If not, we go back to tracking the circuit and see if the VATS bypass caused problems. Perhaps there may be a code 52 thrown if there is a VATS error