skiiirt Posted August 19, 2005 Report Posted August 19, 2005 I was getting fast food last night when I came back to the cutty she would not start. I have lots of battery, the guage is beyond 13. The lights turn off as if it is "starting" but nothing from the starter when i turn the key. I also noticed my brake pedal is very very stiff. I have checked the battery terminals and am going to go test the starter this morning. Anyone have any idea what is going on? Quote
GP1138 Posted August 19, 2005 Report Posted August 19, 2005 Your car is telling you that McDonalds will make you fat, they serve Big Macs, they serve Quarter Pounders, they will put pounds on you. Take a hammer and whack the starter. See what that does. Quote
DiscoStudd Posted August 19, 2005 Report Posted August 19, 2005 Shift it into neutral and try starting it. Could be the P/N safety switch... Quote
skiiirt Posted August 19, 2005 Author Report Posted August 19, 2005 Ok well I went back to it. Put the key in and she started right up.. What the fuck... I am going to assume it has somethig to do with the ignition cylinder or some form of selenoid. Must be from the key. I replaced the ICM last year (1 year ago today). Can anyone guide me as to what would need replacing with the symptoms I am encountering? Quote
Robby1870 Posted August 19, 2005 Report Posted August 19, 2005 Ok well I went back to it. Put the key in and she started right up.. What the fuck... I am going to assume it has somethig to do with the ignition cylinder or some form of selenoid. Must be from the key. I replaced the ICM last year (1 year ago today). Can anyone guide me as to what would need replacing with the symptoms I am encountering? Loose battery connection. Mine does it all the time and since the threads in the battery are what is stripped, Im not going to buy a new battery when all I have to do is wiggle the pos wire. Quote
skiiirt Posted August 19, 2005 Author Report Posted August 19, 2005 The battery terminals were tight. Thats always the first thing I check. Anyways it's running fine again. Guess we'll see for how long Quote
digitaloutsider Posted August 20, 2005 Report Posted August 20, 2005 W-bodies didn't get PK until 1994. Quote
Canada Posted August 20, 2005 Report Posted August 20, 2005 Ahh....they like to fray the two wires coming off the ignition cylinder, but since he doesn't have that. Quote
skiiirt Posted August 20, 2005 Author Report Posted August 20, 2005 I was wondering... Do you guys have an accessory feature (turn the key towards you) to turn on the electrical inside (cd player/tape deck/lights etc)?? I noticed that when I turn my key towards me nothing happens. Maybe this being broken has something to do with my starting problems? Quote
chadz34 Posted August 21, 2005 Report Posted August 21, 2005 I believe all W-Body's had that feature. But, I don't think that has anything to do with your starting difficulties. Quote
GutlessSupreme Posted August 21, 2005 Report Posted August 21, 2005 It could if his ignition cylinder's having problems... Quote
skiiirt Posted August 22, 2005 Author Report Posted August 22, 2005 How would one diagnose a going bad cylinder? Is this easy to replace or do i have to pull the steering column? Quote
digitaloutsider Posted August 22, 2005 Report Posted August 22, 2005 On the point of the accessory function, or lack thereof.. are you using an original GM key? Quote
skiiirt Posted August 23, 2005 Author Report Posted August 23, 2005 Well as far as I know yes. Both sets I got from the previous owner appear to be original. Now they may not be exact originals as the guy didnt have the key fobs (maybe he lost the keys with the fobs) so they could be duplicates. But not some Home Depot key cutting job Quote
regal89cdk Posted August 24, 2005 Report Posted August 24, 2005 1989 regal gs 2.8l mfi... mine did that not starting crap about a month ago and quit, then yesterday i was gonna leave work early and it didnt start. when it has happened, i just get some jumper cables and it starts right up. or i can wait a while, and it will then work. should i get a new ignition thing? i can take my original key out at any position its in, running or off. help? also, my key is kinda hot when i take it out.... one day i saw a lil bit of smoke comin from right behind the steering wheel....i dunno, probably need to replace somethin. Quote
jeremy Posted August 31, 2005 Report Posted August 31, 2005 I have made sure the battery terminals (and aux) are clean and have been tightened. I have replaced the starter and ICM. I have tried putting the car into neutral to start (no avail). I do not have passkey and I am using the original keys. I need some help here guys. I go back to school soon and can't afford to leave my car parked overnight all the time. I have a feeling when i go to start it today it will fire right up like it did last time Any input is greatly appreciated Quote
regal89cdk Posted September 1, 2005 Report Posted September 1, 2005 someone should come down to san angelo and get my car, it'll be for sale soon Quote
GP1138 Posted September 1, 2005 Report Posted September 1, 2005 someone should come down to san angelo and get my car, it'll be for sale soon WTF does that have to do with helping him fix his problem? Quote
skiiirt Posted September 1, 2005 Author Report Posted September 1, 2005 Well I am wasting $90 on the ignition switch Hopefully that will solve my problems if not... Anyone wanna buy a cutlass wit a 3.4L (20,000KM) :bawl: just kiddin... Quote
skiiirt Posted September 2, 2005 Author Report Posted September 2, 2005 Well that was a waste of $90. Replaced the ignition Switch and it still will not start Quote
RareGMFan Posted September 2, 2005 Report Posted September 2, 2005 My TGP does the EXACT same thing. I'll drive around for an hour, stopping at a few places, and it has no problem when I come back. Then, out of no where, it's just as you described. Nothing. The power is there (bright lights, everything electronical working), but it just doesn't do anything when I turn the key to start. Not even a clicking. I'll come back 10 or 15 minutes later, and it will start up like nothing happened. This doesn't happen too frequently (have to be driving a while before I risk this problem when I shut it off), but enough that it has annoyed me several times. One thing I've noticed on mine is sometimes, when it doesn't like to start, I've turned the key a bit further then normal out of frustration, and suddenly it'll catch. Sometimes it'll start right there, sometimes I have to hit it again, and it turns over. I'm thinking it's in the ignition cylinder, too, but maybe the starter selenoid could be the culprit (after heat saturation)? Quote
jeremy Posted September 2, 2005 Report Posted September 2, 2005 With the lights turning off while trying to start. I am still going to say that it has something to do with the battery cables and their connections. Next time it does this, try to jump the car by putting the cables on the battery terminals themselves, I bet it will start up normally. I can't recall if w-body batteries have side mounted terminals but if they do, side mounted terminals strip out pretty frequently so you would need a new battery. If it is top mount terminals, I would guess the problem is with the wire itself or the connector attached to it. Quote
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