dkorinko Posted May 10, 2006 Report Share Posted May 10, 2006 So after i was happy to find my car debadged itself this morning, i go to start it about an hour later and all i get is a click and then boom, everything shuts off, nothing electrical in the car works, and it wont even allow me to turn the key back to pull it out of the ignition....what the hell is going on?????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyk1970 Posted May 10, 2006 Report Share Posted May 10, 2006 check your battery connections closely.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19Cutlass94 Posted May 10, 2006 Report Share Posted May 10, 2006 Id check the battery itself! Ive seen/heard batterys blow up. Not fun. Better find out if it was the battery fairly quick and dump some buckets of water there if thats what it actually is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mihela816 Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 Almost sounds the ignition cylinder is out of alignment / FUBARed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitaloutsider Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 The ignition cylender is fine. It's not releasing the key because there's not enough power to do it. Oddly enough, my car did the exact same thing tonight.. I've never seen a battery go totally kaput this quick.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiscoStudd Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 Almost sounds the ignition cylinder is out of alignment / FUBARed. Not the cylinder, but the ignition switch itself. The switch sits atop the column, and is actuated by a rod that runs down from the lock cylinder. It is very possible that the switch self-distructed, in the sense that the contacts inside broke apart and now won't allow the switch to move back to the "lock" position. Lower the steering column, unbolt the ignition switch, remove the "rod" from the top of it, and use a small screwdriver to move the slider through the different positions ("accessory," "lock," "off," "on," and "start.") It should easily move from "accessory" to "on," and offer up a bit of resistance when you push it to "start" (and then spring back when you release it.) If anything seems abnormal with the switch, replace it with another one... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefighter_0029 Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 The ignition cylender is fine. It's not releasing the key because there's not enough power to do it. Oddly enough, my car did the exact same thing tonight.. I've never seen a battery go totally kaput this quick.. Sounds like the Cylinder or the ignition to me too?? I've never had a problem getting the Keys from a car in the Bone Yard after they have been in an accident and have no Battery in them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbocharged400sbc Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 well considering nothing electric/electronic works (aka headlights, hazards?) then look at the battery terminals/cables check the main underhood electrical center... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supreme Cutlass Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 well considering nothing electric/electronic works (aka headlights, hazards?) then look at the battery terminals/cables check the main underhood electrical center... Agreed, if absolutley nothing electrical works, I'd check the connections first before the cylinder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SigEpCutlass Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 Did you check the Voltage on the battery yet? Is there any juice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitaloutsider Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 The ignition cylender is fine. It's not releasing the key because there's not enough power to do it. Oddly enough, my car did the exact same thing tonight.. I've never seen a battery go totally kaput this quick.. Sounds like the Cylinder or the ignition to me too?? I've never had a problem getting the Keys from a car in the Bone Yard after they have been in an accident and have no Battery in them? Newer GM cars have electric actuators that lock the key in place. Older cars (like the ones you get parts out of in the boneyard) have a shift-key interlock cable that releases the key when the car is put in park. Totally different circumstances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sl3196 Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 To get the key out put your hand up under the ignition cylinder and feel for a little button. Push it up and kabammo there is your key. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyk1970 Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 To get the key out put your hand up under the ignition cylinder and feel for a little button. Push it up and kabammo there is your key. hehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z34_nut Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 Older cars (like the ones you get parts out of in the boneyard) Mr. IJustHadA91Cutlass lol Anyway, I would check battery first things first, as usual. Connections, then fuses, the boom seems kinda fun tho. I wish I was there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkorinko Posted May 11, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 Got a new battery in there yesterday and at first it was doing the exact same thing, nothing was working, then my buddy was fiddling around with the connections and all of a sudden, everything was back. The battery was bad though. Thanks for all the tips, looks like it was the battery that was messing up though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyk1970 Posted May 12, 2006 Report Share Posted May 12, 2006 connections were bad also.....had being right all the time.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitaloutsider Posted May 12, 2006 Report Share Posted May 12, 2006 Older cars (like the ones you get parts out of in the boneyard) Mr. IJustHadA91Cutlass lol Anyway, I would check battery first things first, as usual. Connections, then fuses, the boom seems kinda fun tho. I wish I was there. That's Mr. IStillHaveA91Cutlass to you I know about the electronic key solenoid from my '94 Bonneville, actually Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbocharged400sbc Posted May 12, 2006 Report Share Posted May 12, 2006 look very close at the battery cable ends...you will see corrosion (green/grey) at a quick glance it looks like it's fine but it's not...use a sharp pick and chip off the corrosion and you will have no further problems... glad ya found the problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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