Car Starting Problems

My 92 Lesabre broke the little security wire where it attaches to the ignition switch. Every time you turn the key, it flexes the wire. There was enough slack coming up the column for me to splice/solder back together. I had to take the steering wheel off and remove the steering wheel lock. Be careful with the airbag! You can probably find how to remove everything on this forum.

There are two thing that will cause this. One being the chip in the key is no good, or the security/anti-theft computer is no good. Try your spare key firts. If not, tow it to the dealership for the computer as it will need to be flashed and will be costly.

I Think you have other problems. Change the fuel filter and if that doesn't do it take it to a garage.

You purchase a gasoline can and a funnel. Fill the gasoline can with fuel from your local gasoline station. Pour it into your vehicles tank using the funnel. Cycle the ignition key on and off several times pausing breifly for a few seconds when in the on position, this will prime the system, then start it up.

ECM (engine control module) This is the brain of your vehicle. It takes in information from various sensors then sends out signals to items such as fuel injectors and timing to keep the engine running at its best for performance and fuel economy.

Some causes could be fuel pump, fuel filter, faulty electronics, out of fuel. Unfortunately there are no simple answers, somebody will need to go through at least some of the basic diagnostic steps.

My wife had a dodge neon. There are two reasons for this. First it could be electrical. Second it could be a seized engine. If the neon is a newer one then it may be equipt with a low oil switch. In this case if you were burning oil or low then the engine would shut down. The switch prevents the car from restarting. If it is purely electrical then the only thing I could think of is that the alternator went. In this case the car would still drive for a while on the battery power. When the battery went low the car would stall and not start. If you have electricity when the car engine stopped it is not the alternator. I'd have the alternator and battery checked. A weak battery would also cause this. The battery would still work but would have a bad cell and not function properly. I would also check the fluid levels to make sure they are at their proper levels. If all of these check out then I would look at the ignition. There may be faulty or loose wiring. Check your plugs, cap and rotor if applicable. If none of these are your problems then you may have more serious engine problems like blown heads or broken valves. Could also be fuel injection or fuel pump. Gotta find out if you have power after the car dies. Can you crank the engine, but it doesn't turn over? And of course make sure you have gas.

Yes, the battery starts the engine, and as long as the battery is fully charged the engine will start. The battery will loose it's charge if the alternator is defective and not replenishing the charge of the battery but the alternator has nothing to do with starting the engine.

Usually a product of valve overlap and exhaust. It's basically unburnt fuel coming through and igniting on the hot exhuast tip when it hits the air at the end of the exhaust pipe. In aspirated cars it's large valve overlap which helps scavenging and performance in the top end. Turbo cars, due to the large amounts of fuel at full noise. Normally happens after high RMP then throttle snapped shut.

Check the neutral safety switch

Check battery cables for looseness or corrosion

change the ignition starter relay found in the engine bay goggle ignition starter relay to view it.

Unhook the wires on the starter, replace the fuse, turn the ingnition key on as if you were going to start the car. If the fuse does not blow, it is your starter. I just had this problem with a 1996 Dodge Stratus. I replaced the stater and it now works.

See if you can get someone to jumpstart the battery for you. If it works, I'd bring it into the shop after so they could check it and make sure it's alright. If it doesn't work, have someone pick it up and bring it to the shop anyways. Hope this helped.

I have a 1999 BMW 328i and I found the fuel pump relay in the trunk on the left side (pasenger)it's right underneath the plastic housing on the inside of the trunk on top of the rear wheel mold. The relay is a 5 prong relay light green in color....... hope this helps, let me know if you found it.

The 1995 Pontiac Grand Am starter relay switch can be found on the firewall in the engine compartment. The starter relay switch will be on the drivers side of the firewall.

Call a locksmith. They have the tools necessary to take the lock apart and pop the key out. Or at least they have the tools to pull the key out - perhaps without taking anything apart.

I have the same car and if you're trying to turn it over more than once without it starting up right away then you have some possible problems. Most likely are :

1: battery could be dying

2: starter could be going out

If a starter is able to crank the engine but it won't start you usually have either an electrical or fuel problem. It's also remotely possibly that it's compression. If an engine has proper fuel, spark and compression, it will start when you crank it. So your challange is to find out which part isn't working right. Start with fuel. Spray a little starting fluid into the air intake while someone tries to start the engine. If it starts briefly when you're spraying starting fluid, you probably have a fuel delivery problem. That could be injectors, fuel pump, fuel filter, relay, fuse... who knows what until you check into it. If it doesn't start with starting fluid, check the spark. Pull a plug wire and attach it to a spare sparkplug and set the plug on a solid metal part of the engine. Have a helper crank the engine while you watch the plug. If you have a good spark, it might just be out of timing. In any case, you'll need to start isolating the problem. Find out which part isn't working then you'll know what to replace/repair.

I just went through this with my '89. The part that was bad was the Ignition Control Module. The Haynes manual said it was located inside engine compartment on the firewall on passenger side. I found it on my Jeep in the engine compartment, driver's side wheel well near the bottom. Three screws hold it in place and they are accessed from the outside of the wheel well.

the easiest way to do it is to remove the trans. make sure not to break any sensors off they cost alot to replace. while you have the trans off make sure you rear main is not leaking, it is not that hard to change and it may be worth it to do it just because you have the trans off. mech mas.

This could be the voltage regulator. Both the positive from the battery and the starter would be connected to it.

First, you need to check to see if the fuel pump is running. To do that, remove the gas cap, and put your ear near the hole for the cap. Have someone else turn the key to the on position (not all the way to start, just 2 clicks forward) and off, waiting in the on position a couple of seconds each time. You should hear a buzz in the fuel tank. This is the fuel pump coming on. (It will only stay on a couple of seconds) Make sure the area you are in is quiet so you can hear it. If you don't hear it, check your fuses. If you do, move on to step 2. Step 2: CAREFULLY remove one of the spark plug wires from the spark plug. To do this TWIST AND PULLat the same time. (this will help keep you from ruining your wire by pulling the end off the wire.) Once the wire is off, insert a screwdriver into the end of the wire and set the wire and screwdriver down on the vehicle so that they are not making contact with any metal, but the exposed metal of the screwdriver shaft is around 1/8 inch away from something metal for it to ground to. MAKE SURE NOT TO TOUCH THE WIRE OR SCREWDRIVER WHILE TESTING IT!! (50,000 volts = ouch!!) Again have someone else crank the engine while you look at the area of the screwdriver near the metal ground source. You should see sparks arcing from the screwdriver to the metal ground. If you don't, reposition the screwdriver and try again. If you still have no spark, the first thing I would do is replace the igniiton module. It is fairly cheap and readily available at your local parts house. Beyond that, you need to take it in to your shop for repair. I hope this helps you.

Best way to diagnose is to scan for codes, but not having that I would guess the ignition module then the crank/cam sensor.

If your car makes a clicking sound when you try to start it, try to jump the battery. If that starts it, check the electrical system and if it was the battery, replace the battery. If jumping it does not fix it, have a mechanic look at it.

if the motor cranks when you turn the key it is not the starter because in order for the engine to crank the starter must be turning the motor. it could be electrical or fuel related or sensor related, ect. depending on the model and year you could check for fault codes ie:OBD 1 or OBD 2

This is usually caused by a faulty passlock sensor requiring replacement of the ignition lock cylinder. To test:

Crank the engine momentarily (like you're trying to start it) then allow the key to return to the on/run position. Your check engine light should be on, and the radio should work, but turn the radio off if it's on, because you need to keep the battery charged.

Wait fifteen to seventeen minutes, then shut the key off and remove it. Then wait fifteen seconds (or longer) and start the engine. If it starts, you need a new lock cylinder. With the engine still running, press the key straight in. If the car stalls, you need an ignition switch also.

Probably not a bad ignition switch, but more likely a bad starter solenoid. It takes a lot of current to get a starter to turn, to much to go through such a small switch like the ignition switch. The ignition switch actually controls a relay(solenoid) which can handle the needed current to get the starter going. On a lot of modern cars the solenoid is built into the starter unlike older cars and trucks where it was mounted on the firewall between the battery and the starter.

You don't. Starter fluid is a really good way to damage the motor inside because it created far more pressure than the motor is designed for. It's best to find and fix the problem rather than use the fluid. You would put starter fluid in the gas tank.