No power getting to the "S" Starter pole of starter solenoid
06-18-2004, 05:32 PM
#1
No power getting to the "S" Starter pole of starter solenoid This is regarding my gf's car. We drove the car last night, parked it and came in, no issues.
This AM she goes to leave and the car won't start. I try to start it by turning the ignition to "START" and there are NO sounds, no clicks, etc. I tested everything below to no avail.
It's a 98 Pontiac Sunfire, 2.2L 4 cylinder, automatic.
I have tested all of the following and they work:
-Starter and starter solenoid checked out fine at Advance Auto Parts, all wiring to starter is fine, battery pole has constant 12V of power going to it, but starter pole wire is the issue.
-Starter Relay works fine
-ALL FUSES in engine bay and in the car, breakers, etc work fine, all tested fine with test light and continuity tester.
-Battery tested fine under load
-Alternator is fine.
-Brake switch and park/neutral switches are fine
If I unplug the starter relay itself and jumper pin 30 to pin 87 (this wire goes to the starter pole) with the key in the "ON" position the car fires right up and drives fine, this eliminates the car's computer as being a culprit.
The bottom line is that there is NO power getting to wire 87 that is connected to PIN 87 of the relay even though I have replaced the relay twice and I even wired up an ordinary relay to match the hook-up the starter relay uses, no avail. The wire the leaves PIN 87 goes directly to the starter pole "S" of the starter solenoid to energize the starter to fire. There is NO power gettin to this wire thus it can't fire the starter over.
Nothing on the car has EVER been touched, totally stock and factory original car.
My only other guess is the ingition switch itself is not energizing the circuit if you try to turn the car over (i.e. turning the car to START).
There is NO theft devices on the car, etc.
Can anyone shoot me some ideas of other things to try.
This AM she goes to leave and the car won't start. I try to start it by turning the ignition to "START" and there are NO sounds, no clicks, etc. I tested everything below to no avail.
It's a 98 Pontiac Sunfire, 2.2L 4 cylinder, automatic.
I have tested all of the following and they work:
-Starter and starter solenoid checked out fine at Advance Auto Parts, all wiring to starter is fine, battery pole has constant 12V of power going to it, but starter pole wire is the issue.
-Starter Relay works fine
-ALL FUSES in engine bay and in the car, breakers, etc work fine, all tested fine with test light and continuity tester.
-Battery tested fine under load
-Alternator is fine.
-Brake switch and park/neutral switches are fine
If I unplug the starter relay itself and jumper pin 30 to pin 87 (this wire goes to the starter pole) with the key in the "ON" position the car fires right up and drives fine, this eliminates the car's computer as being a culprit.
The bottom line is that there is NO power getting to wire 87 that is connected to PIN 87 of the relay even though I have replaced the relay twice and I even wired up an ordinary relay to match the hook-up the starter relay uses, no avail. The wire the leaves PIN 87 goes directly to the starter pole "S" of the starter solenoid to energize the starter to fire. There is NO power gettin to this wire thus it can't fire the starter over.
Nothing on the car has EVER been touched, totally stock and factory original car.
My only other guess is the ingition switch itself is not energizing the circuit if you try to turn the car over (i.e. turning the car to START).
There is NO theft devices on the car, etc.
Can anyone shoot me some ideas of other things to try.
06-18-2004, 08:09 PM
#2
Launching!
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Tennessee
Posts: 262
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My guess would be the ignition starter switch(electrical part in the column). If the starter & solenoid is good, and relay is good, not much left that I can think of. On many newer cars, the lock cylinder and the ignition starter switch are an integral unit, but I am not sure on the Sunfires. If I think of anything else, I will let ya know.
Ryan
Ryan
Last edited by Juggernaut; 06-18-2004 at 08:11 PM. Reason: addition
06-18-2004, 08:15 PM
#3
The lock cylinder on the Sunfire is on the right side of the steering column with the ingition switch is on the left side of the driver's column.
The only thing that's EVER been replaced on the car is the ignition switch. This was due to a GM recall b/c the original ignition switch had a high likelihood of catching on fire if the person starting the car held the key at the START/RUN position for an extended period of time causing a high current draw that could lead to a fire.
I guess it's entirely possible that the "upgraded" ignition switch that was replaced could have defaulted and resulted in this.
There were no prior symptoms to this beforehand, none.
The only thing that's EVER been replaced on the car is the ignition switch. This was due to a GM recall b/c the original ignition switch had a high likelihood of catching on fire if the person starting the car held the key at the START/RUN position for an extended period of time causing a high current draw that could lead to a fire.
I guess it's entirely possible that the "upgraded" ignition switch that was replaced could have defaulted and resulted in this.
There were no prior symptoms to this beforehand, none.
06-18-2004, 09:34 PM
#5
Actually, it was a recall on the ignition swith harness itself. It had thicker gauge wiring to help remedy the high heat created by the increased current draw.
I found that Autozone has the ignition switch. I'll just slap it on and see if it fixes it, if not, I'll take it back to Autozone. No big deal.
I found that Autozone has the ignition switch. I'll just slap it on and see if it fixes it, if not, I'll take it back to Autozone. No big deal.
