mcianci

iTrader: (3)

NEWEST UPDATE... TODAY I REPLACED THE STARTER RELAY AND I BELIEVE THAT DID THE TRICK. BEFORE REPLACING THAT, IT STARTED 5 TIMES IN A ROW, THEN WOULD NOT START. MY DAD TAPPED ON THE STARTER RELAY AND THE STARTER WOULD COME IN AND OR AS HE DID IT. PARTS STORE HAD ONE AND IT'S WORKED EACH TIME I'VE TRIED SINCE.

UPDATE... HEY, I THOUGHT I FIXED THE PROBLEM DESCRIBED BELOW, BUT IT CAME BACK A WEEK LATER. I REPLACED THE STARTER WHICH WORKED BUT THE NEXT TIME I WENT TO START THE CAR (6 DAYS LATER) IT WOULD NOT START.


Hey guys,

I've looked on the forums and cannot seem to find a situation exactly like mine. I have a 2002 Z28 6 speed with about 75000 miles on it. My problem is that the car will not start when I turn the key. It does NOT try to turn over and it does NOT click as if the battery was dead (the battery is a good battery). I can, however, start the car if I roll it and pop the clutch while it's in gear. When I do this, the car will run perfectly fine and will not cut off until I turn the key off.

The dash lights come on when I put the key in, the fuel pump primes as usual, and the radio, A/C blower, windows, etc all work fine. One time about a month before the car totally stopped starting, the problem randomly happened but somehow fix itself.

I am thinking that it could be the ignition switch or the starter/starter solenoid.. Does this problem sound familiar to anyone? Please give me some insight!

Camaraderie

I am having a similar issue . Except mine starts after multiple tries . I have checked the alternator , battery and starter at vato zone and they said it's good . I also checked the lines from the battery and they are tight . Not loose . I would check the relay fuses ( ign and starter ) always start with cheap stuff first . Could possibly be the fuel pump .


Edit : took my car to mechanic he said it's my starter . I have had this starting issue since the beginning of summer . I will swap and post my findings

mcianci

iTrader: (3)

I'm going to try to look more closely at my car tomorrow if I get the chance. I'm pretty certain it's not the fuel pump though, as the car runs perfectly fine once I get it started (by rolling the car and popping the clutch in gear, of course). Also I can hear it priming when I turn the key to the ON position.

Thank you for a response! Definitely let me know if you learn anything after swapping your starter!

Sy99T/A

iTrader: (34)

start by checking at the starter to see if you are getting signal to crank the engine on the single small wire that connects to the solenoid. If there is no signal/voltage when cranking is attempted then the security system or ignition switch system needs to be inspected

redbird555

iTrader: (14)

went through this a couple times same issues to the t. Go look at the clutch pedal and you will see a black switch at the top with 2 wires coming from it. When you start the car the clutch pedal pushes on this switch completing the starter circuit. Mine wore out and did exactly the same thing. Replaced it with an autozone one and it last 6 months before it took another crap.

You can test this by simply unplugging the switch. Then insert a piece of wire into the terminal ends on the plug completing the circuit and try to start the car. If it does you found the problem.... My advice then is leave it like that and order an ac delco switch off the interwebz

Camaraderie

Pix or part numbers ?

redbird555

iTrader: (14)

labeled number 29 in the pic its solid black in color and its at the top of the clutch pedal bracket

mcianci

iTrader: (3)

I ended up not being able to get to the car today. It's parked at my parents' house actually and I didn't make it out there. Anyway...

Recently I had my Dad help me check this. He laid under the car while I tried to crank it over. He said he could not get the leads on all of the wires to check them all (maybe my headers were in the way) but on any of them that he could test there was sufficient voltage, whether I was turning the key or not. If it was the security system, what would that entail? Does that mean there is a problem with the resistor in my key or is it more than that?


Sounds like you're referring the the neutral safety switch? I thought of that already and tried exactly what you described. Turns out it was not that..

redbird555

iTrader: (14)

yep lol on an auto its the nuetral switch. on the m6 cars its the clutch pedal position switch on the pedal. you're sure you are testing the right switch? not trying to be a dick lol just making sure....

on the other hand I've had 2 starters go out. on these cars its the solenoids that usually crap out not the actual starter nonetheless when mine went they did exactly the same thing. no click, nothing just dead silence when turning the key. mine never died completely I swapped them out before that point...have you tried the old trick of tapping the starter and solenoid when trying to start it?

mcianci

iTrader: (3)

I gotcha. I guess I didn't know the names haha. But yeah, I was definitely testing the right switch. I can see it in my head right now.. I'll check it again though to be sure I did it right. I'll also have someone try tapping on the starter/solenoid when I try to start the car next. I hope it's something like that and not a security issue..

2002Pewterws6

had problem with mine acting up would run fine turn it off go back and wouldn't start turn out to be a ignition relay

mcianci

iTrader: (3)

Are you talking about a relay in the fuse block under the hood? That wouldn't be to bad haha

mcianci

iTrader: (3)

Alright everyone that's following: I finally fixed the problem. As I mentioned earlier, my Dad read some voltage at the starter when I turned the key, so I bought a starter and installed it. That did the trick!

Who would have thought a simple starter install would require me to pull a LT header...? lol When I had the header out I figured that was as good a time as any to replace the plugs and plug wires, so there you go. I feared the worst when my car quit starting, overwhelmed with all of the possible causes, but it ended up being pretty simple. Thanks everyone for their input!

Camaraderie

Describe process to remove starter with out long tube headers ? I have stock headers

mcianci

iTrader: (3)

Sorry, I've been really busy and haven't had a chance to get on here in a few days.

The only time I removed my starter without the LTs was when I pulled my transmission to replace my clutch before I had LTs. That was more than 3 years ago, so I don't really remember too well. I do know that when I did that, I would have already had the Y-pipe out of the way, so there wouldn't have been anything in the way.

The problem with the LTs was that one of the primaries is right in the way of where a bolt has to come out. Plus there would be no way to get your hands in to physically pull the starter out with the primaries in the way.

mcianci

iTrader: (3)

PROBLEM PERSISTS AFTER I THOUGHT I FIXED IT

So, today I tried to start my Camaro up, just 6 days after I replaced the starter. It worked then each time I started the car that day I fixed it, but today it did not work. It has not been started since the day I replaced the starter. Same symptoms as before (fuel pump primes, regular lights come on, just no attempt to start). I did get it to start though by plugging in one of those trickle chargers to the battery and momentarily putting it on the 50 amp setting (2 amps and 10 amps settings did not do anything). It's strange to me that there was no clicking or anything like that. Nothing at all. But when my Dad flipped it to 50 amps and I turned the key, it started right up, no hesitation. The battery is only 1.5 years old and was only used about 8 months before I parked the car for the last 8 months. Does this problem sound familiar to anyone??

I plan on pulling fuses and using a meter to see if there is any short in any of the circuits. Aside from that, does anyone have any advice?

mcianci

iTrader: (3)

I THINK I FINALLY GOT IT. STARTER RELAY..

So today, I tried to start the car and it stayed right up. I knew that it wasn't fixed though because things don't usually fix themselves. I started it again a few times, just fine. Then it wouldn't work again.. My Dad then tried to tap on some relays as I tried cranking it and when he got to the starter relay the starter began to come in and out, clearly as a result of him tapping away at the relay. So $15 later, the new relay seems to be working great. It's worked each time I've tried. So for anyone scouring the internet for answers to a similar problem, I hope this thread helps. If later on the problem comes back or I realize that the new relay didn't do the job and it was just by chance that it worked, I'll let you guys know.

Fred67

Starter relay solved the no-crank, start only after 20 times issue too.

The old relay tested OK -- low resistance when closed, voltage at the starter solenoid WHEN NOT HOOKED UP TO THE STARTER. As soon as the wire was hooked up to the starter, no voltage and the starter would only run about once every twenty tries. The contacts in the starter relay are bad. Replace it for $15 and be happy.