96 T/A won't start
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Jun 2019
Posts: 48
Likes: 5
96 T/A won't start So ive been reading on here for a day or two trying to find my issue. I have a 1996 trans am ws6 M6 car. Some are similar but not the exact same. The other night on November 1st I went with my wife and her friend to a haunted house thing. It was a 5 hour round trip there and back and everything did fine. When we picked her friend up I shut the car off and everything was fine. I get back in and start it like normal and all of a sudden my gauge lights go out. The check engine and warning lights work fine but my dash lights are out. So I make the 2 and a half hour trip there with no dash lights and back. The next day I go try and figure it out and I cant.So yesterday. I took the under dash apart and started looking for wires that may have melted or gotten loose or cut. Found nothing. Looked and tested all fuses and found the tail light 20A fuse blew. Put a new one in and changed all the rest for good measure. Now somehow my lights still dont work I found a loose sire in the center console light and when I fixed that the lights came on. So I was happy to fix the issue. My driver side headlight was getting dim so I went and got 2 and installed those. Sent to start the car and nothing. Like nothing happens at all the dash lights come on and the security light comes on and goes off like its supposed to. But theres no clicking from the battery theres no turning over theres just nothing. Almost like im not pressing the clutch down to start the car. I did find the clutch switch had been taped over and not working but ive had the car for 3 years now and no issues but I guess I found the reason I can start the car without pressing the clutch. But theres no power to the plug in at all. Ive tested all grounds that I can find and they are all good. Ive tested the battery and all good. Ive tested the starter wires and all good. The purple one with the small nut is grounded and the big one has power. And I can hear a faint clicking when trying to start it but only if im under tge car and someone else tries to start it. I can not hear it from inside when I try and start it. I didnt think it was VATS because the security light would stay on if it was, correct? All fuses have been checked with a test light 30 times over. And all grounds that I can find have all been tested with a test lights as well. Maybe I missed some grounds so please feel free to list some that you may know of that are hard to find. Please help. I didnt touch anything that I know of that could've caused this all I did was take the under dash out to look at the wires and the fuses out to test and replace them. I also took the dimmer switch and headlight switch out to make sure they were good and they are.
TECH Resident
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 853
Likes: 32
From: Kernersville, NC
You are going to have to get down and dirty with some electrical troubleshooting. Here is the starter schematic along with no crank troubleshooting charts.
http://www.ace1252.com/1996_Z28_Fact...hots/No_start/
Here is a link to download a pdf of the factory service manual as well.
http://www.mediafire.com/?40mfgeoe4ctti
The theft deterrent relay is hidden to the right of the glove box. The glove box will need to be removed they you reach through the hole and behind to the right if you need to access it. Can be a pain to get to.....
The clutch switch may have flat out failed. I would start with replacing it before going too crazy on pulling things apart, but given the fuse blowing, there may be something else going on with it.
The contacts in my clutch switch fell apart and I spent a day trying to figure out why I was getting no starter action. I like to have never located the theft deterrent relay. It's hidden well in a hard to access spot(with good reason).
http://www.ace1252.com/1996_Z28_Fact...hots/No_start/
Here is a link to download a pdf of the factory service manual as well.
http://www.mediafire.com/?40mfgeoe4ctti
The theft deterrent relay is hidden to the right of the glove box. The glove box will need to be removed they you reach through the hole and behind to the right if you need to access it. Can be a pain to get to.....
The clutch switch may have flat out failed. I would start with replacing it before going too crazy on pulling things apart, but given the fuse blowing, there may be something else going on with it.
The contacts in my clutch switch fell apart and I spent a day trying to figure out why I was getting no starter action. I like to have never located the theft deterrent relay. It's hidden well in a hard to access spot(with good reason).
Last edited by ACE1252; Nov 13, 2020 at 11:38 PM.
