no start, not cranking. i only get battery power. help

[88bonnsse]

1995 sle series II

lately my Bonneville has been giving me a issue starting. it would crank and crank but not start unless I stepped on the gas pedal and held it half way down before starting the car. I did change fuel pump this past summer for a new warlboro brand. but car always started up quick and fine as long as I stepped on the gas pedal before starting it.

today my wife drove the car to work, it started fine. she got to a diner to get breakfast before work and when she came out the diner the car would not start, it would not even crank. just the dash would light up and that's it.

I went to her, checked battery with multimeter and it read 12.8v, I even brought a good fully charged battery with me and still same issue.

when I try to start the car I do not even hear any clicking at all coming from the starter.. I tried banging on started while my wife turned key trying to start the car and nothing..

I also noticed the ignition ( where key goes ) seems a lil loose. it could just be me tho. not sure.


I did replace the starter 2 years ago. and never had any issues with it.. im NOT even sure if its the starter, busted ignition, or something else. but the car is stuck and I will be having it towed home later today.


any ideas or suggestions on what it might be ? how can I start trouble shooting ? any way to test starter without taking it off car ?

[88bonnsse]

not sure if its ignition switch or starter/solenoid. can I test the starter but using a ling flat head to touch the 2 terminals on the tarter solenoid together ? would that tell me if starter is good or bad ?

or can I just check to see if the wire that goes from neutral safety switch to starter solenoid is getting any power when trying to start the car ? what should voltage be on that skinny wire when trying to start the car, 12v ?

[88bonnsse]

ok so I got car home. had it towed. BUT while waiting for tow truck, I took a flat head to jump starter and see if it worked or not and the starter did work fine once I jumped it with flat head.

next I did was check fuel pressure at the fuel rail and it was so low it barely dribbled out of the valve.

that explains the hard start I been having unless I stepped on the gas before starting car.

I did notice I have a decent gas leak right around the fuel filter area, and I also noticed the security light on the dash flashes when I put the key in and forward.. it stays flashing..

so when I jumped the starter while my wife would turn the key, the car actually cranked and would start for a quick second and then die as soon as I stopped jumping the starter terminals..

tow truck driver said since car does not crank at all just by using the keys. and I have a fuel leak, that the security system is STOPPING the car from cranking over because it has a fuel leak so my engine does not vapor lock.. im not sure how true that is so some help and opinions would be highly appreciated . thank you.

[RJolly87]

Continuously blinking security light indicates that the Theft Deterrent Module (TDM) is not reading the resistance of the pellet across the key. Very common failure, and could be a worn ignition cylinder, key, or a broken wire (Most common cause). The system will kill the starter trigger, and the fuel pump beyond the initial prime.

Many prefer this option:
http://vats.likeabigdog.com/

Others prefer this instead, and bypass the starter interrupt relay:
http://newrockies.com/the-problem-and-the-solution/

Tow guy has no idea what he is talking about.

[RJolly87]

Also the fuel leak my explain your hard start, because it takes time to build fuel pressure. The initial prime is not enough, and it has to refire the fuel pump again.

[MattStrike]

50hz sin wave generator, and bypass the relays = no more VATS. A 555 timer circuit can be made that functions as a sin wave generator (and carried like a key if you make it removable) to retain the fuel injector cutoff (which is what kills the motor right away). For like $15.

I have the circuit diagram somewhere..

[88bonnsse]

ok so what I did was follow Sonoma zr2 's diagram in this thread

http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... ts#p392298

and I used my spare key as a resistor by cutting the 2 lil white wires on the column side in the orange covers and then used my other key to start the car and BAM it started right up..

I was very happy when I heard it start up lol. so once it started and was running I moved the spare key off the wires I jumped with it and car stood running.. I was happy. then I turned the car off, and WITHOUT putting the spare key back as a jumper I was curious if the car would start with the cut white wires still disconnected and amazing it did start right up again but this time since I didn't have the key as a jumper, the security light stood steady on.. so I turned car off. put extra key back in as a jumper and started the car, security light stood off.

I then grabbed my multi meter and put it on ohms and checked the resistor on my key, it read 2.9 to 3 ohms. it bounced between the 2.

so can I just get a 3 ohm resistor and use that to jump the white wires to bypass the key ( vats ) and be good to go ? am I reading the key correctly at 3 ohms or should it be read in K OHMS ?

[RJolly87]

You need to match to the specified resistance in the table in the link i provided. It gives the measurement to use. Match as close as you can. The system allows a 10% variance i believe, and when i did the fix, the resistors themselves had a 5% variance, so you really need to be on your toes with the measurements.

[88bonnsse]

You need to match to the specified resistance in the table in the link i provided. It gives the measurement to use. Match as close as you can. The system allows a 10% variance i believe, and when i did the fix, the resistors themselves had a 5% variance, so you really need to be on your toes with the measurements.

I know nothing about how to read the chart you provided to figure out which resistor(s) I need to buy.. all I thought I had to do was measure the ohms of the resistor in my key.

can you help me figure it out please ? I would appreciate it a lot.. thanks.