Key turn - non starter
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Key turn - non starter
'94 V6: Once in a blue-moon (but ALWAYS when really, really inconvenient) I turn on the igniton with the key, press the imobiliser button (mines an early key-fob type - the orange engine light comes on when I press it) but on turning the key to engage the starter... nothing. No click, no nothing.. just like if the imobiliser wasn't deactivated.
If ever I get in this situation, by the time I've gained access to any of the wiring to fault-find it, the problem clears on its own (i.e. after a few minutes). This means I can never pin it down, but have a crisis of confidence that one day it'll do it and I'll be stuck in the middle of nowhere. I now carry a DVM in my toolkit just incase.
I'm sure I've read about this b4, but couldn't search it up. Anyone remember what it might have been?
If ever I get in this situation, by the time I've gained access to any of the wiring to fault-find it, the problem clears on its own (i.e. after a few minutes). This means I can never pin it down, but have a crisis of confidence that one day it'll do it and I'll be stuck in the middle of nowhere. I now carry a DVM in my toolkit just incase.
I'm sure I've read about this b4, but couldn't search it up. Anyone remember what it might have been?
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Adrian
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Rusty_CallyT
Ady, I had a similar problem with mine.
Might sound a stupid question, but does it happen more when the interior of the car is hot? And by the time you've had the doors open and the fuse box open for a few minutes... It starts again?
Also does boosting it with another battery work? It didn't on mine.
Might sound a stupid question, but does it happen more when the interior of the car is hot? And by the time you've had the doors open and the fuse box open for a few minutes... It starts again?
Also does boosting it with another battery work? It didn't on mine.
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daddycool
<!--QuoteBegin-daddycool+--><div class='quotetop'>(daddycool)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Ady, I had a similar problem with mine.
Might sound a stupid question, but does it happen more when the interior of the car is hot? And by the time you've had the doors open and the fuse box open for a few minutes... It starts again?
Also does boosting it with another battery work? It didn't on mine.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Hmm, now you mention it, it does only seem to happen in the summer! And of course the doors are open and the panels are off to investigate, so yes it could be related to high temperatures!
When I press the imobilzer button normally the engine management light comes on and a relay clicks. But I'll swear that when this problem rears its ugly head, the EM light comes on BUT there is no relay click to accompany it. So is it a relay in series with the starter solenoid actuator? And is there a heat dependency on it working?
Might sound a stupid question, but does it happen more when the interior of the car is hot? And by the time you've had the doors open and the fuse box open for a few minutes... It starts again?
Also does boosting it with another battery work? It didn't on mine.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Hmm, now you mention it, it does only seem to happen in the summer! And of course the doors are open and the panels are off to investigate, so yes it could be related to high temperatures!
When I press the imobilzer button normally the engine management light comes on and a relay clicks. But I'll swear that when this problem rears its ugly head, the EM light comes on BUT there is no relay click to accompany it. So is it a relay in series with the starter solenoid actuator? And is there a heat dependency on it working?
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Adrian
I seem to be having a similar problem with my Cally... only had it around a week and sometimes i'll go to start it (after just been driving around in it) and all the normal lights will come on on the dash but when the key is turned to start it nothing happens at all, no clicks or noises from the starter motor but the lights on the dash go slightly dimmer.
Had the battery tested and it was bad so got a new one and that seemed to solve it... but it happened again today. In all the occasions its happened i've had it pushed off no bother so don't think its the immobiliser as when thats on the starter tries to start engine but it just turns over.
Just had the altanator tested and its deffo charging battery.
If the battery was dead would the windows still open/close? as these worked fine when it wouldn't start.
Read somewhere on the board that the bushes in the starter motor maybe be knackered...
Oh and one last thing... i'm currently having probs with the passenger window... it intermitently works but doesn't always... after messing about with the switches a few times it starts to work for a bit. Today the window was down but when we stopped to go somewhere it wouldn't go back up so i was messing around with the switches but still wouldn't work so left it. Came back to car and it wouldn't start... go it pushed off by some nice blokes and then the window worked??? coinsidence??? could this have a dodgy earth on it thats draining the battery??
This is annoying [img]/sad.gif[/img]
Had the battery tested and it was bad so got a new one and that seemed to solve it... but it happened again today. In all the occasions its happened i've had it pushed off no bother so don't think its the immobiliser as when thats on the starter tries to start engine but it just turns over.
Just had the altanator tested and its deffo charging battery.
If the battery was dead would the windows still open/close? as these worked fine when it wouldn't start.
Read somewhere on the board that the bushes in the starter motor maybe be knackered...
Oh and one last thing... i'm currently having probs with the passenger window... it intermitently works but doesn't always... after messing about with the switches a few times it starts to work for a bit. Today the window was down but when we stopped to go somewhere it wouldn't go back up so i was messing around with the switches but still wouldn't work so left it. Came back to car and it wouldn't start... go it pushed off by some nice blokes and then the window worked??? coinsidence??? could this have a dodgy earth on it thats draining the battery??
This is annoying [img]/sad.gif[/img]
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GizmoGary
OK guys, I'll share with you the results of 6 months of investigation and fault finding.
I replaced; Starter Motor twice, Alternator (100amp), Engine Earth, Starter +ve, Re-soldered ALL ignition wires, purchased a battery booster, built and fitted a battery condition monitor & lots more [img]/sad.gif[/img]
What I found was this......
Even a fully charged battery will NOT start the car,
A battery booster will NOT start the car,
Allowing the inside of the car to cool down WILL help the car start,
Jumping from another car with it's engine running (14.4v as apposed to 12.8v) WILL start the car.
THE REASON....
The OE wire fitted behind the dash that supplies voltage to the starter solenoid is too thin. Only just upto the job of providing enough volts to pull in the starter. Then if you have an after-market immobiliser fitted, this adds several more feet of (invariably) thin gauge cable. Add to this the extreme temperatures inside the car when it gets hot outside and you have a recipe for SEVERE VOLT DROP across the starter solenoid +ve wire.
THE CURE....
All I did was replace the offending cable with a thicker gauge and the problem was sorted [img]/smile.gif[/img]
I replaced; Starter Motor twice, Alternator (100amp), Engine Earth, Starter +ve, Re-soldered ALL ignition wires, purchased a battery booster, built and fitted a battery condition monitor & lots more [img]/sad.gif[/img]
What I found was this......
Even a fully charged battery will NOT start the car,
A battery booster will NOT start the car,
Allowing the inside of the car to cool down WILL help the car start,
Jumping from another car with it's engine running (14.4v as apposed to 12.8v) WILL start the car.
THE REASON....
The OE wire fitted behind the dash that supplies voltage to the starter solenoid is too thin. Only just upto the job of providing enough volts to pull in the starter. Then if you have an after-market immobiliser fitted, this adds several more feet of (invariably) thin gauge cable. Add to this the extreme temperatures inside the car when it gets hot outside and you have a recipe for SEVERE VOLT DROP across the starter solenoid +ve wire.
THE CURE....
All I did was replace the offending cable with a thicker gauge and the problem was sorted [img]/smile.gif[/img]
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daddycool
Cheers daddycool, thats very interesting... could you explain a bit about how to find this git of a wire... like colour, location etc cos i'll have no idea what i'm looking for.
Would make alot of sense though if the solenoid isn't getting enough juice then the starter isn't going to fire up at all
Would make alot of sense though if the solenoid isn't getting enough juice then the starter isn't going to fire up at all
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GizmoGary
I had this problem with my cally but i had no immobiliser and it turned out to be the starter switch just behind the steering cowl where the main wires leading into it had got so so warm they had basically desintegrated, and this switch just needed replacing and the wire replacing. It look as though it had, had the wiring replaced before but someone had used crimp connectors which i thought wasn't as good as soldering so i soldered and never had n e trouble since.
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jsbuds
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