I have a 2004 Pontiac Grand AM SE1 3.4l AT.
A few months after i bought the car (roughly 85k miles on it) it started giving me a starting problem. I only vaguely remember it happening maybe once every 4-6 months or so, before then it was never a problem. Now, almost 2 years later(92k miles), every single time I try to crank the car I am having to leave the key in the ignition turned to the "ON" position for a minimum of 10 mins, and then right at 10 minutes I can hear the fuel pump engage and then the car will turn over successfully. This works every time.
Going into further details, the security light has never come on while the car is running, it has never flashed on either. However, when the key is turned to the "ON" position without trying to crank the car...the security light does turn on and stays on until A) cranking the car or B) turning the key to the "OFF" position and then turning the key back to the "ON" position.
I have just realized after reading through some of this thread that I am using a spare key I had a local dealership make me, the original key is quite worn but I never had a problem starting the car when i was using it as I recall. Another thing is that more recently I have had other issues spawn up...one of them being the car dying on me at random times, it has only done it a few times but seems to be doing it more frequently now.. i.e. turn the key to on position.. fuel pump does not turn on so wait 10-15 minutes, when fuel pump engages turn the key to the "START: position and starts flawlessly at that point but when the car idles down and you shift the transmission into reverse to back out of the drive way the car goes dead just as soon as it is shifted. I have also had it go dead at me once at a red light, only that one time tho. The other odd thing that has started recently is that when I turn the key to the "ON" position...9 times out of 10 the locks are locking every 20 seconds or so until i start the car or turn the key to the "OFF" position. No other electrical oddities, just the starting and door locks.
Judging by the passkey system and I really thought that was my problem at first, I am now discovering it looks to be something else maybe with the ignition switch itself or the BCM or maybe it is a combination of things I don't really know. I had a friend of mine who's a mechanic hook up his scanner last year some time ago.. but the car would crank fine every time we tried for about an hour. At that time the starting problem was very intermittent though, so I will get him to check it again soon maybe if he can find some free time.
I have the car in the shop right now due to a transmission oil cooler leak which is a whole other $500 story for something else I wont go into here...but when I get the car back next week I will try the original key and see if that makes any difference, if not I guess I will try to get my friend to hook up his scanner again and see what he can find out.
I was really hoping to try to bypass the key recognition circuit but it seems that would do me no good at all with my symptoms
I love the car but it is just letting me down so much, with gasket leaks, cooler leaks into the cooling system, starting problems, sigh.. well if any of my symptoms sound familiar please give me a heads up, possibly a bad BCM?
Thanks, much appreciated and also thanks for letting me vent.