1995 Grand Prix turning over, taking spark and fuel but not starting

[linkin217]

I have had this car for about 6 months and it already had 1 problem with starting becasue of the key error (easily fixed)

now, like it says in the title it is turning over, lights work, taking fuel, but not starting. It might be flooding but i think that the fact it has a new engine (well I got it changed right when i got it)

it is really frusterating.

any help would be appreceated

[Hwylde69]

I have had this car for about 6 months and it already had 1 problem with starting becasue of the key error (easily fixed)

now, like it says in the title it is turning over, lights work, taking fuel, but not starting. It might be flooding but i think that the fact it has a new engine (well I got it changed right when i got it)

it is really frusterating.

any help would be appreceated



Hi,
I'm sorry to post without an answer to your issue, but I have been trying to get my car fixed for a very long time now. When I put the key in & turn it on, the lights, radio, windows etc. all work just fine, but when I turn it further to start it.....nothing. Absolutely nothing. My husband removed the starter & took it to Auto Zone & they pronounced it good to go. So I am back at square one. I read your post about the "key error". What is that & can you give me instructions on how to fix that in the event that it turns out to be the problem? Any help will be greatly appreciated (more than you could ever imagine) Thanks & God Bless

[Tech II]

Well, first thing you have to do is not jump on 7 year old posts, and start your own....

Before pulling the starter, you should have checked for power, with a test light, on the purple wire going to the starter solenoid, with the key in the crank position...if it had power, bad starter...no power than you check the Passkey system....

The key problem he is talking about is your ignition key...it has a black resistor pellet on it.......

When you insert the key, and turn the ignition to "on"(don't try to crank the engine), observe the lights in your dash.....one of the lights is a "SECURITY" light...when you first turn the key to "on", that light should come on for 3 seconds and then go out.....if it doesn't, if it stays on, then that is your problem....you can try another ignition key if you have one.....

If it goes out after 3 seconds, possible problems are the starter enable relay, ignition switch, or the P/N switch(try starting in Neutral?).....

Your SECURITY system is called Passkey....if the system does not "read" the resistance of the ignition key, the system will not ground the starter relay, AND it will not send a fuel enable signal to the ECM(computer)....if the ECM does not receive this signal, it will not fire the injectors.....

So the first step, it to check that SECURITY light....if it stays on, then the usual problem is the wire harness going up your steering column to the lock cylinder....there are contacts in the lock cylinder that make a connection with the resistor on your key.....the wires in the column complete the circuit from the key back to the Passkey module, so the module can read the resistance of the key.....if it reads the correct resistance, the module grounds the starter enable relay and sends a fuel enable signal to the ECM....

If one of those wires is broke(this happens because over time, those wires flex as you turn the lock cylinder), then the module can't "read" the resistance of the key, and the module won't ground the starter enable relay, and won't send a fuel enable signal to the ECM.....

So if the SECURITY light stays on, the circuit has to be checked out...you will need an ohm meter....first you attach the leads to each side of the key contacts at the resistor on the key, and get a reading......



then insert the key into the lock cylinder......now you have to remove the hush panel just under the steering column, so that you can see the wires coming down the steering column......there will be an orange sheathed harness that has two white wires...it will go to a black connector that you will separate...



now attach your ohm meter to the half of the connector, that is going up the steering column......the reading you get, should be equal to the reading on the key.....if the meter reads "OL" or infinite resistance, one of those wires is broken.....

Now you have two choices.....you can buy a new lock cylinder with a new harness, buy a new key with the same resistance(there are 15 possible keys), have the key cut to the "blank" that comes with the new lockcylinder, and then you have to remove the airbag, steering wheel, and parts of the steering column until you reach the old lock cylinder...this is a labor intensive job if you don't know what you are doing and don't have the proper tools.....


OR


You go to Radio Shack, and have them give you a resistor or comination of resistors, that EQUALS the resistance reading of your ignition key.....then, remember the black two wire harness you disconnected? You are going to attach that to the two white wires of the harness...you will attach it to the half that is going away from the column, not the end that is going up the steering column.....cut the wires about 2 inches back from the black connector, and then solder(best method) the resistor to the wires or use crimps......

It is imperative that those resistors or resistor EQUALS THE RESISTANCE OF THE KEY....otherwise, this will not work......

Here is a resistance chart:



Good luck.....