89 buick not starting

[seanb29]

hi i own a 89 buick skylark and am having trouble with it. when i turn the key nothing happens no noise,no clicking, nothing happens i have had the battery and starter both tested at my local autozone and they both pass.so am hoping some of you that might had this happen to them can help me out by giving me ur thoughts on what can be wrong

[Madcat455]

is everything else working fine.... dash lights, gauges, radio... etc?? What about exterior lights, do they work??

[seanb29]

yes madcat all lights work outside of car and inside,radio works,wipers,blower for ac and the electrical fan for raditor is working. and the ignition switch has been replace too,just for somereason when i turn the key to try and start the car nothing happens

[Madcat455]

Grab a test light and a friend... and verify that there is actually voltage to the S terminal of the starter when the key is turned (be very cautious doing this.. since it might actually start and you're under the car).

If there is no voltage (like I'm suspecting) then I'd trace the wire from the starter back to the firewall with that test light looking for spots that might have voltage when the key is turnt. If you make it back to the firewall without the test light lighting up, then atleast you know the prob is inside(I'd also get a jumper wire to run directly from the battery... make a bare spot in that wire and touch the new hot wire to it so see if the starter turns). I'd then start tracing that same wire inside... BIG PIA.

Autozone checked the starter adn battery... so... unless the starter has a dead spot, you can assume that they are fine. Did they just bump the starter once and call it good, or several times??

Good luck... electrical Demons can be a real bummer.

[Madcat455]

OH.. BTW.

If you use the jumper wire to the S terminal of the starter and still nothing happens.. then its either the battery, POS cable, or starter... as you've bypassed everything else. So that might actually be a good place to start.

Although, I don't think its the POS cable as nothing else would work either unless its a resistance issue, but then the starter would at least try to do someting.

Just a thought.

[Ultralight]

I had the same problem with my 95. I took it to a mechanic and he said it was a relay. It was not in the shop manual. He had to trace it back. Mine would work sometimes and sometimes wouldn't. I don`t know if it was the hot wire to the starter or a wire to the switch that ran through the relay. It was the same relay that controls the emergency fuel cutoff. That made sense because one morning i was going to work and got a mile from the house and the engine just shut off. All electrical was fine and working. Tried to start it and nothing. No click no nothing. Sounds just like the problem i had. Hope this helps.



Ultralight