97 lumina won't start (please help)

[dinanmotors]

I have a 97 lumina LS that won't start. I turn the key and it won't even crank, it does nothing. I took a wire and put one end the the battery and the other to the starter and the engine strart but turns off after 2 seconds.
Looks like the battery and starter are fine. I don't know if it's the ignition or relays. Can anyone please tell me what the problem might be. Thanks

[Kooterskkar]

Does the radio work? Sounds like a blown fusible link to me.

[dinanmotors]

Thank you for your response. Yes the radio works and so does everything else. I checked all the fuses and all are good. I don't know how to check the relays and I don't know what a fusible link is.
I also noticed that the security light flashes when I put the ignition on.
If anyone knows what I should do please let me know.

[300+]

Park / neutral switch. Wiggle shift lever. Thats my guess excluding the security light which I don't know anything about. But why it doesn't keep running I don't know. PNS would keep running. Maybe the security has both an ignition cut and fuel cut. Did you try turning off and on alarm if equipped.

[Kooterskkar]

Possibly a combination of things. Get the feul pressure checked. May be a bad feul pump. That would make it cut off immediatley after starting. The starter not engaging with the key still sounds like a bad fusible link. If you dont have one, it would be a good idea for you to get a haynes manual or chiltons guide for your car. They arent always right but they can usually point you in the right direction.

[tyler62601]

there is a box right beside the battery with a post and a hot wire ran to it. its on the drivers side just to the right of the battery. that can get corroded just like terminals and even break off. check that and see. use a wire from the battery to that post on it and see if it starts then if it does theres your problem if not im not sure of anything else

[jeffcoslacker]

if you got it to start as you described, by bypassing the ignition switch, I'd bet it's a problem with the passkey chip in your ignition key or the contacts in the ignition switch itself. rough up the little metal tabs on either side of the resistor in the key, and spray a little WD-40 in the ignition switch. The put the key in, wiggle it around some, and try it. If it doesn't work, the dealer will have to check the key and switch and possibly recut and code a key, or change the switch.

[tfreund]

I had the same problem with my '96 Chevy Lumina and it turned out to be my ignition cylinder (the part that the key actually slides into) You can get it started by bypassing it just fine, but it won't stay running because of the security features on it, that's why it shuts off quickly after you start it. When you get the igniton cylinder replaced you also have to get a different key becasue there are different codes and stuff - all together it was about $150 for me. GOOD LUCK!!

[dinanmotors]

Thanks for the reply.
I think you're right, it might be the ignition cylinder. Can I replace that my self and when I replace the ignition and the key do I still have to take it to the dealership to have it coded?
Will I be able to bypass the chip and security so I don't have buy a new key?
Thanks

[tblake]

Anything that has to do with the chip in the key, should be left to the dealer. Sounds to me like the contacts on the chip, or the ignition cilinder are dirty, and may just need to be cleaned. If you have another key that came with the car when it was origionally purchased, try to start it with that. Good luck.

[SpitAndDirt]

I had someone tell me in another forum that the ignition switch has two wires that break loose. They make contact with the "chip" in the key. Sometimes, I guess all that's wrong is a poor soldering connection. Try that and see what happens. -Chris

[jeffcoslacker]

There is a pair of "brushes" that contact the resistor contacts in the key, but once broken, they are unserviceable. New cylinder time.

[jeffcoslacker]

If one was really, really desperate, and couldn't get it fixed correctly, I guess you could remove the wiring from the ignition cylinder, determine which wires are for the chip, and redirect them straight into contact with the chip, if you had a spare key, you could solder them to the chip on that key. Then the car would be driveable, you just would loose the theft deterrance of the system.

[j_rickard]

Dude, Your Problem Is The Key, Same Thing Happened To Me, Got A New Key And It Starts Fine. Its That Dang Chip.

[Manny_boy]

A good locksmith can make you a replacement key with the correct chip in it.

If you want to bypass your chip, here's what you do (some alarm places do this too):

under your steering column, in the ignition wire harness, there are two very small orange wires, about 22 ga. (possibly covered by a white sheath). These are your passkey wires that lead to the ignition cylinder. Take a digital Multimeter and set it to ohms (be sure to use digital, and make sure its calibrated before you start). Check the resistance for the chip in your key. Buy the same ohm resistor from Radioshack. Cut the small orange wires and solder the resistor to both wires leading to the passlock module (not to the ignition cylinder). The passlock module will read the resistance and think that you key is in place and functioning correctly.

(like Jeffcoslacker said though, this does disable the security feature of having a chip in your key)

A regular key without the chip could start your car with this method.