96 monte - sometime starts sometimes doesnt

[craig_924]

i looked around the forum and didnt see anything the same as the prolem that im having

i have a 1996 3.1L monte carlo. for about the past 3 years, i've had this problem ONLY in the winter (in michigan when its colder), never in the spring/summer/fall. this happens on average maybe once or twice a month. i'll put the key in the ignition and turn it forward. all i hear is a faint clicking noise. the dash lights and radio come on, but the starter does not engage at all. usually if i sit there and turn the key repeatedly it will eventuallly start and starts as if there was never a problem. usually within 1 min, sometime longer...and of course it never does it when i take it to a mechanic ive tried using the other key (which has very rarely been used) and the same result. ive also tried using the remote start and the remote start just cycles on and off with the starter not engaging at all. the remote start just goes through the 3 on/off cycle and then stops (as its programed to do). the ignition switch was replaced about a year ago and had no effect.

any help is appeciated

thanks
-Craig

[craig_924]

an update in case anyone else is having this problem.

i was told that the ignition wire wasnt getting power. the starter was given power directly and it turned over, but the car wouldnt stay running. after the car was towed from my house to the garage it started just fine. after looking at it the best guess the mechanich had was that the remote start was causing the problems. the remote start was removed. i probably won't know if this worked or not for awhile since its an intermitten problem. since it only seems to occur in the cold and its warming up i might not know until next winter.

[ponchonutty]

No, it's not the remote starter's fault. The 2 common problems I have seen is a bad ignition switch or bad VATS decoder. I would look at the VATS system first.