01 SL1 wont start

Dannoman · #1 12-09-2008, 03:47 PM

Hey Gang,
Got kind of a strange one. My daughter called me and said she left her lights on and ran the battery down. She had a friend try to jump start with no luck. I went up and got her jump started, brought the car back to my house, charged battery and tested charging system...all checked ok. She calls the next day and says it wont start. All accessories worked, but when you turn ignition key .....nothing. I watched the headlights to see if the starter was drawing when I turned the ignition key....nothing....just dead. The strange part is if I disconnect the negative post from the battery and reconnect it starts....like something is being reset. Any ideas?

TIA

Danno

RC1488 · #2 12-09-2008, 04:51 PM

Hmmm....
Sounds like the battery is shot. The battery is not designed for a slow discharge. You can actually ruin a cell in the battery by leaving the lights on. From then on, it wont hold a charge for long such as in your case.

The other thing is that you could just have a bad connection at the terminals. Check for corrosoin.

Dannoman · #3 12-09-2008, 06:55 PM

Thanks for the reply, RC. Had the battery and charging system tested at AZ....they both checked out fine. When it wont start, the starter is not drawing on the battery at all. It's like the circuit is open......until the battery is disconnected/reconnected. Both terminals are corrosion free with good solid connection.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RC1488

Hmmm....
Sounds like the battery is shot. The battery is not designed for a slow discharge. You can actually ruin a cell in the battery by leaving the lights on. From then on, it wont hold a charge for long such as in your case.

The other thing is that you could just have a bad connection at the terminals. Check for corrosoin.

RC1488 · #4 12-09-2008, 08:09 PM

Interesting. Automatic?

Does the car have remote locks (RKE)?

Dannoman · #5 12-09-2008, 08:39 PM

Yep....it's an automatic.

Now that you mention it, I think she said something about the remote locks not working since this ordeal started. Sorry for leaving that bit of info out...could it be related? I haven't verified that, but she would know. Never connected those as possibly being related to the 'no start' problem.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RC1488

Interesting. Automatic?

Does the car have remote locks (RKE)?

Dannoman · #6 12-09-2008, 08:43 PM

BTW...are the starters located on front side of engine, or on firewall side? Thought I might try tapping on it while my daughter tries to start. I tried following the + battery cable....but it was dark outside.

RC1488 · #7 12-09-2008, 10:39 PM

Started is located on the Firewall side.

If you dont hear a click and the lights do NOT dim, you have an ignition issue.

Make sure the locks are unlocked WITH the remote. If they are not, then its possible the RKE is being set off. Odd that removing power will reset the RKE as that should not happen IIRC.

RC1488 · #8 12-09-2008, 10:40 PM

Also, more the gear selector to N or to 2 then back to P. See if that helps

discnik · #9 12-10-2008, 12:22 AM

Had a Saturn do the same thing. Turned out to be the starter. I connected a jumper wire with alligator clips to the solenoid post on the starter and the other end to my test light lead. Grounded my test light to a good ground with another jumper wire. Turned the ignition switch to start. The test light lit up but no crank from the starter. Hope this helps.

ponchonutty · #10 12-10-2008, 06:45 AM

Double check the cables too because they are noted of rotting from the inside out. I would also look at the battey if it has any more than 5 years on it. I'd go ahead and change that as well. The starter is another good area to look at. You said it acts like it is totally dead when this happens? Do you mean you don't have a domelight and the gauges don't move when you try to crank it?

Dannoman · #11 12-10-2008, 10:15 AM

Thanks for the replies you guys....much appreciated. Didn't get a chance to look at it last night, but will get into it this weekend. I want to check into the remote lock FOB. I had already tried moving steering wheel and shifter....no change. Again, the battery load tested fine, cables all check out, and when I say it doesn't do anything....the lights, radio, and all accessories work fine. When we try to crank it over...nothing at all. No click, no noise, no 'draw' on the headlights.....acts as if there is an open in the starter. I want to try tapping on the starter to see if there is a dead spot....that's what it acts like. The only weird thing is that it starts after disconnecting/reconnecting battery cable....which makes me want to believe it's not starter related. Since this all started after she ran the battery down and had somebody try to jump start her, I'm wondering if they crossed cables and damaged something. Probably a stretch, but I'm a believer that there is usually an underlying reason why things like this happen. I will definitely keep you guys posted as to what I find. Danno

ponchonutty · #12 12-12-2008, 06:48 AM

When it won't crank are you sure the passlock light isn't flashing? It's real common to have PK2 security issues in all of GM's lines. Also, many times if it's the security light, it'll also come on every so often while driving too. If it is flashing or on while driving, I have a way to perminatly bypass it.

Dannoman · #13 12-13-2008, 01:49 PM

Hi Ponch,
No....not sure if it's flashing or not. Went out today, and it started right up. I tried to get it to fail, and it started every time. Temperature outside is quite a bit warmer today(40's)....wonder if the temp. could be a factor here. Oh, the door locks also worked today....so the two are related. When it won't start, the remote locks dont work either. When it is starting, remote locks work fine. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. danno

Quote:

Originally Posted by ponchonutty

When it won't crank are you sure the passlock light isn't flashing? It's real common to have PK2 security issues in all of GM's lines. Also, many times if it's the security light, it'll also come on every so often while driving too. If it is flashing or on while driving, I have a way to perminatly bypass it.

RC1488 · #14 12-13-2008, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dannoman

Hi Ponch,
No....not sure if it's flashing or not. Went out today, and it started right up. I tried to get it to fail, and it started every time. Temperature outside is quite a bit warmer today(40's)....wonder if the temp. could be a factor here. Oh, the door locks also worked today....so the two are related. When it won't start, the remote locks dont work either. When it is starting, remote locks work fine. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. danno

Definetly something wrong with the RKE i think. Check all your grounds inside the engine bay. Look at the connections going to the PCM also. The BCM gives codes to the PCM that allows the PCM to start the engine. If the PCM cant get the passcodes, then you dont get to go anywhere

ponchonutty · #15 12-13-2008, 09:09 PM

Interesting. Do this. If it's starting sit inside the vehicle and lock it with the remotes. Sit there for about 30 seconds then try to start it with the key and see if it starts.

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