Intermittent No Start
 

I am chasing an intermittent no start on my 88. It is so intermittent that I have been able to get it to fail when I have had any tools to test anything.

When I turn the ignition switch to the start position nothing happens. No clicks or noises of any kind from the car.

I doubt that this problem is related to the starter because normally the car starts fine. There is not any drain on the rest of the system like the starter was drawing too much power.

At first I thought there could be a problem with the neutral start switch but since placing the car in neutral doesn’t change anything I have kind of ruled that out.

The alarm system has been disabled at the lock cylinders so it can not arm. I have considered completely bypassing the starter interlock with the alarm but that would require more than one wire to be disconnected and I don't want to mess with the alarm system anymore than I have to on a wild guess

I have tested every known body and frame ground and ran redundant grounds from the engine block to the body just to be sure. Attaching jumper cables to the battery does not change anything.

When the car fails to start the car has power everywhere but the starter and the fuel pump. The windows and lights work and the DIC is working fine. Heck, the radio works fine at keeping me company.

The only thing that seems to be unusual when this happens is that the volt gauge does not read 12 volts immediately; it seems to start out at 8-9 volts and slowly rise to the 12-13 volt range.

After about 5 to 10 minutes of turning the ignition switch to the start position the car just starts up fine. This has happened 3 to 4 times in the last year. I am running out of ideas to try.

Any suggestions would be appreciated

Bob

RE: Intermittent No Start
 

Bob,

a weird question for you ..

does the start isue act up more when the car is in the sun or in the shade?
specifically, how about when the sun is beating on the steering column area?

RE: Intermittent No Start
 

Bobster, nice to see you here.

I know you have ruled out the starter but in my own mind I have not. It seems you have run everything down. I'm not suggesting to spend the money on a new starter but I might.

Good luck and if you find a solution I can only hope that you will post the results here. It would be very helpful for the future. Thanks again for visiting the NEW site.

G.A.R.Y.

RE: Intermittent No Start
 

Heat doesn't seem to be an issue... I have had the car fail when it was completly cold... as cold as Miami gets in December.

The starter didn't draw too much a few months ago when I had it tested. There is no click or anything when this happens and since it won't completely fail I am really stuck

Bob

RE: Intermittent No Start
 

Bob,

i havent opened an Allante column, but i have had seen others open.

what i have seen is what is called a RACK,
when you turn the key, you actually turn a little gear
that in turn drives the RACK,

the RACK connects to a linkage that goes down the column
and executes a switch of sorts, usually found where the
steering column meets the dash.

as far as i know, every car has a switch of this type and the physical
movement and alignment of that linkage is critical to get the ignition
"switch" to send power to the starter solenoid or the accesories
or simply keep the car running.

if the adjustment of the linkage in regards to the switch is not proper
a change in temperature and metal expansion/ contraction can spell
a no start. lastly, the racks tend to break as they are made of pot metal
and once they break, sometimes they will engage and sometimes they wont.

i may suggest that you talk to a good locksmith as this being a posibility.
the usual cost is about $175 to $275 to fix this issue.
if you have AAA, they should cover the 1st $100.
is not an imposible job, but requires patience and an ability to work
in odd positions.

i'm not in a postition to open the manual and give you closer detail,
but there you have a probable solution. something that i been through 4 times
in the past 5 years with 3 different cars.

lol

RE: Intermittent No Start
 

I have done the rack you are speaking about in other GM cars, just not one with a telescopic column.

The other ones I have seen have broken completely so they wouldn't do anything. The car has started perfectly for more than a week. This could be it but I would expect it to fail completely in a short period of time. Thiss*** has been going on every now and then since 2002 and still hasn't failed completely

Bob

RE: Intermittent No Start
 

my rack failed on 12/17/03, AAA locksmith replaced on the parking lot.
now and then it did what you described off and on, since then and until two weeks
ago (3+ years) when it was a NO-START NO-WAY TOTAL FAILURE -
i was able to turn ON the ignition and jump the starter solenoid with a screwdriver
and start the vehicle - went home.

when i had it looked by tthe AAA locksmith, i was told it was NOT the rack.
frustrated, i called a independent, NON-AAA locksmith and after the guy
spend two hrs taking everything appart -- voila ..

1. "your rack is broken" - replaced the rack and

after repalcing the rack and putting back together, the next thing it was

2. "SWITCH is misalignmed" - he aligned it,
per the locksmith :
(if the ignition was on (hot) i had not accesory power,
it did not extend enough to power on the starter solenoid)

date on my new receipt i just submiteed to AAA is April 26, 2007

3 yrs and 4 months of hazzles and now?
starts beautifully easy, like new.
$270 out of pocket and expecting a
$100 reimbursement from AAA for a total of $170 to me.

$270 is a lot of cash -- so, my suggestions:

1. crawl under the dash and place a meter on the switch
make sure it is being activated as it should. have someone turn the
key and see that the co,umn link is doing what is supossed to do

2. if that is fine, jump across the starter solenoid and make
sure the starter works ok while mounted - be CAREFULL.

i believe you will most likely find the problem in one of the two spots.

lol

edit :
i make assumptions all the time ...
you did clean / check both, the battery connections AND
the BUS BAR connections by the P.S. pump, right?