Well yeah,sometimes i forget about mentioning the obvious...

 

pull the plugs before you do as well.
makes it easier to turn over

 

I have an automatic; so what you are saying is shift it to drive first before attempting to turn the crankshaft bolt?

 

With an auto its basically irrelevant because the TC ensures the box is decoupled from the crank while the motor is not running - any gear will do for this particular exercise, and P is safest so leave it there IMO.

 

Ok,
I took the Battery back to autozone and they gave me a new one. Took my starter back and and had it rechecked. Got home and put the everthing back together, the car turned over momentarily but went back to its old self. I tried to crank it again but now I am back to it not turning over once again.
At least I know the engine is not seized up, I was so happy to hear it go again. How do I start to troubleshoot this thing. Do I need any special tools?
I am starting with the regular fuses now to see if any are blown. How do I check the othe type fuses that are enclosed in the plastic casings that are different colors (brown, green, blue) outside of the ones in the engine compartment are there any under the dash that I will need to pull and check.

 

Finished checking regular fuses under the dash. Two fuses seemed to be blown. I guess if they look like a "Z" in the middle they are blown. The two that had the "Z" shape in the middle were the Cig lighter and stop lamp. What does either of those have to do with the car turnover???

tks in advance for all the help.....

 

if the Z is solid, then the fuse is probably fine.
it sounds to me like you need a test light and some patience

you may just have a bad ignition switch, or it may be bad wiring. the only way to know for sure is to start looking.

don't feel to bad, I've got a Grand am doing nothing when you turn the key also. but it's for sale because I don't give a dam about it.

 

Ok,
I picked up a test lamp and went to work. I found that the anti theft fuse in the engine bay could be bad. The test lamp is lighting up on the circuit when I pulled the fuse, but I am getting no light with the fuse by itself.

I am guessing at how to check these fuses in the engine bay. I am just attaching the clamp and using the pointed end and touching the other terminal until the light comes on.

Is there specific terminals on the back fuse and the circuit in the fuse box that I need to check at the same time to ensure I am correct?

 

the way I was taught to test a fuse (blade type fuse) is to ground the clip side of the test light and use the probe to touch the little metal pieces that are usually sticking out the top of the fuse. if both sides cause the test light to light up then the fuse is good. if only one side lights it up, the fuse is bad. if neither side lights it up then you either have the test light connected wrong or the circuit isn't even getting power to the fuse.

 

Ok

Thanks for the pic, I think I have a handle on the square type fuses. The ones I am talking about are the the bigger ones (inhibit, RAD 1, RAD 2, RAD 3, Bulb Check, etc.) I think they are fuses or are they called fusible links?

 

fusible links are checked the same way basically. it's just harder to get at the sides to check them.

 

Why not try jumping the starter and seeing if that gets it to turn over and / or start. If it turns over, but doesn't start, then I would suspect a relay, or perhaps the ignition switch. If it starts, then it could be the ignition switch, or wiring, if it doesn't even turn over, then have the starter tested again.

 

I circled the terminals you need to jump.
auto parts stores sell a remote trigger which you would clamp one end to the terminal directly from the battery.
the other connects to the small terminal.
you can also use a 16gauge or larger wire, just remember not to CRAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNKKKKKKK on your ignition.
It'll kill your battery, starter, and other stuff. Just BUMP the engine to make sure it turns.

PS.
sorry for "stealing" your pic, greenie!

 

I got it to turnover today using the ignition switch, but it only did it once and went back to just a solid click. The auto parts place gave me another battery because I ran down the other one trying to crank it. Is the ignition switch a dealer part? How much is it and how hard is it to put on?

 

Sounds like you have corrosion or a bad ground. I need to re read the thread (it is 4am) but I bet you have a bad ground wire (corrosion inside it) or a bad contact point. Like under the battery terminal. Id take the pos/neg off and all the ground points and clean them.

When a battery is dead or theres a bad connection the engine may turn over a crank or two or maybe half of a revolution, but usually you'll hear a clicking and the clock or interior lights will dim/flash since there isn't enough power to them.

~Alex

 

Cleaned all ground contact points. I even replaced the ground cable wire. Does anyone out there know if you need to take off the steering wheel to replace the ignition switch w/lock cylinder. Everything else is pointing to that.

 

you don't need to pull the wheel
the switch has a collar with 2 bolts that undo so it can come off the column.

 

I would still turn on the ignition switch, then jump the starter. It won't harm anything, you're doing exactly what the ignition switch does. If you can crank the engine reliably by jumping the starter, then the problem is likely the switch. If you can't get it to turn reliably that way, then the starter might be bad (even if it is new).

 

Try rechecking the MAFS connector.

How old is your starter, it could be a dry starter. Does the car crank at all, or is it just making a click click sound.

 

if its doing this, YOUR IGNITION SWITCH IS FINE!
your starter isn't getting enough juice to start the engine.
when you replace the battery, check the voltage before you install it. they may not be giving you fully charged batteries(i do not know why)
make sure EVERYTHING is off!
if that all is good, check your positive cable the corosion may have worked its way into that one.
but im going to say it again

STARTER NOT GETTING POWER, and its not the ignition switch.
(are your battery cables on tight? have you replaced the terminals, or are they OEM? is the ground cable tight on the engine block?
is the Positive on the starter good and tight?)

Loose connections will cause your car not to turn over.

your car IS turning over. the ignition switch is fine.


(all this was reiterated because i want to get my point across.)

 

Thats what I was getting at earlier.

The battery either has enough power to start the car, theres just a loose connection some where.

When I went to reconnect my battery on one of my cars (Let it sit for 5 days and its a small battery) I put on both connectors and tightened them down. It wouldn't start, and repeatedly clicked as the battery was dead. I looked at the terminals and the positive was still a little loose. I put some thin wire between the post and terminal and it fired right up.

Or the battery is not fully charged and it cant run the fuel pump and starter at the same time. If thats the case it just needs to be jumped, and you need to get take the car to a parts store and get the alt tested.

~Alex

 

Here is what I found. The OEM positive terminal had a bunch of grease **** in it to keep down the corrosion, I never bothered to remove it because it was not corrosion. I just removed it on instinct and she starts now. Apparently, it was draining my battery, so there wasn't enough power reaching the starter.
Those two connectors that run off the postive terminal that go into the relay box is what I am talking about. Thanks to all the org members that gave to advice.