Problems Starting 2001 GT

[oneluvs]

I know I have read several post's about this, but is there a solution. I thought I could get some help from anyone who this might have happened to in the past. The problem is on occasion my 2001 Grand Am Gt has a problem starting. There is no trend to this. Sometimes it happens when it's cold, other times after it's been driven and is at normal operating temp. Hot or cold out....... Raining, Snowing............ It doesn't matter! After the fourth time at the dealer, with no results, I am fed up.
Everytime I have had the car at the dealer it starts fine. One time they tried to show my wife how to start the car. Like none of us who own late model grand ams know they have an anti theft system. How the hell would we have started the car to drive it off the lot?????
Anyway, they say there is nothing wrong. They have done a computer diagnosis and attempted starting it several times over the past four times I have taken it there. Then on the service form, they state something like the car had no problem starting when tested. Can anyone help with this?
THANKS.........

[biggnome]

What lights are coming on when it doesn't start? Does the security light start to flash? Does it start and then stall? Do you have a remote starter installed? These are all questions your dealer should have asked you.

[fuel4thesoul]

a lot of times if anything under the hood has been worked on someone may have fogotten to tighten the ground wire or positive wire on the battery terminal...also... they have ground straps and the leads to the starter it could be one of those but also as someone else has posted those are ? the dealer should have asked...i have worked at 3 and that is common sense questions we're taught to ask in a mechanics simple diagnostics questionairre book.

[biggnome]

Sorry, no handbook. Just common preliminary diagnostics that any compitent technician would know to ask.

[oneluvs]

I can say these guys didn't ask any of those questions. Just like you guys said, "common sense". I don't have auto start or any modifications done yet. I want to wait until the warranty runs out. I'm at 25000 now.
I'm going to check the battery connections myself. Maybe I will get lucky. I was just worried because I saw some previous posts that stated the fuel pump sending unit, fuel pump or a couple of other things related to the fuel system, could be faulty. I also thought GM might have a technical bulliten out for this.

[pontiac007]

I am having the same problem. The security light comes on when i am driving and when i turn the car off it might not start or sometimes i come out in the morning and it just does not start, the light starts flashing!! sound like someting cuts the coil off so it won't fire. I know it has someting to do with that Passlock system but what?? I have to wait 15 min and try it again. I have a keyless entry remote and that's it. i tried not using my remote to unlock and lock the doors. thinking the remote was making the security light come on. The car work fine for two weeks. then it did it again. i am lost someone knows something please help us. Thanks

[tido_29]

i think most of us have that problem. Mine only happens when i drive for a few minutes, and the turn off the car and leave it alone for like an hour or so. then when you go to turn it on, it has trouble. I have taken time and time again, but they say there is nothing wrong with it. It hasnt done it lately, but it does do it when i drive a while and let is sit for like 2 hours.

[klc317]

this seems to a common glitch, but theres nothing any of us can do about about it. I've found that turning the key to the "ON" position for a second or so before starting the car helps eliminate this hard starting problem. Mine does it once in awhile still. Its actually kind of embarrassing when someone is by your car and it takes 10 seconds to fire up. Makes it sound like a POS.

[pontiac007]

i wonder if there is anyway to bypass the passlock sysytem? just turn the hole thing off and start the car like we did in the old days. do we really need this on our cars?

[99GrandAMSE]

Originally posted by pontiac007
i wonder if there is anyway to bypass the passlock sysytem? just turn the hole thing off and start the car like we did in the old days. do we really need this on our cars?

DEI makes a Passlock Bypass system for use with Auto Starters ... I have one on my car and they work fine :)

[biggnome]

For those with the security light that starts blinking, turn the key to run and leave it there for ten minutes. The security light will stop blinking and you can start your car. More than likely it is the passlock sensor in the ignition switch. One other thing, if the security light is flashing, it will set a code and that will take 40 consecutive warm up and cool down cycles without a fault to clear the code. This should help you guys out some. As far as the long crank time that is normal the cam and crank have to sync so injector firing and ignition happen at the correct time.

[oneluvs]

I'm going to pay a little more attention the next time it happens. I don't think my security light stays on. All the ones that would come on regularly, come on. The car just doesn't turn over right away like it's supposed to. I know not to crank the engine too long because you'll damage the starter. Again I am wondering if since so many of us are having this problem, does GM know it exists.

[biggnome]

This problem isn't as common as you think. How many members hear actually have this problem? How small of a percentage of total owners does this group make up? It's a problem just like any other thing that can happen to a car. And honestly we don't see that many. I've seen 4 or 5 in the last 4 years.

[oneluvs]

Thats pretty odd........ Over the past year that I have been checking out this forum, I have seen several posts regarding this problem. At one point I recall someone posting a TSB on this. I wrote down the number at that time, but now I can't seem to find it. After several unsuccessful visits to the dealership, that's why I was reaching out at this time.
As far as it being a problem just like any other, I would accept that if I had bought the car new in 1991 and it was now twelve years old. Mine came in at the end of 2001. The car is not two years old yet. It may sound like a small problem, but bottom line the car is still new. That's why it's really frustrating having a new car these days. They make it hard to trace any problems root cause, but at least I know the dealer isn't much better at it either.

[biggnome]

Originally posted by oneluvs
That's why it's really frustrating having a new car these days. They make it hard to trace any problems root cause, but at least I know the dealer isn't much better at it either.

Sounds like you need a new dealer.

[oneluvs]

Originally posted by biggnome
Sounds like you need a new dealer.
Your'e right. I definitely do.

[Grieco]

2000 year, Im have this type of starting problem, car cranks but will not start, had car towed once and car started for garage. Second time I replaced the igniton modguel but car still would not start. Called tow truck to take car to dealer. When tow truck arrived car started. drove it to the dealer, car started fine with no codes. The next day at home car would not start. After turning key to on possion lights test on go off except for (security light on steady and also check engine light on).
Any suggustions.

[Marks95GAGT]

You know this problem sounds a lot like a problem with the Passlock Security system. It is the one that controls that little security light on the dash. Sorry if this is redudant, I just went to the end after reading a few posts on this. Here is how it works. Passlock will lock out either your ignition or fuel pump. I think it is the fuel pump if the car is attempted to start after 3 trys. If the car is not sucessful on the 3rd try, the computer will go itno passlock mode for I think 20 minutes. This happened to me a while ago. Tell the dealer you are having issues with it and they need to address it. I have heard there is abig problem with that system, but it doesn't seem to affect the blazers so I am not all the concerened.

[sunrunner_pei]

I would try turning the key to the "On" position for 3 full seconds before cranking the car. This will allow the fuel punp to fully pressurize the fuel lines, allowing for a faster start. It worked like a charm on my '99. :)

[red93gagt]

It sounds like all of you guys (or gals) that are having issues with your car in which your Security light comes on when you are driving, that means that your PassLock System has detected a problem with itself and/or the key that is currently in the ignition. It is not recommended that you turn off your vehicle unless you are a dealer, since it could cause a no-start situation because the pass lock system has found that the key being used is invalid, or else that there is an internal problem with the passlock system itself. I am not too sure about the inner workings of the passlock system as far as if it sets codes for attempted invalid key uses or anything, so I don't know if a dealer could detect a Passlock problem unless they were actually driving the car when the security light comes on.
I hope this helps,
Kurtis
(red93gagt)

[FallenAngel]

Sorry to dig up an old post but this one has the most relevat information as to my problem....

The security light will come on randomly while I'm driving and then the next time I go to start it starts fine with no problems... sometimes the light comes on again and sometimes it doesn't.

I dont have a remote start or anything installed, as far as I know everything is stock. I dont have the orginal keys or the remote entry thing (I think those are stock), it was bought used and all I got was a copied key. Could this copied key be the problem? I know some cars have codes inside the keys... does a 99 GA GT have that? If so I guess I should go buy a key from a dealer.

[Lower Level]

My 99 GA SE1 & a buddy's 02 SE1 both have the same problem of long cranking time before starting. It's very sparatic; no real pattern to when it happens.

I'd love to know what causes it cause it's a pain in the ass rollin' rollin' rollin'.

[FallenAngel]

FYI my car dosent have long crack times at all, it starts fine.. the security light just comes on every now and then and I don't want it to start into a problem where the car wont restart.

[kc9aku]

Ok ours is a brand-new 2003 Grand Am SE2. Our pride & joy, we drove it off the lot 12 days ago. Started great, actually "felt" like a different starter system must be being used with the 03's. Much nicer than our '01 Grand Am, which had just been totaled in a rear-end collision [not our fault]. The 2003 would not start last night for anything. It turned over just fine, over & over. I saw no security light of any kind. We were in the middle of nowhere and had to have the vehicle towed back to the dealership. This, after a summer of dealing with a car accident [see reference to 01 Grand Am, above] and injuries stemming from same. From battling with the insurance companies & doctors. This was EXTREMELY frustrating and now all I can do is hope our dealership can 1. diagnose the problem, 2. fix it for GOOD. Time will tell...................Chris

[ericmad]

Originally posted by Lower Level
My 99 GA SE1 & a buddy's 02 SE1 both have the same problem of long cranking time before starting. It's very sparatic; no real pattern to when it happens.

I'd love to know what causes it cause it's a pain in the ass rollin' rollin' rollin'.

I bought a second hand 01 GA v6, and as long as i've owned her, she has had the 'sporatic' prolonged cranks, just as you had mentioned. i've always remidied it by staying in the ON position for 3 seconds prior to starting, which has always worked for me. however, a week ago, I changed the fuel filter (i'm at 50k mi.) and have not had a bad start yet. i don't even wait 3 seconds anymore, i just crank it up, and she starts strong. apparently, the previous owner hadn't changed the fuel filter -- ever. i hope this works for at least some of you, as it's very easy to overlook the fuel filter. good luck!

[kc9aku]

Yeh the fuel pump idea is probably a good one, except in our case it was a BRAND NEW car, and so obviously that can't be the issue.

As it turns out, there were two problems with the car. It had a loose connection at the ignition module, AND the fuel pump was also bad and had to be replaced.


Doesn't exactly instill confidence, does it?

But, the car is working properly at the moment, and in spite of speaking to the manager at the dealership & voicing my deep concerns about this car, we still have it, and will continue to do so because the lemon laws make you dive through about 15 hoops before they'll your car back.

Yeh, our '01 Grand Am did that too, though; just an every-now-and-then sporadic ignition problem - but it always started.

[stevenr2185]

i don't know if this helps, but with my 97 (passlock I) if i turn my key and hold it too long it triggers the PS and i just turn it off, put the key on the ON position to get the fuel pump running and get some gas in the engine then it starts fine.

[elysium3]

i'm having the problem with the passlock system too. it is really annoying. is there anyway to disconnect or disable the stupid passlock system? i also have had problems (before the passlock problem started) with the car not starting for me on the first try. it was usually when i had stopped for only a minute somewhere and tried to restart the car.