Okay, here's a weird one for you gurus...

[HighwayProwlerz]

One day back in July after leaving work and stopping at the post office I come out, use the remote to unlock the car, get in and nothing.... car won't start but I have acc power. After a few more times trying the car has no power whatsoever. I meter the battery... 12.5v..... alternator... starter... 12.5v. After hours of messing around with it, connecting and disconnecting the battery I get power and am able to get the car started (but with lots of effort). The car gets home and sits for a while because I am scared to drive it and get stuck anywhere. After sitting a while I go and start it up, no problem. I start driving it around again... no more problems... then I stop driving it for a few months. Start it up... no problem. Drive it around for a few days.... no problem. On the third day she acts up again. Same deal as the first time, we are eventually able to start it but with lots of effort. Then on Thursday of last week I stop and get gas (big mistake). After getting gas I start the car up... no problem right? So I thought. Moments after pulling away from the pump the car just dies. After disconnecting and reconnecting the battery a few gazillion times I give up. Just no luck. I have power but that's it. It won't even try to crank. So I tow it home. Tonight I go and replace the starter thinking that may be part of the problem (it was a long shot)... but much NOT to my surprise the car still will not even try to start.

Now I know that was a lot of information but does anyone have any ideas for me???

Thanks!

[4kQuad]

If you have not yet done it.
Clean the connections at the battery, The battery and the cables connecting to it should be BRIGHT clean. Now, every so sofen the wires that you can see are all cleaned BRIGHT, but still nothing. Ok, now pull the Pos. wire off the battery, see where he red power wire goes into the thing that hooks to the battery. Inside there can get coroded (sp) Pretty green inside there. If you can see any green, it could be that the wire and the connector that hooks to the battery are no making good contact, so no power is making it down the wire.

Also you could get someone in the car to hold the key in the start postition, then mesure how much jusice is getting to the starter. Might save some cleaning if you do that first. You may not be getting 12v to the starter....

Or have someone hold the key to make the starter work, grab the Pos wire wiggle then the Neg wire and wiggle the (&^(^*( out of them with the key on. See if it sparks to life.

I think by removing and rehooking the battery wires you are knocking some built up crap loose so the wire is making contact.
So it will fire, but then the crap just builds up in the battery leads again...Poof no start.

[HighwayProwlerz]

That's a good thought, but the connections are pretty damn clean, the cables are maybe a year old and so is the battery. That also doesn't really explain why when last night after hooking the battery back up, my dome light came on and as soon as I tried to start the car all the power shut off.... this happened twice. The third time I only turned the key to ACC then back. Then over to run and was able to retain power but no other sounds like the starter was trying to engage.... nothing. I will give that a shot, but I think the problem may be deeper than that.

I have a new alternator that I am going to put in there and my only other thought is possibly the ignition.

How difficult is the ignition to deal with?

[cocobob]

Sounds to me like a faulty ignition coil / module which tell the PCM that someone is tampering with the ignition so the theftlock shuts the car down. You probably will get a P1374 code soon to justify the cause. This happenned to my 97. After two tow jobs the code showed up. Changing the coils solved the problem. Did the plugs & cables just weeks before. I guess the less resistance on new cables burnt the old coils.
Cheers

[HighwayProwlerz]

I was thinking the coil or the module too. I should get one of those code readers.

[Grahamcracker]

Originally posted by HighwayProwlerz
my dome light came on and as soon as I tried to start the car all the power shut off.... this happened twice.

That is THE classic symptom of a bad battery connection.


Food for thought: have you looked at the OTHER end of the battery cabels?

[HighwayProwlerz]

Just at the starter and the alternator, but no where else. Once I pull the alternator out I will take a long good look at all those wires. I hope that is the problem and not something serious. I was worried because I had installed a remote starter at one time and had to cut into my ignition wires in the car to install it. I no longer have it installed in the car so I was hoping that was the problem. I am going to start with the battery cables and go from there.

Thanks for the thoughts guys.

[babygurl2000]

Originally posted by HighwayProwlerz
Just at the starter and the alternator, but no where else. Once I pull the alternator out I will take a long good look at all those wires. I hope that is the problem and not something serious. I was worried because I had installed a remote starter at one time and had to cut into my ignition wires in the car to install it. I no longer have it installed in the car so I was hoping that was the problem. I am going to start with the battery cables and go from there.

Thanks for the thoughts guys.
isnt this still under warranty?
i would say its a regulator somewhere
if it happens when you use the transmitter to unlock the car.
weird for sure. keep us updated

[HighwayProwlerz]

Yes, but I have voided it by all the modifications I have made. I am going to try a few things, I'll let you know.