Sunfire wont start
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Elder User
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Sunfire wont start
A week ago the battery light came on while driving.
two days latter the car wont start.
I pulled the starter and the battery and got them tested at autozone
batteries is bad and the starter is fine.
put the starter back in and hooked the car up to a deep cycle marine battery. the whole car has power but when the key is all the way forward nothing happens. so I jumpered the solenoid and the car turns over but when the key is all the way forward there is no power to the solenoid
any Ideas?
and she just bought an escape ( thats being talked about in the escape forum)
two days latter the car wont start.
I pulled the starter and the battery and got them tested at autozone
batteries is bad and the starter is fine.
put the starter back in and hooked the car up to a deep cycle marine battery. the whole car has power but when the key is all the way forward nothing happens. so I jumpered the solenoid and the car turns over but when the key is all the way forward there is no power to the solenoid
any Ideas?
and she just bought an escape ( thats being talked about in the escape forum)
Postmaster
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,968
Likes: 3
From: So Cal
make sure the battery connections are clean and tight. that can prevent even a good battery from turning the engine. Sometimes the terminals will get a kind of shiney dark coating. That seems to act like an insulator and keep power from flowing enough to start.
Also, I am not sure if a deep cycle battery has enough cranking amps to do the job, never tried that. They are usually made to supply a good steady current for a long time, not a heavy current for a quick start. I could be wrong here tho. Some are deep cycle and start so might work better.
Clean the terminals etc and see what happens. If still no start, try a jumper cable. If a jumper works that would make me think the battery doesn't have enough cranking power.
Good Luck,
Jim Henderson
Also, I am not sure if a deep cycle battery has enough cranking amps to do the job, never tried that. They are usually made to supply a good steady current for a long time, not a heavy current for a quick start. I could be wrong here tho. Some are deep cycle and start so might work better.
Clean the terminals etc and see what happens. If still no start, try a jumper cable. If a jumper works that would make me think the battery doesn't have enough cranking power.
Good Luck,
Jim Henderson
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 18,488
Likes: 22
From: The Big, Oregon
Battery light on = no charge, hence the no start after a few days. Dumb question to ask, but is the car in park or neutral, or is the clutch being pushed down? Are you using the proper anti-theft key?
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Elder User
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If I jumper the solenoid with 2 screw drivers it turns over.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 18,488
Likes: 22
From: The Big, Oregon
Are you sure you have the wires in the right spots on the starter? IIRC, there are four terminals- The big one from the battery, the other big one out to the starter, a small one that activates the solenoid, and a fourth one that sends power out to the fuel pump while cranking. I think if you reverse the two small leads, it won't operate the solenoid.
After you check that, if it still doesn't work, then check for voltage while someone turns the key to the start position. If there is full battery voltage, and the leads are all to the correct terminals, then the solenoid is indeed faulty. If there isn't power, you'll need to keep working upstream on the start circuit until you find the issue.
FWIW, it could be a failed P/N safety switch. It may not be making contact.
After you check that, if it still doesn't work, then check for voltage while someone turns the key to the start position. If there is full battery voltage, and the leads are all to the correct terminals, then the solenoid is indeed faulty. If there isn't power, you'll need to keep working upstream on the start circuit until you find the issue.
FWIW, it could be a failed P/N safety switch. It may not be making contact.
Thread Starter
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Elder User
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 699
Likes: 1
Are you sure you have the wires in the right spots on the starter? IIRC, there are four terminals- The big one from the battery, the other big one out to the starter, a small one that activates the solenoid, and a fourth one that sends power out to the fuel pump while cranking. I think if you reverse the two small leads, it won't operate the solenoid.
After you check that, if it still doesn't work, then check for voltage while someone turns the key to the start position. If there is full battery voltage, and the leads are all to the correct terminals, then the solenoid is indeed faulty. If there isn't power, you'll need to keep working upstream on the start circuit until you find the issue.
FWIW, it could be a failed P/N safety switch. It may not be making contact.
After you check that, if it still doesn't work, then check for voltage while someone turns the key to the start position. If there is full battery voltage, and the leads are all to the correct terminals, then the solenoid is indeed faulty. If there isn't power, you'll need to keep working upstream on the start circuit until you find the issue.
FWIW, it could be a failed P/N safety switch. It may not be making contact.
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