my new car never starts

[fry_81]

i just bought another 94 gs(atx), and it only starts when it wants to. i just put a new battery in it so its not that. sometimes it starts when i press the hold button, or wiggle around the shifter, hold the brake. the strange thing is, once it starts it runs like a brand new engine. could there be a bad connection on the starter? or is this an indication that the starter is just about dead? yesterday and today i couldnt get it to start at all, its so frustrating because all the electrical accessories work, anyone ever had this problem?
thanks in advance.

[mitmaks]

take it to local parts shop they should check it for free if its battery/starter

[MX3-Freak]

To give us a better idea can you describe what exactly the car does when you try to start it? Noises, actions, etc...

[IanL]

Assuming you mean its failing to crank, it sounds like it could be switchery. There are two switches in the starter circuit; the actual starter switch on the key, and the Inhibitor Switch on the ATX.

Now just for testing (don't leave it that way) you could try putting a short across the IS connections (make sure you're in PARK or NEUTRAL first) and if it cranks, you've found the problem. The switch is on the ATX casing at the front; in the '93 model, the two wires to connect are Black/Blue and Black/Red. You ought to do this with the front wheels off the ground, in case the problem is in the ATX rather than just the switch; if it cranks AND the wheels turn, its the ATX at fault.

[fry_81]

Originally posted by MX3-Freak:
To give us a better idea can you describe what exactly the car does when you try to start it? Noises, actions, etc...

when i try to crank it, all the electrical items turn off, and makes absolutely no noise. i looked under the hood while a buddy tried cranking it, not a thing happened in the engine, eccept i heard the a very quiet buzzing sound, kinda like the sound of powerlines, so i know the battery is sending current....maybe you were right about it being the switch? hopefully not the atx.

[kr]

I had a somewhat similar problem on my previous car, in hot weather it wouldn't always start. Lights and everything came on alright, but the start engine would just do a click, nothing more. Sometimes it was just plain dead.

As it was it turned out to be bad grounding on the battery which was easy enough to solve by running some additional ground wires to the engine and body.
Of course I found this out after an unneccesary battery change. grr.

[hgallegos915]

Well..its ATX and it will start only when you wiggle the shift... it seems to me like it is a faulty neutral start switch..im assuming its located in the tranny? where the gear shift lever is? its the switch that wont let the car start in gear..just neutral or park. I had that problem in a nissan. If not..well then its your started, have it checked for free at autozone or a shop. hope this helps.

[Grants]

How did you go with this?

If the electrical drops off as you try to crank, it would seem to be the starter motor to me. Or more precisely the solenoid. If it was the ATX switch I think it just wouldn't crank but other electricals would stay on.

[DJester187]

i had the same problem after my swap, although you didn't do one it sounds like the same issue. it turned out that it was one of the grounding wires. all the electrical worked after turning the key once but trying to start it, everything shut off and not even the slightest reaction from the engine, just a buzzing like as you said powerlines. check and see if any of your grounding wires are loose, or making a bad connection. it worked for me, hopefully it'll work for you.

[fry_81]

ya it turned out to be bad grounding, thanks alot for your help guys cause i would have never in a million year thought it would be grounding lol.