Help! 1989 Coupe will not start!!!!

[Bolisk]

So backed my friends car out of his garage. . .everything was fine. Jacked the car up to change the wheels in the following order (Front right, rear right, front left, and rear left). Put the car down, torqued the lugs, then got in to start the car, and it will NOT turn over!!!

What the heck happend?!?!?!?!? Anyone got any ideas. There is plenty of power (Battery) even tried jumping the car. . .no luck, the lights all work. . .but the starter will not click or even attempt to start.

Help please! What should we check and in what order?

Regards,

 

[vetteoz]

Got a spare key to try.
Very common for the the contacts on the pellet in key and in ign switch wear so VATS unit can not correctly read the key resistance
clean key and inside of ign switch

jumper starter ( purple wire ) direct from battery to confirm starter itself actually works

Follow power through starter circuit to see where it disappears ( key in START position)
Check for 12V on starter circuit out of ign switch
Check for 12V either side of inhibitor switch on shifter ( or clutch switch on man car )
Check for 12V either side of starter enable relay

 

[Bolisk]

What is the best way to clean out the lock mechinism?

 

[gmjunkie]

What is the best way to clean out the lock mechinism?

 

[seabee 86]

Uh oh, this sounds like a VATS issue. Like Vettoz said, I hope its the key. Keep us posted and good luck.

 

[boomdriver]

So backed my friends car out of his garage. . .everything was fine. Jacked the car up to change the wheels in the following order (Front right, rear right, front left, and rear left). Put the car down, torqued the lugs, then got in to start the car, and it will NOT turn over!!!

What the heck happend?!?!?!?!? Anyone got any ideas. There is plenty of power (Battery) even tried jumping the car. . .no luck, the lights all work. . .but the starter will not click or even attempt to start.

Help please! What should we check and in what order?

Regards,

VATS is actually pretty forgiving....if the pellet makes contact with the tabs inside the key switch, its probably ok. Once in a million yrs the pellet wire gets some heavy crud on its and the tabs get loose and the VATS is tripped when you turn the key...
When thei happens, always make sure of the trans safety switch, the clutch and battery voltage. If all that is good, then wait at least 10 minutes and try it again. VATS resets at random times...anywhere from 4 minutes to 15. Try too soon and you reset it to maybe 15 minutes again..maybe its only reset to 5 minutes? Thats the beauty of the system...mess with it again too soon and you're still stuck. A thiefs worse nightmare....something that waste his TIME...

Clean it with alcohol and a Q tip. Just be sure not to get the alcohol on everything, plastics especially. Like I said, its pretty forgiving. I just douched mine with LockEase because the switch was sticking, and the VATS has not acted up one bit. More than likely IF there is a VATS problem, its in the starter enable relay or module.

 

[seabee 86]

More than likely IF there is a VATS problem, its in the starter enable relay or module.

I know I'm not a fan favorite here however I disagree. I have found it is much more common for the two wires going to and from the key tumbler to break from years of being turned. The wires short out on the tumbler and pop the vats fuse behind the information switches.

This of course is not to discredit what Boomdriver said; I'm sure its an issue I have simply yet to come across it.

 

[boomdriver]

I know I'm not a fan favorite here however I disagree. I have found it is much more common for the two wires going to and from the key tumbler to break from years of being turned. The wires short out on the tumbler and pop the vats fuse behind the information switches.

This of course is not to discredit what Boomdriver said; I'm sure its an issue I have simply yet to come across it.

I've actually run into the wires in the collumn deal....not common but just as capable of stopping the fun.

 

[seabee 86]

It can always be any number of things. But thats half the fun, right?