'00 intrigue starts sometimes

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gealii

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I have a 2000 olds intrigue that half the time will not start
the starter does not turn over, battery and alternator are good
what happens is if i try to start it and this only happens some of the
time been happening more recently lately the starter doesn't turn over
all the lights and other electrical will come on. If I wait about 20 min
without touching it the car will start. other times the car starts up just
as it normally would.

I've heard that it can be either the ignition, safety neutral switch, or just
resetting the pass-lock.

hoping someone has an idea to throw in here
 
It does not crank at all? And there are no codes thrown?

How many miles, and are you driving on the original starter?

I experienced an intermittent failure about six months ago. Seemed to start fine about 7 out of 8 times. Was really troublesome to duplicate, so I made a habit for a couple of weeks of parking the car at the Cadillac dealer every night until it could be reproduced. Finally caught it one morning and they said the starter was binding up. Had it replaced and that took care of this bug.
 
swagled said:
It does not crank at all? And there are no codes thrown?

How many miles, and are you driving on the original starter?

I experienced an intermittent failure about six months ago. Seemed to start fine about 7 out of 8 times. Was really troublesome to duplicate, so I made a habit for a couple of weeks of parking the car at the Cadillac dealer every night until it could be reproduced. Finally caught it one morning and they said the starter was binding up. Had it replaced and that took care of this bug.
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i bought the car in November and it has 169k miles on it now assuming its the original starter. and the only code it is throwing is the P0442 code which is just a leak in the evap system and i have been running the car, with the code among other evap codes that i have been able to replace the parts to fix the codes, without any problems since i bought it. They guy i bought the car off of said he had just replaced the safety neutral switch but never gotten any proof of this, so that is 1 of my thoughts that it started and he was hoping by luck that it would start long enough for me to buy
 
just tried the pass-lock reset well heres open that's all it was but with a 12 year old starter who knows

Also to add to the situation it always seem to be hot when it happens, as in i would have just stopped turned off for 5 min or so then tried to start is wen it freezes
its possible to be starter cuz the code its throwing is causing the starter to crank longer then it should to build pressure back up in the gas tank
 
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Don't forget our regularly cited blame spots: The crank and cam sensors. If you replace the starter just go ahead and put a new crank sensor in, since it's right behind it.
 
swagled said:
Don't forget our regularly cited blame spots: The crank and cam sensors. If you replace the starter just go ahead and put a new crank sensor in, since it's right behind it.
Click to expand...


im selling the car around august so im just trying not to get stranded anywhere wen i gotta get somewhere
 
You can throw parts at it or you can diagnose it. You will need to put a voltmeter on the starter terminals to see if it is getting voltage when the condition occurs, how much amperage the starter is drawing, what the voltage drop is between the starter and battery, and what the battery voltage is while cranking.

I know it's basic, but are we correct in assuming you have removed the battery cable ends, peeled back the plastic covers, cleaned them and the battery terminals until shiny, and then retightened until there is no wiggle between the cable and battery? Mine will do this when I get lazy, and I just pop the hood and wiggle the cables and that will last me a few months.
 
krivasolds said:
You can throw parts at it or you can diagnose it. You will need to put a voltmeter on the starter terminals to see if it is getting voltage when the condition occurs, how much amperage the starter is drawing, what the voltage drop is between the starter and battery, and what the battery voltage is while cranking.

I know it's basic, but are we correct in assuming you have removed the battery cable ends, peeled back the plastic covers, cleaned them and the battery terminals until shiny, and then retightened until there is no wiggle between the cable and battery? Mine will do this when I get lazy, and I just pop the hood and wiggle the cables and that will last me a few months.
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The problem never happens wen im at home so multimeter is hard to do, i didnt think bout the cables cuz i did all the work on them a couple months ago wen i got the car, but they are tight, shiny
 
How about the other end of the cables? You said the starter was replaced. Is the positive cable attached properly, with a clean connection? There is also a chassis ground near the starter if memory serves, is it good and tight?

Can you hear the starter solenoid clicking when you turn the key to the START position? If its not turning over, but that solenoid is clicking, it usually means that the starting circuit is working properly, and that power is making it all the way to the starter but there is a voltage/current issue.

If your just getting silence and no action when you turn the key, its likely an ignition switch related issue. They are known for being problematic, you can limp along the factory one for a while, but youll most likely have to replace it eventually. Its a fairly cheap part, and easy to replace with the resources here and elsewhere.
 
LittleHoov said:
How about the other end of the cables? You said the starter was replaced. Is the positive cable attached properly, with a clean connection? There is also a chassis ground near the starter if memory serves, is it good and tight?

Can you hear the starter solenoid clicking when you turn the key to the START position? If its not turning over, but that solenoid is clicking, it usually means that the starting circuit is working properly, and that power is making it all the way to the starter but there is a voltage/current issue.

If your just getting silence and no action when you turn the key, its likely an ignition switch related issue. They are known for being problematic, you can limp along the factory one for a while, but youll most likely have to replace it eventually. Its a fairly cheap part, and easy to replace with the resources here and elsewhere.
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it is not turning over at all wen it happens, no i did not say the starter was replaced and it could be the ignition cuz i can pull the key out any point whether the car is on or not
 
Im sorry, I misread someone elses post and thought you said you had the starter replaced.

At any rate:
it could be the ignition cuz i can pull the key out any point whether the car is on or not
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I would say you most likely just answered your own question.

But this almost sounds like your key cylinder is fubar instead of the switch itself...you can buy a new key cylinder as well, but its more expensive of course, plus I think you will need a new key.

You might as well replace the ignition switch as a start, then come back to the key cylinder if youre still having problems after that.

I know you said you plan on selling the car, but lets face it, the resale value on Intrigues is pretty poor, especially when they dont start reliably :)
 
LittleHoov said:
Im sorry, I misread someone elses post and thought you said you had the starter replaced.

At any rate:


I would say you most likely just answered your own question.

But this almost sounds like your key cylinder is fubar instead of the switch itself...you can buy a new key cylinder as well, but its more expensive of course, plus I think you will need a new key.

You might as well replace the ignition switch as a start, then come back to the key cylinder if youre still having problems after that.

I know you said you plan on selling the car, but lets face it, the resale value on Intrigues is pretty poor, especially when they dont start reliably :)
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owell im not to big of a car person and wen it gets 29mpg and has alot of room itll sell pretty easily specially wen i run the codes for them on the spot only look for about 1600 out of it anyway
 
well happened to me today again in the morning wasn't able to test anything as i was rushed to get to school. probably just replacing the ignition cylinder once i get my first full time pay, if it permanently fixes the problem I'm about to just keep it and buy a nicer car and save this for winter
 
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Is the SECURITY light flashing when youre having these problems?

If its a Security issue, and you plan on keeping the car, its very easy to just disable the Security system, and never have such troubles again.

It leaves you with a permanent Security light, but your car will start, totally worth it to me, disabled mine long ago. I know its somewhat "ghetto" but its also free.

Now if youre just talking about replacing the switch then Id say try it first. But if youre replacing the key cylinder, youll have multiple keys, your ignition key wont open your doors, etc, etc.

But if its an issue with the Security system, you should have a light on, and typically it flashes. But as already mentioned, it could be a problem with the switch itself.
 
LittleHoov said:
Is the SECURITY light flashing when youre having these problems?

If its a Security issue, and you plan on keeping the car, its very easy to just disable the Security system, and never have such troubles again.

It leaves you with a permanent Security light, but your car will start, totally worth it to me, disabled mine long ago. I know its somewhat "ghetto" but its also free.

Now if youre just talking about replacing the switch then Id say try it first. But if youre replacing the key cylinder, youll have multiple keys, your ignition key wont open your doors, etc, etc.

But if its an issue with the Security system, you should have a light on, and typically it flashes. But as already mentioned, it could be a problem with the switch itself.
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How did u disable the security system i do believe its on but it started coming on when i bought an ultra-gauge so i know its a coincidence because it continues to happen after i pulled it out. and i don't care if it is ghetto that's how most the car already is
 
If by "free" disabling you mean the "cutting the wire" trick, I thought I'd read elsewhere that when you change your battery the car will forget your key.

Passlock or "VATS" failures are not too unusual as the security system ages. There is a bypass module that's fairly inexpensive from www.fixpasslock.com but I have not resorted to this. My car has needed a security re-learn a few times but it's not been annoying enough for me to try to disable.
 
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Yes the "cutting the wire" trick haha.

I heard that as well, but in my particular instance, its been untrue.

I have changed out the battery completely once, granted the system was without power only for a few minutes.

But on the flipside, I have had the battery disconnected, usually either the positive terminal or both for a number of hours before and never had any problems. My battery was disconnected overnight and then some while I replaced the front motor mount and it started right up with no problems afterward.


Im sure the bypass module would work, and some people suggest wiring in a resistor of an appropriate range and then doing the relearn.

For me, I did maybe a bonehead thing and turned my car off while waiting for what seemed like the longest train in the world to pass one day. Then when I went to restart the car it wouldnt start, leaving me dead in the water in the middle of a busy road. My car, as well as a good samaritan who was helping me push it out of the road were nearly rear ended....it was dangerous, it pissed me off, and as soon as I got home that day I tore into it, clipped the yellow wire with the engine running, and havent looked back since.

But I may just be incredibly lucky, and as they say, your mileage may very.

Some brief browsing shows a lot of people wiring in a switch on that wire, which would make it much easier to do a re-learn and start over if an extended disconnected battery did cause a problem. Rejoining the cut wire would have the same effect, but would require tearing the dash apart etc....mots people are running extra wire and installing the switch in an easy to reach location. If I was doing it again, I would probably take this approach.
 
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