Hey everyone, time and time again I have posted regarding my car not starting. I own a 1984 4cylinder Fiero. Now, I bet most of u are thinking this will be a no brainer replace this or replace that scenereo(sp?). Well, first let me list off everything that I have done so we can eliminate the needless information.
Car won't start-so what do I do? I replace: Starter Battery Battery wires+ends Fusible Links Clutch switch+wires
Now, this is the recent events. I will be driving my car and I will park it and turn it off. Now most of the time she will fire up no problem but...sometimes and only sometimes she will either not turn all together or she will turn and if I don't hold it long enough she will stop and then when I go to turn her again...nothing...not even a click. I have checked over most of the "Common" grounds such as the battery negitive wire(there's alittle wire coming off of it going to the frame), then the engine to frame ground. Both of these are fine. All the connections on the starter and all of the connections on the battery are fine. I talked with my dad for a bit today and he is alittle suspisious of my aftermarket ignition system. I have the accel super coil. Would this coil make my car not start only after it turns over but stops? I'm not sure if I"m describing everything right so if anybody needs any clarification or any more questions about what is happening please just ask and I'll be happy to give u as much info as possible.
A couple other things about the starting that might help you pinpoint this down are:
once and a while I will turn the key and all I hear is a click so I turn it back and turn it again and then she fires fine.
One other thing that "occationly" happens is when I'm starting it the tack and guages will jump all over the place but after a while(with alittle gas) she'll start fine.
I hope some of this info has helped and if anyone has any different idea's I would love to hear them!
Thx so much!
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01:21 AM
PFF
System Bot
Oreif Member
Posts: 16460 From: Schaumburg, IL Registered: Jan 2000
Sounds like it could be the ignition switch itself. Next time it doesn't start, try getting some TV tuner cleaner or electrical contact cleaner and spray it inside the ignition switch where you put the key. If it works, the contacts in the switch are dirty/worn.
------------------ Happiness isn't around the corner... Happiness IS the corner.
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01:50 AM
yellowfieroarri Member
Posts: 619 From: Sorø, Denmark Registered: Mar 2002
after you can't get it to turn over, hook a starter switch to your starter and see if it cranks the engine, if it does, then you have something in your electrical system (probably ignition switch. There's no way in my mind that the accel coil would cause this, no matter what it should crank over. The other think to look for, is the starter shimmed? Does the starter grind on the flywheel at all when trying to start, or does the starter stil go a little after you start it?
You also mentioned that it does this after it has been run for a little while. This would mean to me that you have something heating up that shouldn't (maybe a wire short). I would start with the ignition tumbler, test it and make sure you have the proper voltage out of it. You may end up having to test all the voltage on the ignition wires to see which one is not putting out.
Thx so much for replying Oreif and yellowfieroarri. I really appreciate it! Ok I understand everything that u said Oreif and I will do that next time it happens. But yellow, sorry just a couple terms I don't understand. When u said hook a starter switch to my starter...what is a starter switch? And to answer your question, no my starter is not shimmed and no it doesen't seem to grind at all, just a solid "click!" as if the armerature(think thats what it is) is moving out and hiting the flywheel. But I put my starter in myself and I know its aligned nicly and torqued perfectly. And last, what is an ignition tumbler?
Thx so much again guys, hopefully with your help I can get this problem solved!
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02:09 AM
MaxDaemon Member
Posts: 933 From: East Wenatchee, WA Registered: Feb 2002
I had a dead spot in one of my starters. It would just simply fail to spin every now and then. I'd hit it with a 2X4 and it would work fine. Yes - I did replace it sooner or later...
Vic
------------------
'86 GT on the road for the summer! '85 SC running smooooth. '86 Gold SE V8 - how do YOU spell power! '85 Silver SE V6 - automatic for the kid!
That's FOUR - I need a FIFTH! <of whiskey - sigh>
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03:55 AM
GTDude Member
Posts: 9056 From: Keysville, Virginia, USA Registered: Nov 2001
Sorry GREEN DUDE......LOL.......I'm gonna have to go against the others on this one. I'm pretty sure you have a bad starter. Sounds to me like you have a bad solenoid (starter switch) and a bad place on the armature. If you haven't replaced the starter.....do it....seen it too many times on this engine.
Phil
------------------ GTDude 25 years GM experience
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08:28 AM
cowans Member
Posts: 630 From: Gloucester, Ontario Canada Registered: Aug 2000
"once and a while I will turn the key and all I hear is a click so I turn it back and turn it again and then she fires fine."
I, too, initially thought of the key-switch, but, with the above quote I believe you have a poor Grd or Pos connection to your Starter. Try using some booster cables and hook them up between your Battery and Starter. Just hook the Grd wire up 1st from Batt neg to good steel on starter. If there's no improvement, then try Pos Batt to Pos Connecter on starter. If no improvement, then I'd go with GTDude's suggestion on a bad starter solenoid. Sandy
[This message has been edited by cowans (edited 06-14-2002).]
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08:32 AM
poorboy86 Member
Posts: 117 From: Detroit, Michigan, USA Registered: May 2002
When it doesn't start, jump a wire from the starter solenoid (small wire)to the appropriate side of the battery (positive I think) and see if you get the starter to work. If starter works, ignition switch wiring/contacts is/are bad somewhere. If nothing at all, bad solenoid. If clicks hard into flywheel but no turning, maybe add shims. Still just clicking with shims? Then jump starter motor to battery positive. If motor spins, then solenoid is bad.
This sounds exactly like a problem I had and it turned out to be the solenoid. I went through multiple solenoids for a while. The wire inside the solenoid kept breaking off the terminal. Perhaps these were cheap aftermarket solenoids. Get an AC-Delco one.
Note: Put car in neutral with parking brake on so as not to run yourself over! Since you will be bypassing all the safety switches!
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08:50 AM
johnt671 Member
Posts: 2271 From: sugarloaf pa usa Registered: Feb 2001
I once had a problem like this with my 84. Tried everything. Gave up and put it in the shop. After a week at the shop they pulled the tach wire at the coil, and the car started right up. They offered to find the problem with the tach but as the bill was over $300 at that point. I put an aftermarket tach in and had no further problems.
Thx so much for all your reply's guys! haha anyways..gt dude...I have replaced my starter 3 times now..most recent time was about a month ago...I highly doubht it is the starter or solenoid...but I might be wrong. She has been working really good today except for the occational click but then she fires. I bought a thing of that conductive electric stuff and I"m just waiting for her not to fire so we'll see.
So far Oreif has the best idea. However you didn't say if you have an automatic transmission or not. If so when it does't start try running through the "gears" and try starting it again. There is a safty switch so the car will not start in "gear" and cause an accedent. The next question. Does this happen only after the car was driven and sits for a few minutes, sometimes up to an hour amd then doesn't start? Inthat case you suffer from heat soak. The solinoid grows(expands) to the point that it will not move because it is stuck in place. Too hot. When the solinoid cools the car starts. I had that problem with my '84 SE but only needed th=o change the starter once. It is not uncommon to get a rebuildt starter that isn't "fixed" for all situations. Good luck and let us know ehat fixes your problem.
------------------ Peace and Happiness Frank and his fotoflash, an '84 SE http://home.att.net/~fotofrank/index.html Member NIFE
fotofrank...I have a manual transmition. And sometimes yes but sometimes no...i can just be turning the key on-start the car..then turn it off and stop the car...wait for few seconds go again and so on and once and a while it will start like 3 times then not on the forth...or sometimes it will just keep going...I just replaced my battery and we were testign it just like that and it seemed to do alot better then before...but then it happened again...I think I am going to replace the ignition switch(tumbler switch)...now I went into my hanes manual and it calls it a "Key Lock Cylinder". Is this the ignition switch? if so the removel and installation seem pritty basic...any thoughts or extra advice? and if this isn't than, where and how do I replace the ignition switch? Thx! HOpefully this will solve it. If not then we'll go back to the starter and see if its alright...if still no go we'll keep looking...I"m really determined now..
Forgot to mention something important!!! Sorry guys...one more thing..I can boost my car no problem. Hook the cables up and leave it for like 2 seconds and turn the key. She'll fire the first time...sorry I forgot to mention that...any more idea's with this new information?
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10:21 PM
Jun 26th, 2002
Indiana_resto_guy Member
Posts: 7158 From: Shelbyville, IN USA Registered: Jul 2000
Trace the positive wire, the small one from the ignition switch which may be purple in color. Start at the starter and work back. Look for bad connectors at the starter on both wires, the one not purple(? on an 84?) is a fuse link that should feed the injector. I believe I said this before, I have an 87 coupe that was doing the exact same thing and it was a non-factory connection that had very heavy corrision in it which in turn made the connection loose as a goose. No starter, no click. Installed new starter 4 times before I sat down to think about it. Each time the starter was replaced the wires needed to be moved. Moved the wires and it made a good connection, for a while.
Check it out just for fun, it won't cost you a dime!
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12:35 AM
FieroV6Dude Member
Posts: 215 From: Fife Lake, MI USA Registered: May 2002
When you're boosting it, if you're connecting the negative cable to anywhere on other than the battery and it starts.... I'd be checking the neg battery cable and the ground strap to the engine from the frame. Make sure the connections are solid and not corroded.
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12:49 AM
FieroV6Dude Member
Posts: 215 From: Fife Lake, MI USA Registered: May 2002
Another thing, spraying cleaner in to your key lock won't do a thing, there is nothing electrical in it except the switch contacts for that annoying key buzzer that always works when nothing else does. The actual ignition switch is mounted about 10 inches down on top of the steering column and connected to the key lock by an actuator rod. If you have to get to it, it's easiest to drop the column. I'd check your ground cable connections first though.
[This message has been edited by FieroV6Dude (edited 06-26-2002).]
Alright guys, I think I'll go under and check the connections on the starter...I do have a bit of an oil leak...u never know maybe it losened um up a bit. Thx for the suggestion. I'm going on vacation tomrrow away camping and then going on a golf tour so I'll be away from the forum and my fiero for a couple weeks. So u might see this thread go away but as soon as I check those things out u'll see it at the top again...anyways tty guys later...
Hey guys...I have recently got a new job and I have had no time to work on my fiero. So I put it in the shop the other day and got it back yesterday...guess what the whole problem was...my past machanic replaced my clutch switch wire with a new one but he put a really small wire on and underguaged it. Therefore not being able to draw enough current to start the car. The shop I brought it to was pritty good about the whole thing but it cost me about 200 bux for them to do all the tests and what not but its all good now and I relised that I probably could have fixed it but dew to time I was unable. Anyways thx so much again for everyone's input, much appreciated!
