Engine will not crank over?

I had the battery and starter tested at two different auto parts stores and they both test good. Battery was charged and load tested at both places. I checked the starter relay and it had burn marks on the plug tabs. Replaced that and still nothing.

My car will not start. Had the clutch replaced and then it was running rough when idling. Started it this morning and it kind of struggled to start but fired. Let it warm up and then shut it down to empty a jerry can out and now I am not getting anything out of. I can hear a relay clicking when I try to turn it over.

New starter and good lights and all electric but no starter spin. Checked battery and starter getting power. I have theft light blinks all time except when I switch ignition switch on it goes off. All electrical seems to be working.

The security light would go off when the key switch was on and then would blink when trying to start. Your security check list is what did it. I did the door key thing and it started right up and running great! Thank you very much!

Six months ago the car wouldn’t start, no crank at all when turning the key over but headlights, radio, etc, all worked great. I had the battery and the starter replaced, though the battery wasn’t that old. It worked for 5 months and then again would not turn over. The garage that replaced the starter put a new one in just in case it was faulty since it was under warranty. It ran of one day and then again no crank. I had a diagnostic on the ignition and electrical system. Showed a bad relay so I replaced it and for 2 days the car started and then no start or turn over. I replaced the battery again because the mechanic had had the car a week and the only thing that seemed to start it was a new battery.6 month old battery did have low CCA considering it was 6 months old but the CCA should have still started the car. Per the shop they have tested fuses, relays, connections, starter ground, alternator, battery, battery connections and wires, starter (including the solenoid), neutral safety switch, and voltage. Everything looks good. The shop I have it at said they were looking around and hit some unrelated sensor by accident and now it starts which we all agree is strange. The car seems to at it’s own whim work for a few days and then refuse to start for a week and then randomly start for a few days. When turning the key over the headlights dim very slightly. Any suggestions or help would be so appreciated. I have had to tow the car 4 times this month because of this issue and am getting desperate to find a solution.

Hi All,

Working on wife's 2003 Pontiac Vibe automatic. Been running the car all till and got home. Everything working perfectly. Come out the next day car won't start.

Upon entering key and turning to position ON lights come up, dashboard comes up, radio works and locks work, as expected. Turn to position ignition and car does not turn the motor over.

I do hear a rear fuel pump noise in the rear pressuring the fuel system which is normal in ignition position.

A friend recommended moving the shifter from Park to D and then to Park. We did that is the car started up fine. Thinking we had it slightly out of park figured it was our fault. Ran it all day including several stops not a single problem.

The next day exact same problem. I have verified the shifter is in Park and have tried the trick many times without getting a turn over. Also when turning key to ignition and place shifter in Park I do hear relays click as if the Park sensor is possibly working.

Any ideas?

Yes they all light up bright and like normal. Yes I do have a multimeter.

I used a multimeter to check the two leads on the solenoid.

When the key is in the ON position I read 12V with my multimeter on the contacts. When the key is in the Start/Ignition my multimeter reads 0V. I assume voltage is running through the solenoid/motor rather than my multimeter. Currently thinking the starter is bad.

Also I did not find the purple wire you mention. I do find a black wire on the solenoid that looks like a sending unit or maybe part of a relay circuit.

Last evening I lost all power to start my car though everything else worked; lights. Everything. This morning it started 3 times, but on the fourth try it failed to start. The battery is fully charged so I don't think it is the battery. Could it be an ignition problem? We turned the steering wheel several times, but there was still no power to the battery.

No problem, when the car is in start/ignition position the black wire has 12V on it. Also when the car is in ignition position the motor side of the solenoid has 12V on it too but no start/turn over.

I went ahead and took the starter off and had it tested at AutoZone out of curiosity. The starter checked out fine.

The car does have a factory antitheft. When the car is locked up the security LED is solid red. Upon unlocking the LED turns off. During ignition the LED remains off.

Also I want to clarify something you asked earlier and I replied to.

Q:when you turn the key to the start position are the dash lights still all bright?

A: I was looking at it carefully. When the key is in the on position the dashboard and radio turn on. When the key is set in the ignition position the dashboard goes black except for the low fuel light (which we know about). Wonder if this helps you any.

Also checked ground by doing a continuity check on the starter base and the negative side of the battery. After scraping some dust/grime of the starter I did get a solid continuity so I don't think ground is an issue.