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2000 Pontiac Sunfire will not start

Tiny
DAYLEH
  • MEMBER
  • 2000 PONTIAC SUNFIRE
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 101,000 MILES
I got in my sunfire this morning to go to work and it wouldn't start. When I turned the key nothing happens. The dome lights work, the headlights work and the dash lights work when the headlights are on. When I turn the key nothing happens the radio doesn't come on, and none of the warning lights come on on the dash. I checked all the fuses. I have taken the steering column apart and pulled the wires from the ingition switch, I have power at the wires and when I turn the switch I have power at the prongs on the bottom of the switch. I am not sure what else to try. I hate when something just happens all of the sudden, sometimes it makes it hard to figure out what is wrong. Any help would be great.

thanks
dayleh
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Thursday, October 15th, 2009 AT 12:59 PM

12 Replies

Tiny
RASMATAZ
  • MECHANIC
  • 75,992 POSTS
Load test the battery and double check its connections if okay -your possibilities here could be the starter, park and neutral switch and ignition switch
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Thursday, October 15th, 2009 AT 4:00 PM
Tiny
DAYLEH
  • MEMBER
  • 8 POSTS
Is there a way to load test the battery if you can't get it started? Also I ran a jumper wire to the starter and it turned over several times.

On the switch there is four wires on the top plug, I believe they are two reds and a brown and a thin green one, are they all suppose to have power? I am reading 12 volts on three of the four.
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Thursday, October 15th, 2009 AT 7:04 PM
Tiny
RASMATAZ
  • MECHANIC
  • 75,992 POSTS
I got 2 reds and 1 yellow-okay do this find the P/N switch on top of the transaxle remove connector-hold key at start position check for power on the yellow-let me know if you have it or not
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Friday, October 16th, 2009 AT 12:13 AM
Tiny
DAYLEH
  • MEMBER
  • 8 POSTS
Ok I tested the yellow wire at the p/n switch connector with the key on and got 0.78 volts.
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Saturday, October 17th, 2009 AT 10:05 AM
Tiny
RASMATAZ
  • MECHANIC
  • 75,992 POSTS
That's not enough to activate the starter solenoid-test the ignition switch
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Saturday, October 17th, 2009 AT 10:40 AM
Tiny
DAYLEH
  • MEMBER
  • 8 POSTS
I tested the yellow wire at the switch and got 0.95 volts. I pulled the plug and tested the pin the yellow wire connects to and got 12 volts. Also when I unpluged the connection from the ignition switch I didn't notice I still had the key in the on position and the radio came on. When I plugged the connector back in the radio went out.
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Saturday, October 17th, 2009 AT 11:05 AM
Tiny
RASMATAZ
  • MECHANIC
  • 75,992 POSTS
Whick key position are you checking this yellow wire On or Crank position-You suppose to be checking it while in cranking/starting position
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Saturday, October 17th, 2009 AT 11:09 AM
Tiny
DAYLEH
  • MEMBER
  • 8 POSTS
I am checking it at the cranking position.
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Saturday, October 17th, 2009 AT 11:12 AM
Tiny
DAYLEH
  • MEMBER
  • 8 POSTS
I am trying to test the individual wires in this ignition switch plug. I grounded the black wire and made a jumper wire that I could plug into the individual pins in the plug in. I tested the yellow wire and got 11.5 volts. The pink wire was.78 and the orange wire I got 0 volts. I am not sure where the pink and the orange wires go.
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Sunday, October 18th, 2009 AT 2:20 PM
Tiny
RASMATAZ
  • MECHANIC
  • 75,992 POSTS
There's no ground wire on the ignition switch oneof the of them should only have battery input power and the rest has power depends on the position of the ignition switch-Replace the ignition switch
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Sunday, October 18th, 2009 AT 4:24 PM
Tiny
DAYLEH
  • MEMBER
  • 8 POSTS
I tested the conductivity between the 4 wires and grounded metal on the steering column with the wires unpluged from the ignition switch. This is what I got:

Yellow -.0L (no change from not touching anything.)
Orange -.002 (after cycling through several numbers)
Pink - 1.640 (after cycling through several numbers)
Black -.001 (after cycling though several numbers)
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Monday, October 19th, 2009 AT 8:19 PM
Tiny
DAYLEH
  • MEMBER
  • 8 POSTS
I am still not sure what the problem was but I was tracing the wires that come off the ignition switch and totally dismanteled the dash to trace the small black wire to the instument gauge cluster, disconnected the instrument guages, tried to turn the key to check for voltage and the car started. I turned the key off and plugged in the instrument gauges and tried to restart the car and it started. I replaced the dash and tried again and it started. I finished replacing everything I took off at it started fine. I only thing I noticed was a light out in the instrument cluster. I took the car for a drive and while I was driving the light in the instrument cluster came back on. As of right now everything seems to be working fine. Thanks for all your help.
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Tuesday, October 20th, 2009 AT 7:22 PM

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