good day, gents and ladies.



i have a bonneville se, 1998
and occassionally the car does not want to start up; however, when it does start, it will run and drive where ever you may wish to go.

there are roughly 175,000 miles on the vehicle and no problems other than recent screetch indicating that i need to change my shocks or suspension...

PROBLEM: Most times, the car cranks and starts normally -- beautifully. Then one day, or in the middle of the day, you get in and turn the key, and there is nothing; it sits as if you did not put in and turn the key at all.

***the first time it happened, the care seemed NOT to turn on for days. -- Pepboys said it was the starter, replaced it, and i took it home. few weeks later it happens on and off (more frequent, but less severely -- it seems).

***When it is in this dilema, the check gages prompt is on, and the engine light is on.
when the car starts normally, the engine light/gage is not on.

this happens in warm and cold weather alike. maybe moreso in colder weather.

i also, after replacing the starter, got a new battery, which i had tested, and placed in...

the key is old, as the car is old, and i will try and get a new one asap... but are there any other reasons a car would behave in this mannor?

altenator?
spark plugs?
certain wires/contacts/fuses?
related to this forum: lock cyllinders? (pls explain) &/or key resistance (VATs system)?
maybe the engine? should i have an engine diagnostic ran?
injectors?
computer?
crank system sensor?
water pump?


i recently had oils and things changed, done, checked.
and to my knowledge, as i check, the car never seems or overheat... coolant is in it... i hope it is...
***someone told me the coolant is the anti-freeze... could my engine be frozen????

so i guess, i just want to know a off the top of everyone'* heads (or even a little research if you're willing),
what would cause a car not to click, crank and turnover... absolutely nothing... but inconsistantly -- other times it works perfectly.


i am still in college, so i am trying to get right to the root of the problem so that i can fix it, meanwhile still afford to eat ~

thanks in advance...

Clean both ends of both battery cables. This is a fairly common problem. Even got me twice.

got me twice as well.
Dan fixed the last one.....

okay.
i'm going to try that this weekend, and report my results...
i'm not even in the same state as the car right now

thanks for the advice

no.
the battery cables were good;
checked to see if they were dirty or loose... no avail.
but, thanks!

any suggestions?

Ok, so you have no click when you turn the key. Do the lights dim? Could be a bad starter. Can you get it in to be tested?

Mine has done the same thing as yours it is still dead I was hoping it would start. I have to get rid of it now.

I loved the car until this!

Did you actually peel the covers back on the cable ends? The corrosion happens a lot under the protective boots.

I had the same exact problem with my 97 SE. Here is what I had to do to get mine started. 1. Clean the Passkey properly. 2. Make sure that the battery cables are clean and free of corrosion. 3. The main battery cable to the starter sometimes comes loose. Be sure that the cable is secured to the starter tightly. (Be careful, copper and brass do not respond well to alot of torque. So, be careful!.) 4. have the battery checked, that may be most of the problem. When the battery shot craps on me in my car, lights would come on like normal, but there would be no reaction from the starter or relays. That should take care of your problem.

no. but I will try and see if I can get over and check that today.


nope! the lights do not dim at all... not even when I throw the high beams on... Not the starter; I got that replaced in December, and had it tested about a week ago to make sure... because that'* what they tried to say it was the first time...
uhm... I thought that i used to NOT have any click when turning the key, but today I heard a click while turning the key... coming from the front-right area of the car--from a component right in back of the glove box it seems...


...I asked someone who knows a little more than I do, and they said the key looks pretty good, and that if the sensor on it was not correct, I would get some kind of lock/error message on the dash... they think it'* the battery (even though i tried getting a jump 1 or 2 times before), so
I'm making sure that my NEW battery is good and fully charged... if it'* good, but not charged... that would mean the problem source is my alternator?

thanks...
I will try and see if i can, or if someone more experienced can check under the boots of the cable wires and see if they're in good condition... but, if there are any other suggestions?