Hey guys!

Was working on replacing the radiator on my 2000 Impala.
Made a dumb move.
Its a tight fit to remove the radiator from its position and out of the underhood housing. As I was attempting to move it out, the radiator cap clipped the positive lead of the vehicles battery. It sparked, and actually the radiator cap welded itself to a metal part of the underhood with the other end of the cap still on the positive lead of the battery.
I managed to unhook the radiator cap from the battery post after about a minute.
My thinking was that surely the main fuse must have blown as the starter would'nt turn over.
I checked all the main fuses and the starter relay. Even switched another like relay to the starter slot on the underhood junction box.
Still no start. No click, no start!

Let me add that the short at the battery did cause the solenoid at the starter to fry.
I took the starter out and bench tested it. It spun but the cog that engages the flywheel did'nt come out to engage, so I bought a new starter and have it allready installed.

Here'* the lowdown. The purple solenoid wire that should carry 12 volts when you turn the key to start, is'nt reading any voltage when turning the key.

All the fuses and relays test fine.
There'* a crank fuse inside the car in the fusebox, that is showing 12 volts when I turn the key to start.

What am I missing here?
Why no voltage in the solenoid wire at the starter???

What must have happened during the short circuit at the positive battery post to cause voltage not reaching the purple solenoid wire now?

Btw, if I apply 12 volts manually to the solenoid at the starter, the engine will start right up and die after 2 or 3 seconds.

HELP!!!

check maxie fuses

All fuses test fine at both fuse boxes inside the car and under the hood.

look for burned fusable link, probly by starter

The fusible links are at the starter wires that come from the battery.
Those two thick wires that attach to the starter that have fusible links both test 12 volts.

Only the the solenoid wire is'nt reaching 12 volts when I turn the key.

The solenoid wire does not have a fusible link attached!

try this

Will look into it later tonight!

I do have an update though. The Impala is not mine, its my dad'*.
Anyways, he just told me that he has to press on the accelerator a few seconds when he starts it in order to keep it from stalling.

I just tried applying 12 volts manually to the starter solenoid with the key turned to on, and wih a little accelaration by hand at the throttle linkage, the engine did'nt stall.

So actually the engine will stay on if I apply 12 volts manually to the starter.

All I have to figure out now is why the purple solenoid wire is'nt carrying 12 volts when I turn the key.
Worst comes to worst, I'll have to install a button switch inside the car and route a wire to the starter solenoid carrying 12 volts in order to start it.

Thanks Ryan, I'll definitely keep updating!

I wonder if you might have to do a security re-learn. Considering you shorted the battery, that removed all power from the PCM and BCM. The BCM tells the PCM if the correct key is used and depending on the vehicle type, will either disable the starter or the injectors.

I'm not sure what the procedure is, hopefully someone will chime in.

BTW, you might want to find a code scanner just to see if the PCM is storing a faulty PCM code or some mis-communication code between the PCM and BCM.

i dont think passkey has anything to do with the start circuit, it shuts down the injectors if the pcm thinks its being jumped (like you are doing). let me see if i can find a diagram of what is in the circuit. normally the purple wire will go through a couple safetys after the ign

they dont have one for 2000 but 01 should be the same i hope