hi my problem is that after i drive my car and turn the ignition off it will not always start again sometimes it takes it 10 minutes sometimes20. it will not even turn over it just shuts down. someone told me it might be my anti theft system and that i will have to have a new ignition and key. can anyone help me on this

thank you dslater55

I once had a car that when hot, would not restart. Bad starter. Cool it down and it would fire right up.

Do you have a security light coming on at all?

no lights come on. but you can start it from under the car with a jump. the radio and lights and everything work just will not start or even make a noise while trying to turn over
:?

The next easy thing to check would be your gear selector switch. See if it will start in neutral or by going into gear and then back to park.

Do you have any aftermarket accessories such as an alarm?

Agree with all of the above.

1) The factory anti-theft system will not shut down your car for any reason after it'* started, even if, for example, contact with the resistor pellet in the ignition key is lost (e.g. dirty contacts). The worst that will happen in that case is that the Security light will come on, and even that won't happen unless contact is lost for a full 60 seconds.

2) If the starter won't crank due to a bad/dirty/incorrect ignition key, you'll see a Security light on your dash. The light will stay on even after you remove the key, for three minutes. If this is not occurring, I don't think you have a security system issue.

3) If you can get it to crank under the hood (I assume you are hotwiring the solenoid...?), maybe your gearshift selector is out of position. Can you get it to start in Neutral?

3) If the starter won't crank over after the engine is warm unless you let it sit for 10-20 minutes or more, the problem may be heat soak on the starter: it gets hot from the engine, and its innards seize up temporarily until it'* cooled down again. In this case, either you're running excessively hot, or the starter is on the way out, or both.

thank you for your input. i picked my car up from the shop after having the ac fixed it started fine until i got home and tried to start it later. then it would not turn over or make any sound.

i will try and start it in neutral,

no lights come on at any time on the dash

i will be able to start it when i go to do it now because i have not started it today, but after i turn the ignition off chances or it will not start.

it has only died once while driving it and that was after turning into the drive, it quit and i could not start it again for 10 minutes.

sorry if i repeat myself alot im a woman and sometimes tend to do that

That'* an interesting detail: are you saying that it acts as if you haven't even turned on the ignition? You turn the key to the On position and you see no warning lights coming on, gauges responding, etc?

If that'* the case, I suspect your ignition switch (not the part where you stick the key in, but the electrical switch that'* operated by it, lower down on the steering column behind the dash) may have a problem.

ok how do you replace the ignition switch along with a new key :?: .

had a shop look at it and that is what they want to do'

the parts are around 60 dollars but the labor is 160.oo

it has and airbag onthe stering wheel

and annn anti theft built in somewhere they said in the ignation and the chip in the key

when you turn the key to on you have power to everything but it will not turn over or make a sound as if the car is dead. battery is fine cables fine, does not make the sound that a starter makes when it is going out.

it started fine today and restarted several times afterward. but i did not drive it very far so did not have time to get very hot. car is running around 210 that is what the book says that it is suppose to run.

ok we drove the car today it started ok we got about 30 ;miles away and it dies. we jump start in by the going under the car . we get about 8 miles down the road in nowhere land and it kicks a few times and dies going 70 miles an hour . it will not start again and when the starter is engaged it will not fire as if it is not getting any fuel but it is becasue the fuel pump is working and you can smell gas. would the ignation shut it all off like that.

Sorry for this delay in answering; was on vacation up in the north woods of Wisconsin... (Eagle River... )

Okay, if the engine quits at 70 mph, it sounds like something is killing your ignition. You say that the engine is running hot, and I'm wondering if your coil pack is failing in the heat.

It'* also interesting that you twist the key and nothing happens when the starter is supposed to crank. If that only happens when the engine is hot, it may be that your starter is suffering from heat soak: the overly-hot engine is getting the starter so hot that it'* seizing up temporarily and can't turn.

As for the ignition switch, the part that I was talking about is not the mechanical part where you put the key in (and which contains the anti-theft wiring, etc.); I mean the electrical portion of the ignition switch, which is a separate module further down the steering column. If that decides to break, it'll kill your ignition just as if you turned the key to Off.

Note that if, after the engine has started, the Security system decides that it doesn't recognize your key anymore, it will not kill the engine, so that 70 mph stall you were talking about was not something being deliberately done by your Security system.

So in general, I think you should ask your mechanic to check out your ignition system, especially the components that are susceptible to heat. Getting your cooling system working a little better, to lower your running temperature to where it should be, will help you as well.