2003 No Start Mystery

Discussion in 'General Motoring' started by bstitt, Jan 8, 2004.

  1. bstitt

    bstitt Guest

    I have a 2003 Ion that I've had since last March. All was well with the car
    up until the first cold spell here in the northeast, around the end of
    October. The problem is this: When I attempt to start the vehicle in the
    morning, it will not start. No clicking, nothing. I do have full battery
    usage. Upon taking it in the 1st time, I was told that there was a bad cell
    in the battery, and that they replaced the battery. Now comes the best
    part...if I wait a few hours, the car starts right up! And having the car
    towed to the dealership, they are unable to replicate the "No Starting"
    problem. I get it back from them, and lo & behold, a few weeks later that
    same thing happens. The last time, in late December, the said that the main
    ground wire was a wee bit loose, and they tightened it, along with
    performing the two recalls. And all was well until this morning (Jan 8)
    when the car threw me a curveball...it started in my driveway (morning temp
    was approx 16 degrees) and drove it about 5 miles to fill up the 1/4 tank,
    and upon attempting to start after gassing up, no start!
    I'm desparate here. And I'm sure the dealership is as well. Since they are
    unable to replicate it, they don't see it as a problem. I have a 7.5 month
    pregnant wife & a job of which I need reliable transportation. I really
    like the ION, as it serves it's purpose for what I need, but, I need it to
    start!
    Any suggestions or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
     
    bstitt, Jan 8, 2004
    #1
  2. bstitt

    Kevin T Guest

    I'd have them check the crankcase position sensor.
     
    Kevin T, Jan 8, 2004
    #2
  3. bstitt

    Skid Guest

    Is it an automatic? If so, may it's not quite in park, and the switch isn't
    engaged. Try shifting to neutral and then start, the next time it happens.
     
    Skid, Jan 8, 2004
    #3
  4. bstitt

    BANDIT2941 Guest

    I'd have them check the crankcase position sensor.

    If it was the crank sensor the car would at least turn over. He says it doesn't
    even click.

    Sounds like something maybe in the neutral safety switch circuit ?
     
    BANDIT2941, Jan 9, 2004
    #4
  5. bstitt

    Zaf Guest


    Back in the late 80's a had a Toyota Corolla that had similar type of
    problem. Had about 5 tows and $1500 of repairs done by the dealer;
    battery, alternator, starter you named it, they replaced it at least
    once (none of which is actually the problem). I started to carry the
    schematic and a voltmeter in the car and sure enough, next time it
    happened I found a intermittant connection on a connector (starter
    relay). The odds of a mechanic ever finding this were (pretty much)
    ZERO!
     
    Zaf, Jan 9, 2004
    #5
  6. bstitt

    no email Guest

    I have similar problem. Battery, starter, park/neutral switch are all good.
    Luckily I have remote starter so I tried and it work. Later I found out
    that my ignition switch was defective. So if you have a remote starter, try
    it next time.
     
    no email, Jan 11, 2004
    #6
  7. bstitt

    bstitt Guest

    Thanks for all the responses! After it was towed into the dealership, lo &
    behold, the car would not start for them. Turned out to be a bad "ignition
    module" in the steering column. And the tech found two error codes. They
    replaced the module, then "relearned" the security codes, and all seems
    well. We'll see if it stays well for several weeks!
     
    bstitt, Jan 11, 2004
    #7
  8. bstitt

    clutch Guest

    I hope it works out for you. You might want to network with some
    neighboors, find out number of taxi service, ect to have a back up
    plan if something goes wrong when she tells you it is time to go to
    the hospital.

    You might not be home, car could have a flat, yada yada. We tend to
    expect our autos to work every time we want to use them and plan that
    way.

    Wes
     
    clutch, Jan 11, 2004
    #8
  9. bstitt

    Woobie Guest

    I didn't read all the posts but my SC1 has a habit of vibrating the
    positive cable loose. Once it does that, the heat expansion and contraction
    will short my car and it won't start. It sounded like your problem. I went
    and checked the battery cables and, sure enough, the cable was loose. A good
    tightening and it was fixed.
    Joe
     
    Woobie, Jan 19, 2004
    #9
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