Won't Start

[IndySilverC]

This may or may not be a related issue, but we recently overcame a problem we were having with our '99 Bonneville that would intermittently not start. Sometimes you insert key, turn, and car doesn't start / Security light comes on. After 2 months of dealer hot potato and an unnecessary starter replacement, we traced the problem to 2 wires in the ignition. These wires are connected to the leads that must make contact with the key's ID-chip to start. These wires get twisted every time you turn the key, and they eventually snap and provide a lovely random factor to whether your car will start or not, because sometimes they don't contact and the car thinks an unauthorized key is present. Security light goes on and disables the ignition for ~3 minutes. When the light goes out, you can try your luck again.

The wires were replaced and the car now starts every time.

I don't know how DC does it compared to GM, but for an intermittent start problem where it either doesn't start at all or it starts and shuts off after 2 seconds makes me suspect a security feature is being triggered. If you determine the key is fine, it may be fuse or wiring related.

[Jerk_Fitter]

Indy,
I'd suspect the security feature except that it will start if you give it some throttle. I had a GM with that security feature and it was tripped a few time because of the key having some grime on it.

[GMLind]

It's happening again...I posted over a year ago about the starting problem. It went away, don't know why. Now Dec 2005 my wife got stranded at Bunko and I had to go get her, by the time I got there she was able to start it up and drive home. Started up this morning just fine. I think I will go check the fuse seating, I'm in KC and it just got really cold here.

[Irwin]

Originally Posted by GMLind

It's happening again...I posted over a year ago about the starting problem. It went away, don't know why. Now Dec 2005 my wife got stranded at Bunko and I had to go get her, by the time I got there she was able to start it up and drive home. Started up this morning just fine. I think I will go check the fuse seating, I'm in KC and it just got really cold here.

I had the same problem for the first time at 9000 miles a week ago or so. I even mentioned it in a thread at that time. I merely removed the key opened the car door, closed the door, reinserted key and it started up and no problems afterwards.

[seattlemagnum]

If you don't turn the key all the way and hold until it fires it will make a funny knocking noise on the next try. Just hold the key a little longer.