2005 Pontiac Vibe 6 month old battery won't start when warm
Asked by jjflorida Aug 21, 2015 at 06:57 PM about the 2005 Pontiac Vibe Base
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
Battery is good, shows just under 550 cranking amps, started after allowing it to sit for about an hour. When it doesn't start, it doesn't try to turn over, I get nothing. Windows roll down, lights come on, but silence when I turn the key.
6 Answers
Turn your headlights on ... then raise the hood ... jiggle the Red (positive) connection and if the headlights flicker on then tun everything off ... disconnect and clean the + connection ... when it's good and clean put some Vaseline on the connection and tighten ... if it does it again go to where you got the battery and have them fix it for you because the connections will have to be cleaned by a mechanic ( They will probably not charge you)
Thanks for your time. I did that yesterday, the first day this happened. After cleaning terminal completely and spraying WD40 on it, cranked right up (this was after about an hour). Drove it home, drove it to work and back today, cranked fine (but it had sat for hours each time), Today after driving to the post office I tried to start and zero, nothing. Sat for an hour and it cranked right up. Weird.
No .. not weird ... heat has a bad effect on connections. You are probably not cleaning it enough or not tightening enough ,,, you have to tighten it really good ... HOWEVER .. there is always a chance the battery terminal has an internal problem ... or there is a loose connection somewhere else on one of the big wires ... Check the Black wire too because although it's not that common they come loose also .. ,,, take it back and the odds are the place you bought it will make good
Sounds like you may just have a bad starter. The next time it's hot and in your yard and not starting, have someone hold the key to the ON position. As they hold the key, rap on the starter with a hammer. If car suddenly turns over, your starter needs replacement. You can also try bending out the legs of your starter relay as well. Re-insert your relay so it will have a tighter fit. Have heard of them becoming loose.
Opps .. sorry ... I misread the part about lights and windows working ... Duh ,, next time I'll be sure to read
When I had this exact same problem with my 1978 Sunbird Safari, it turned out to be a bad starter solenoid. $16 later I was rolling. Also, I would check the timing, as this can be an issue with hot starts. I have been told that the ignition module can cause this as well. Good Luck. The module can supposedly be tested at a parts house.
