My 2003 pontiac sunfire wont start...
Asked by Jjbrodala Sep 17, 2015 at 04:19 PM about the 2003 Pontiac Sunfire Base
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
I put in a brand new alternator,
battery, and starter. When I try and
turn the key to crank it over, I can hear
the solenoid in the starter activate, but
the starter doesnt crank the flywheel
at all... All my dash guages are
messed up so I know the dash cluster
is bad (dont know if that has
something to do with it). My car is a
stick and when I push start it, it turns
right over. I cant figure it out. Anyone
have an idea as to why it wont start?
4 Answers
I would think starter relay,if you here the starter clicking,but could be the ignition switch is bad,if you have replaced the starter you may need to drop it back out and check it to make sure it is good, some autoparts store,s starters are bad from the start.
If the starter is tested to be good,check the igintion switch.
How do I check if the ignition switch is bad? The igniton has power becauss everything powers up... The starter basically just wont crank
My suggestion is a bit of a long shot. Pull each of your spark plugs and smell for gasoline and/or coolant. If you have a failed injector it could dump a lot of fuel into a cylinder. A blown head gasket could fill a cylinder with coolant. Either of these can, in certain situations, "lock up" the engine because during the compression stroke both valves are closed. I had a blown head gasket in a Volvo once that would not allow the engine to turn over. I pulled the spark plug and bumped the starter which cleared the cylinder. I then replaced the spark plug and I was able to start the car. It ran poorly but I drove the car 2 miles to my mechanic.