Hi,
I have a 2005 Pontiac Grand Am that won’t start. It was working fine. Then one day, it half started and stalled and won’t restart. It will crank over and there is fuel getting to the injectors. If I shoot in starter fluid, it will start for a second and die.
Any ideas???
Thanks,
Bill
If starter fluid will get it to fire for a second, then you are looking a fuel problem. I don’t know how you know that fuel is getting to the injectors - the only way to know is to pull the fuel rail. Did you just pop the test port and find fuel shooting out or something? That tells you little for a couple of reasons. One is that it doesn’t tell you anything about the actual fuel pressure. The other is that it doesn’t tell you whether or not the injectors are actually working. You can take a small piece of hose or tubing to use as a makeshift stethoscope - the injectors should make an audible ticking noise when you crank if they are firing. You can also buy “noid” lights at auto parts stores that will tell you if the injectors are getting power. You’ll need an actual fuel pressure gauge to check the fuel pressure.
cigroller, thank you for your help.
It turned out the problem was the passlock security feature on the car. I just had to reset it. Now, it works fine.
For other people who need to reset the passlock, the procedure is very simply:
After attempting to start the engine, if the SECURITY light flashes or stays on, wait ten minutes with the key in ON until the light goes off. Then turn the ignition to OFF before attempting to start the engine again. (And ten minutes means ten minutes, exactly)
Thanks again,
Bill