98 Lumina no start, no turn, no click

Maintenance/Repairs
1

Car decided to start doing this today. Turn key to start, absolutely no response from the engine bay. No movement, no relay click, nothing.

I noticed the Security light on the dash isn’t coming on at all. Before, I’d get that light for a few seconds after it started then it’d go out, sometimes it’d stay on a while. In the past I’ve gotten the same symptoms, except I’d get Security light, and it’d stop complaining a few minutes later. (I’ve been intending to do the resistor bypass but never got around to it.) Now? Just darkness.

Tomorrow I’m gonna check fuses, starter relay, check out connections on whatever wiring harnesses I can find including the TDM and ignition cam and try to inspect those. But I’m fearing the worst. I’d still get that light even if the TDM was completely dead, right?

2

Have you checked the battery?
How old is the battery?
Perhaps you left a dome light on last night and the battery is totally dead.

3

I had a 98 Lumina sedan and had the same problem. It turned out to be a bad ignition switch. I had my local shop replace it and that solved the problem.

Before you go that route, follow what @ the same mountainbike said, make sure your battery is OK

4

I honestly thought I was the last person on earth tooling around in a 98 Lumina. Go figure.

5

These symptoms remind me of the one and only time my Lumina wouldn’t start when I had to have the reader for my key’s computer chip overridden. Good news is I can have spare keys made now.

6

Survey says: Theft deterrent module.

I unplugged it and plugged it back in, security light is responding to lamp test again, and the car starts… for now. I’m bypassing the thing before it gets worse.

So: No security light in lamp test == TDM internal failure. (Or the rare things like a wiring problem, PCM failure, etc)

For anyone having issues finding this bastard: it’s above the rear of the glovebox. You will have to take the glovebox out; stick your head in the hole and look up. The TDM is a plastic box with a green connector; there will be a plastic cube relay right next to it which is the theft deterrent relay. This relay locks out the ignition if the TDM doesn’t detect the right key. If either of these are toast, no start.

7

This problem sounds like a more basic issue than fuses, relays, or wire harness connections. Others have already hinted to the suspected trouble area.

8

Good info! I see my security light go on while driving and have had the car refuse to try to start a few times before I learned from my mechanic that this dumb security thing could do it. I’d like more info on how to bypass it, but at least I now know where to look. Thanks!