I have a 1999 GMC Jimmy 4.3 Vortec. When you turn the key it doesn’t roll over, all I can hear is a click in the passenger kick panel. I have checked the starter solenoid with a jumper and it is fine. After a ton of checking with a multimeter and swapping fuses and relays I found something- when I remove the 40A “ign A” fuse in the fuse panel under the hood and plug it back in, I turn the key and it fires right up and stays running. However if I shut it off and try to start a second time, it doesn’t roll over and begins clicking in kick panel again. Any ideas?
After checking wires and connections, Starter relay in fuseblock if applicable, or starter motor my 2 thoughts.
I’ve swapped the starter relay in fuseblock with 2 other relays that are the same type and doesn’t change a thing. The strange part is if you pull the main fuse “IGN A” and plug it back in, you turn the key and it starts like normal. I’ve checked the power across the fuse before and after removing it and it reads 12v both times. This leads me to believe there’s a secondary relay somewhere that’s sticking and when I pull fuse it cuts power?? Pulling the fuse n plugging back in to work is one of the strangest things I’ve come across because none of the typical stuff is “bad” to give a permanent not working situation.
Try whacking the starter motor with a rubber hammer multiple times in multiple places and see if that helps. You can pull the starter motor and get it bench tested. my 2cents.
When in failure mode, is there a check engine light with key on? When in failure mode does the shift indicator show park when in park? If not possible trans range sensor. If so I would probably unplug PCM and see if it “resets”. If it does I would check all powers and grounds for PCM and make sure they work as intended. If I’m not mistaken the starter relay is energized by the PCM.
The strange part is if you pull the main fuse "IGN A" and plug it back in, you turn the key and it starts like normal.
If this happens every time, it can’t be coincidence. Instead of removing the fuse, try just wiggling it in place. Also, try just wiggling the wires under the fuse block if you can. Might be a loose connection to the fuse block. This is strange.
Thanks guys, I’ll be away from the vehicle for most of the week, but hopefully I can get at it by next weekend and do some more digging. I’ll keep ya updated.
Hey guys, after a lot of hours with a multimeter under the hood I finally got the idea to go to the ignition switch. In the process I found a unit wired in under the steering column which I initially thought was a remote start unit. It turns out it was a GPS tracker/ starter relay inhibitor. Essentially certain buy-here pay-here places put these in vehicles so that when payments aren’t made they can make the vehicle not start and track it for repo. Apparently the person who had it before me must have purchased it from a place and somehow it was deactivated while I have it. Sounds like some wild stuff, especially for a third owner who buys something with cash. All in all, it was quite a nightmare to troubleshoot but it now starts every time after removing this hunk of junk they had wired in.
Thanks,
Dave
Thanks for the feedback dmaniez3 since it will be a great help to others experiencing the same thing. I helped my uncle remove one of these gizmos a couple of years ago from a Monte Carlo SS. He bought the car at a repossession sale and the car lot had no idea how to remove it. It seemed that they hired a third party to install the devices but they had gone out of business and were no where to be found. The lot itself had gone out of the “buy here…pay here” business because of all the problems that it caused.