I have a 2000 Staturn LW2 auto, 6cyl.
When i try to turn on the car, sometimes the engine does not turn, doesn’t make a sound, nothing. When I move the steering wheel, it turns on fine, it has to be in a certain position. Does that mean, the ignition switch is faulty or is it the pin? Is there a test I can do?
thanks
Do you mean that you can turn the key to the start position and nothing happens or do you mean that you cannot turn the key to the start position.
After answering Keith, I had a car that would intermittantly not do anything but if I turned the key very hard to its extreme, it would start. All it was was the switch itself a little out of adjustment so that the rod could not fully activate the switch. Moving the switch up on the steering post 1/8-1/4" was all it took.
Yes, the key turns fine, and nothing. You dont hear anything, no click, or starting sound. The lights do work, lights turn on the dash, etc. Usually if I move the steering wheel all the way to the down position it will turn on, but sometimes that does not work.
Bing, did you take it out and put it back to adjust it? Or did you replace the switch?
Like I said, I think you should just try to adjust the switch a little. Mark the current location, loosen the screws, and slide it up a little on the steering column and see what happens. If it is sensitive to the steering wheel position, that says something. If not the switch adjustment, then it may be in the steering wheel portion that rotates to activate the rod. That requires removing the wheel though and with the airbag issues, can be a little more difficult. The lights on the dash will be activated on the switch before you get to the starter portion of the switch so that makes sense.
You move the steering wheel up and down, not turn the wheel side to side, right? This sounds like a broken wire to me. When you move the column up and down, you tug on the wiring harness. It might be a connector that is not fully connected, or a pin that has pulled out the back of a connector.
If the wiring bundle plugs into the back of the ignition switch, I’d check to see if it is secure. If the ignition switch has a pigtail, then I’d look at that connection first. The closer to the switch, the greater the strain.
It could be ccoincidence, get the battery checked first.