I am having problems with my 2002 Daewoo Lanos not cranking or starting randomly. In the past, I have been able to resolve this problem by inserting the key into the interlock slot on the transmission shifter, cycling through all the gears, and back to P or N. However, even that no longer works all the time.
I needed to go to a doctor’s appointment this morning, while it was still somewhat cold, and I could not get the car to start. I ended up driving my truck instead. When I got back, I tried to start the Daewoo, and the same thing happened, but after fiddling with the transmission shifter, it eventually started.
Still, I don’t want to have a car which will not start reliably. Especially because this problem could occur far from home, in a terrible neighborhood, etc.
I am trying to figure out where is the switch or sensor which controls this function. If it is located inside the transmisison itself, then I need to figure out if it is accessible without taking off anything more complicated than the fluid pan.
So I ended up ordering the part online from RockAuto. GM p/n 12450161, identical to the one which was on the car. I disconnected the battery, swapped out the transmission range sensor, reconnected the battery, and tried to start it, and it does the same thing–no crank, no start. Any ideas? I’d like to repair this car, if possible, as I don’t really wish to buy another vehicle right now.
Did you confirm the shift cable is not broken?? (ask me why I ask… lol)
Pull a wiring diagram, start at the furthest point (starter) and check for a signal when trying to start it work your way up the line until you find the issue check the simple stuff 1st as Tester mentioned… If by yourself, get a generic 2 wire back up alarm and use it in place of a test light, if it beeps, you got power, no beep, no power…
It may very well be a problem with the shift cable, as when it first started acting up, I got it to start by cycling through the gears, and my wife got it to start by smacking the transmission shifter. However, for more than a week, it wouldn’t start no matter what, and yesterday I replaced the transmission range sensor (which made no difference).
Did you move the shifter from park to the lowest gear (1st?) and back while holding the key to the start position?? and hold the key to start while moving the shifter back and forth…
IF it is cable ish related, the new NSW could be out of adjustment or the cable stretched or broken…
Well, I worked on it some more today. I had my wife get in the driver’s seat and try to start it while I wiggled the wiring harness at the transmission range sensor, etc. Since I heard the fuel injectors firing on each unsuccessful starting attempt, I removed the fuel pump relay to avoid dumping fuel into the engine.
I have the factory service manual, so I referred to the troubleshooting steps which they give under “no crank”. However, once I got to step 31 under Engine Electrical 1E-7, I could not find where exactly connector C104 is on the vehicle. I surmised that it is one of the connectors on the PCM, however nowhere are those connectors labeled. The PCM is located under the front passenger seat, and they suggest removing the seat to access it.
I found that the neutral safety switch (pins G and E on the transmission range sensor) were closed as expected, and the old and new range sensor both tested ok. I did not have the control voltage to the starter to engage the relay.
Since I could not figure out the location of several of the connectors which the FSM said to check, I started taking off interior panels to check for loose or damaged wiring. I pulled off the plastic casing around the steering column, the knee bolster, the center console, but wiggling the connectors and wires made not difference trying to start.
Eventually, I moved the front passenger seat all the way forward, reached under the plastic splash shield on top of the PCM, and pushed on the blue connector. Then I was able to crank the engine. I surmise that there is either something wrong with this connector or a cracked solder joint in the PCM. Any ideas on what to do next?
Unplug it and check to make sure a wire/terminal has not come loose in the connector, and or push/pull on the wires one at a time until it starts… look at the pins in the PCM for any loos pins, gently see if any will move…
You might need to remove the seat for this, should be pretty easy to do so…
There might be oxidized contacts on the connector too. I had this issue on a 2003 Silhouette. A sensor was not working. I unplugged the reconnected the sensor maybe three times. After that the sensor worked again. Since it’s a free fix if it works, it’s worth a try.
Well, I replaced the PCM, and it did not solve the problem. I will keep the remanufactured PCM as a spare, and put the original back. I am going to try replacing the ignition switch, since it’s cheap enough. Maybe moving the transmission shifter and touching wiring harnesses was a red herring, and what actually let the car start was cycling the ignition switch repeatedly???
I replaced the ignition switch and that solved the problem. The car is running great now. I should have tried that first. Especially since it’s cheaper and easier than replacing the transmission range sensor and PCM.
Hey, I am going to have to mark this unsolved. The car is continuing to do the same thing. It now has a new transmission range sensor (genuine GM part) and new ignition switch (Standard Motor Parts). I put back the original PCM since that made no difference.
When it’s very cold outside, the car won’t crank. I can hear the fuel injectors fire, but no crank, and if I turn on the headlights, they do not dim. The battery is not old, and I tried a different battery, as well as trying this battery in a different car. When the ambient is warmer, the car does start and runs fine. Once driven, it always starts again if I stop somewhere.
Any ideas? Maybe the relay, which is mounted on the starter? I’d like to fix this myself, if possible, but I need this vehicle running properly sooner rather than later.
Pull a wiring diagram, start at the furthest point (starter) and check for a signal when trying to start it, work your way up the line until you find the issue…
If by yourself, get a generic 2 wire back up alarm and use it in place of a test light, if it beeps, you got power, if no beep, no power…
Yes, I verified that nothing was burned or damaged, and the plug connects tightly.
No. I have a floor jack, and a set of steel wheels from a Ford F-150, to lay flat under each tire when I need to get under a vehicle. It is somewhat of a pain to lift each corner, and place a wheel under the tire. When the weather is warmer, I will have to do that, in order to get underneath and see what exactly is going on.
Yes, I have the factory service manual for this car. I have studied the schematic, and sadly it’s clear as mud. The problem is that connectors are labeled with a number, such as PL102, but it’s not clear where some of these are physically located in the car.
It’s a common diy’er problem to not being able to find the part you need to find. The FSM’s I’ve used have always included a “location” section, which narrows down where each connector is located, usually with a diagram what the connector looks like.
The reason the diagram is confusing I expect is b/d it is one diagram shows more than one configuration. The configurationof the starting function varies by the transmission, key type, etc. They just show it all in one diagram, rather than in separate diagrams for each configuration.
