Until last Friday my car was working like it always has, which is to say not very well, but good enough. At that point, it was an intermittent no start problem. I would usually have to try starting it 2-3 times before the starter would actually fire and crank the engine. Last Friday I got out of school, turned the key, and nothing happened. I kept over and over again until my battery died and I had to get my dad to tow me home.
At first I thought it was the starter, but after two days of labor and $100 in parts I still had problems. It then returned to its intermittent self and worked for a few days, but has died again and I am running out of options. Currently I think it is either my key or my ignition, and from what I understand those have to be replaced by the dealer.
Other possibly relevant info: turn signals, A/C, windows, and windshield wipers fail intermittently, but start working again if I jiggle my key around. This is why I think it might be key/ignition related.
Anyone have any ideas? I'm new to the forum so please forgive me if I have left something important out.
I would first make sure that the battery is charged properly. If you have a slow charger, connect it to the charging points under the hood, and let the battery charge overnight. Keep the key out of the car while charger is connected.
If the key, when inserted turns, but not crank the car, your key is probably fine. Make sure the ignition lock is not loose , if so tighten it at the ring around the slot where you insert the key. You may have a loose connection at the ignition switch.
What did they say the problem was when you spent $100 and what parts did they change ?
I didn't take it to a shop, I changed the starter myself after purchasing a new one for $100. I thought it was the starter because I could hear the solenoid popping but it wouldn't crank. I then checked the old one after removing it and it did not seem to work very well, so I replaced it. The few times it started after the replacement of the starter it turned over faster than it ever has, so I'm not all that upset about it.
While I was testing some other electrical systems a few days ago I had to charge up the battery several times, and after checking it with my multimeter just now it is reading out 12.2 V. I think you are right about the battery being bad. Although even after charging it up all the way it only read 12.3 V, so maybe this is not too far out of the norm? Or my battery is toasted.
No CEL's/codes, and the key does turn 99% of the time. All the lights on the dash come on and then turn off as normal. I've tried tightening the silver ring around the ignition before, and it seems to have little effect. Will try again though.
12.3V is too low for a good battery at full charge. Should be around 12.7V. You could try a portable battery booster to charge the battery up for 5 minutes or so, then insert the key to start.
I would get a new battery and follow the instructions to replace the battery (keep the key away from the ignition till the battery is replaced, keep radio codes, synch the windows, sunroof etc.)
If the battery replacement does not solve your problem, I would check the starter relay next.
The quick charge setting on my battery charger doesn't seem to be working well, but the trickle setting is. I will have to leave it overnight and test it in the morning. If a charged battery gets her to start, then I'll be on my way to buy a new one.
Charging the battery did not fix the problem, and my starter relay is fine. However, I think I've fixed it. I pulled out the ignition and opened up the casing. There was a little switch that would be pressed when the key turned, except that it was stuck down. I sprayed it with some contact cleaner and it returned to its normal position. I put my car back together and it has been working ever since. I think it even fixed the problem with the turn signals.
Glad to hear you found the source of your problem. It is an interesting one, and may explain some of the "key turns but no crank" problems posted here. I do not know what that switch is but I guess it signals the world that the key is turned to position 2. If the switch is stuck down and turning the key pushes the switch down, your car's computers think the key is in position 2, and eventually time-out. It is just like you leave your key in position 2 and wait for a while and turn it to start but it does not because it times out. You need to take the key out and re-try.
Hopefully it will not get stuck again, if it does you know where to look at first anyway, right ?
That little switch in the EIS activates the terminal 30 which wakes up all other modules from sleep mode.
Interesting note -- I've been having odd EIS behavior in the cold lately (well, cold for California) and I've narrowed it down to something within the EIS. Time and experiments will tell before I need to reprogram a second hand EIS to my car.
I took a picture of it when I had it apart in case someone else wanted to see what I was talking about. It's a little dark, but maybe someone will find it helpful. The arrow points to the switch that was stuck.
Thanks for the picture, yes it is a bit dark but I think I get the picture. One thing I am confused is, you said the switch is stuck "in" position, and when the key is turned (to what position ?) the switch is supposed to be pushed "in" position ?
Or, is it the opposite, when the key is not turned the switch is supposed to be "in" position, (no power to the electronics) and when you turn the key, the switch is supposed to pop "up" to close the circuit and power the car electronics ?
By looking at the power diagram, the EIS receives power from the battery directly, as well as through two terminal 30 pins (hot all the time), and supplies power through terminal 15 as the switched battery voltage (circuit 15) to the K40 relay module polarity protection relay which powers a host of modules including engine computers, transmission, brake computers, fuel etc.
The a/c unit blower is only activated (provided that the system is not turned OFF) when the EIS is in "run" position, not in "acc", not in "start" position. So if the blower had cut out intermittently, this may imply the function of the switch, and the recognition of the ignition turn position.
The switch is in an awkward position. It would be hard to replace it in my opinion, but can be done if you can get the part. I wonder what caused it to get stuck. Old age ?
I believe that the little white piece of plastic (above the switch) would rotate when the key was turned, hitting the switch. It looked like the metal lever coming out of the switch was already pressed down when I took it apart, but after cleaning it was raised higher. I have no idea how the system actually works, as I do not have electrical diagrams of the ignition itself, only the circuit it is on. I imagine that the degree to which the lever is pressed tells the computer what position the key is in. I suspect that the real issue was some corrosion on the switch itself, as corrosion has been the cause of every other electrical issue I have had on this car.
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