Hey I have a 95 z28 and just recently it wont start. I looked around on here and came up with the ignition switch so i replaced that and my car started right up but then when i shut it off it wouldnt start again. when i turn the key you can here the fuel pump come on and what i believe is the starter sylenoid but im not sure. I pulled the starter out and had it tested and it passed 5 in a row so now im lost if anyone can help please oh yea if i keep yleing the key it will keep making that clicking noise like the sylenoid and afer a while will start and it also has a new battery. please help.

 

did you check your fuel pressure just cuz you hear the fuel pump doesnt mean its actually doing its job correctly

 

When you replaced the ignition switch, did the chip on the new key match the value of the one on the original key? If the resistance value is different, the VATS wil disable the start relay and fuel injectors.

 

Im pretty sure its not a fuel problem. When i turn the key it sounds like the starter sylenoid clicks but im not sure if thats what it is. i just makes a clicking sound when it doesnt start but if you sit there and cycle the key eventually i can get it to crank and start right up. When you replace the ignition switch it doesnt come with a new key. I didnt replace the actual ignition just the switch. When I turn the key i get all my dash lights and everything else works just fine the car just wont start. Its almost like there is a bad connection or something and every once in a while when you turn the key it makes a good connection and fires right up but its like 1 out of every hundred tries that it starts. It had been doing this for a long time before it got this bad and then one day it just wouldnt do anything and i traced that back to the ignition switch but after replacing that it still does this clicking and no start bs.

 

start with cleaning the battery terminals and the cable ends with a wire brush. clean em good they can get a layer of hard stuff that doesnt like to carry the juice. then turn to the power junction box(red plastic box on the passenger side fenderwell) and brush the heck outa the wire ends in there. you also have a ground junction there check it out and clean the wire ends there. you have grounds on the motor, side of the block by the starter, front of motor on passenger side under the belt tensioner, front of motor on driver side. check these ground wires and connectors, for any damage or corrosion and clean if needed. it sounds like a bad connection somewhere. maybe double check the plugins at the ignition switch.

 

Ok so i checked and cleaned every single wire and connection that has anything to do with the starting and charging system on the car and everything is good. The wires in the little red power distribution box on the passenger side wheel well had some corrosion on them but i cleaned them up really good but the car still has the same problem. I have talked to every person i know that knows anything about cars and a few people think it is still the starter that even though autozone tested it and it passed all the tests and that the bindex shot out on every test on the bench that the starter could still be bad and the problem what do you all think. Could the starter have been working fine on the bench test but when in the car it doesnt work right because the bench tester is putting a totally diffrent load on the starter when testing then the cars battery puts to it. I think tomorrow im going to take the starter out and just put a new one in and see what happens as long as i dont screw it up to bad autozone will let me return the new starter but hopefully thats all it is because otherwise i am stumped I have checked absolutely everything else that it could be. Anyone got any comments or other ideas.

 

Just an update. I pulled the starter out again and took it up to this auto electrical place by my house and had the guy take a look at it and explained what was happeneing and he told me that he sees starters pass the bench test a lot of times and still not start a car so he opened the starter up and looked everything over and ended up replacing the sylenoid and told me to give that a shot but if that didnt fix the problem that it still might be the starter so tomorrow i am going to put a new starter in the car and see if that fixes it.

 

I work at O'Reilly's and I see this all the time. The issue is usually the starter will bench test fine according to the machine but if the guy testing it knows about starters he will listen to it and see how the starter winds up. If it winds up fast and holds steady then it is prolly good, if it takes a few to wind up properly then it is bad and needs to be replaced. Those bench testing machines only really test for unloaded amp draw, that is great, but the engine loads the starter ALOT and that is the true test. replace it with a new or lifetime warranty rebuilt and you will never have to buy a new starter again. I am not saying it will never go out again you will just never buy a new one. Starters are wear items and will die after a while.

As for the guy that said it was the solenoid, that is really common on GM starters, the usual symptoms are the starter will not click or do anything. Hit the starter with a hammer or what have you and it will turn right over. This happens because the starter is usually right next to the exhaust and it gets too hot and melts the thin insulation on the coil in the solenoid, making the coil useless, hitting the starter somehow makes it work for a few more times.

Massey