I have been having problems starting my car after a long drive, it starts in the mornin, and drove fine to work, but when i tried to leave 8 hrs later, car did not start and the motor did not turn at all. 24 hours later went back to try to turn it on and it started running but after a drive and i shut it off, it didnt turn on and had to wait 24 hrs to turn on again with the same symptoms.... My battery is fine since it was replaced a few months ago and am having proper voltage.... need help figuring it out, any ideas??? Any help appreciated....

Also would like to add i have been having a coolant leak somewhere i cant find, and have replaced the heater core already which was leaking...

17000 miles on a rebuilt streetported motor

 

you say it didnt turn at all, can you clarify? is it cranking but doesnt turn over or it doesnt move at all?

 

It doesnt move at all, i turn the key in the ignition and the motor does not turn over at all... not until 24 hrs later when it does start up again and the engine does turn over

 

Do you have to depress your clutch to start the car or not? If so then your starting circuit works as follows. As you turn the key to start the ignition switch sends voltage to the interlock switch via a Black/Red wire. This switch is located on top of the clutch pedal. When the car refuses to turn over check to see if this wire is getting voltage w/key to start. If it is not then your problem is the ignition switch. If it does have voltage then check the Black/Green wire at the interlock switch for voltage w/key to start "and" the clutch depressed. When these to criteria are met the Black/Green wire should have voltage on it. If the B/R wire does but the B/G doesn't indicate voltage then the interlock switch is the problem. Check these issues wnen the car refuses to start and report back with your findings. Also, does your car have the factory alarm?

 

I actually have an aftermarket alarm that was installed by best buy, which has given me problem about a month or so back, and i havent checked out yet...

 

Also before this issue, i was able to start the car with and without depressing the clutch, it didnt matter...

 

Then you either don't have the Interlock switch at the top of the clutch pedal or you have it but the B/R wire is jumpered to the B/G wire thus bypassing the switch. It must be one of the two conditions unless you have the switch but it is always stuck in the closed position which would allow the voltage to pass through it upon start up. A quick peek under your dash would tell you what the situation is.

 

Thx for the input, would def check it out and let u kno once i get home, hopefully thats what it is, will keep u updated

 

Ok im not gettin anywhere, i realized when ever i tried to turn the ignition with the heater fan on, the heater turns off, when the key is on the start position and i just hear a single click.... is this normal?

 

First off, have you checked to see if you have the Interlock switch and if you do is it jumpered or not? The best place to start is at the beginning and then proceed from there and trying to do it otherwise will often result in confusion.

When the key is turned to start only those electrical components necessary to start the car stay on while the others will turn off temporarily until the car is started, such as the radio and so on. Only circuits powered by the IG1 fuses will receive power continously when the key is at start.

 

Yes im here now, i do see the interlockswitch, and its not jumpered in anyway...

 

Also before all this happened, i was able to turn on the car without holding down the clutch

 

Do u have aol aim by the way or email? May be faster if we use another form of communication...

 

So your Interlock switch has a Black/Red wire and a Black/Green wire connected to it?

 

I only see 2 green wires comin from it

 

Which has a connector that connects to blue\yellow wires

 

And thats the only thing i see at the top of the clutch pedal thats related, at the other end of this little box theres a white button that pressed in and as u press the clutch the white button sticks out....

 

Sounds like the Clutch switch which is for cars with cruise control and not the Interlock switch.

Does your car have the factory alarm or not?

 

No factory alarm that i kno of, only an aftermarket alarm installed by bestbuy about 3 months ago

 

Have you tried umm leaving the key on, and jumping the starter? I mean you can just get straight to the point, and then figure out later. I would be really annoyed about that problem.

Since it's an aftermarket alarm, that could be a reason why it's not working. Do you have remote start in the car? I am thinking it's going to narrow down to the best buy install if it happened after.

 

No factory alarm that i know of, i tried starting with jumper cables and it was a no go, and it was fine for months after best buy, until last week...

 

No remote start

 

Since you have an aftermarket alarm and I don't know how that is wired it makes solving your problem difficult.

You have a Black/Red wire at the ignition switch that has voltage on it when the key is turned to start. There are two Black/Red wires at the ignition switch but the Black/Red one that has voltage w/key to start is in its own plug while the other B/R wire is in a plug with another wire that has a Blue wire. Find the B/R wire that is by itself and ***** it with a pin and measure to see if it has voltage w/key to start. If it does not then your problem is the ignition switch "if" the wipers and or turn signals work w/key to on. If the wipers and turn signals work w/key to on then this proves the ignition switch is receiving constant voltage and this voltage finds its way onto the B/R wire w/key to start. If the B/R wire does have voltage w/key to start then the problem is likely related to the alarm unit.

The ignition wires run along the side of the steering column closest to the driver's side door.

 

Thx for the help, im going to test it and keep u updated, its starting to get dark and it will be tougher to see, my next day off is saturday so ill pm u if anything on satuurday

 

Give the starter A light whack with a hammer a few times. The Solenoid could be sticking due to age.

Also, give more info about your car... Year, Model, chassis mileage, etc... Build date fromt he door. Early 86's did not have a clutch interlock....... Though, I'm guessing you have an 87'.

Also, what do you knwo about your alarm? Do you even know what features it has, or did you just buy one?

From my experience, all aftermarket alarms are installed by hacks, they suck, and they will give you nothing but problems in the future.