QuestionQUESTION: I have a 2002 Chevy Venture van I have had for about a year that has an intermittent starting problem. It will only do it once a a while but it just will not start sometimes and takes anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour before it will start again. It will not jump start, so battery has been eliminated, repair shop had tried 2 different starters, the ignition switch and even a new key and it still continues to do it. Sometimes it will not do it for months, now it is doing it every day or so. No one can ever catch it doing it in the act beacuse 3 times I have had tried to tow it to a shop when it was not starting and everytime by the time a tow truck gets there it starts. Some techs have suggested a possible failure in the BCM, the theft deterrent module or just a loose ground or wire connection somewhere but I don't really know where to begin to look. Please let me know if you have ever run across this or have any other ideas. Thanks!
ANSWER: Intermittent no starts on Venture vans? ALL THE TIME.
Lets start from the beginning though. When you say it won't start do you mean it turns over and over (does the starter engage?)?
Wayne
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QUESTION: No, the starter does not engage, all the instrument lights come on the dash but the engine does not try to turn over. As I stated I have have 2 starters, ignition switch, battery, and tried a spare key and nothing has solved this. I did do an experiment where I tried removing the BCM fuse and putting it back in and it started up quickly after doing that 2 times now. Ususally I could not get to start for a half hour or more, but I am not sure if this is coincidental or not because once I tried taking off he battery cables and putting them back on again and that worked a couple times as well but then it didn't the third time I tried it so I am baffled how some times it will reset by doing that sometimes and other times it won't. So any clues to what else I can try to pinpoint the problem??
ANSWER: Well, the 2002 3.4 is PASSLOCK so it doesn't disable the starter it basically doesn't let the engine management computer to inject fuel or control spark. It sounds like you have a problem with the PRNDL switch. Have you tried to start it in neutral?
What I would do first is go and buy a test light. You can put the test light on the s terminal (little one) on the starter and tell me if it lights up when you crank it over.
Wayne
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QUESTION: I have tried the neutral safety switch trick as well. When the van will not start, it will not start in neutral either. I tried starting it going back and forth between neutral and park a dozen times once but with no luck. I did have another van that did that once because it would not go into park sometimes so that is the first thing I thought of when this first started happening. Have also has someone check voltage at the starter when trying to start it and it will not get voltage there when it does this either. The only thing I have found so far that will get to start back up regularly is by turning the key off, going to the fuse box, pulling out the BCM fuse and putting it back in again and then it starts. I have been able to start it 3 times like this so far. Does that mean narrow it down any??
What kind of test light do I need for the test you are talking about?? I will try to do that test next time it don't start, luckily it has not done it for a few days.
Thanks,
AnswerHi,
A 12V test light (about 10 dollars for a good one) can be the best piece of test equipment on a car for simple electronics. If you hook the aligator clip of the light to a good ground and the pointy part to the S terminal on the starter you can make sure it is getting 12 v if it lights up.
Wayne
