QuestionQUESTION: Roland, I have done most checks on this vehicle as far as fuses and power going to the starter relay. I have battery power at pin 30, battery power at pin 86 when cranking, and if I jump pins 30 and 87 the engine turns over. Pin 85 when checking for continuity to body ground I get 2.1 mega ohms. With vehicle in park or neutral. I want to think it's the p/n switch on the trans but wanted to make sure before I go pulling off the valve body. Also the fuel pump relay is not working either but I can jump the pins and it will come on. The antithieft light on the dash will come on during bulb check, go out but then stays on solid. When I lock the doors with the RKE then unlock the drivers door with the key and open the door the alarm goes off, which makes me think it could be part of the immobilizer system. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
ANSWER: Hi Colin,
The anti-theft system appears to be not disarming and you have attempted enough times to start it that it has also shut down the starter motor and fuel pump circuits as well. Try to use the door lock on the passenger door with a key: lock then unlock, to see if the light will go off. If so and the vehicle will then start and run I would believe that one of the lock/unlock wires from the driver door is open. Check fuse 19 in the box at the left hand end of the dash which is the ignition off draw fuse which powers those locks (and a lot of other things). If that is ok then we can check the continuity of the door lock wires in that door.
Please read the PS (below) and respond to it.
Thanks,
Roland
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QUESTION: Hey Roland, thanks for the quick response. You were right about trying the passenger door lock, it did disarm the vehicle alarm. Unfortunately the vehicle still does not turn over using the ignition. I did notice when the key is turned to the run position only one or two lights come on in the cluster during bulb check. After a moment the ABS, BRAKE, BATTERY, and SRS lights come on with a chime. A little after that the FUEL warning indicator and CHECK ENGINE lights come on with another chime. If I turn the ignition switch from off straight to crank position all indicator lights come on in the cluster. Drivers door lock cylinder does not lock all doors when turned to lock, only passenger side will. Vehicle does have an installed aftermarket remote start but I do not have the FOB for it. Any other ideas????
ANSWER: Hi Colin,
That is progress and we know there is an issue with the driver door lock wiring.
I am not familiar with how "an installed after market remote start" device/circuit works or where it is installed. Without that installation being present the starter relay should click when you try the start position of the key (which then sends 12v to the starter solenoid switch, and that relay will close provided that the transmission shift lever is in park or neutral). So I assume that the starter relay in the power distribution box doesn't click when the key is turned to the start position, correct? or does the starter motor now crank it over but it won't start?
If you jump a wire from the rear pin to the front pin of the starter motor relay socket does the starter activate? The wire from pin 85 that you said showed 2.1 meg to ground resistance is attached to either pin 31 at the pcm if your pcm has 2 plugs or to pin 38 of the third plug of the pcm if you your pcm has 4 plugs (I don't have the '01 manual but am quoting from the '99 and '04 manuals, respectively). That wire is grounded by the PCM when it is authorized to do so by P/N switch and by the body control manual's information from the theft system.
If you get the starter to crank the engine by jumping between 30 and 87, will it now start?
You could turn the ignition switch: "on-off-on-off-on and leave on" doing that in 5 seconds or less elapsed time. Then watch the odometer window to see the mileage be replaced by any 4-digit numbers preceded by a P which are engine fault codes. Let me know if any appear which may give a clue about the present problem.
You haven't told me the history of the vehicle or its operation just prior to this starter motor problem, if any.
Thanks for the rating and nomination, which you can do again for this answer if you would be so kind.
Roland
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QUESTION: Roland, the only history of this problem that I know of is that this has happened a couple of other times. The car belongs to my girlfriend and she said when it happened before all she did was grab onto the positive jump post wiggle it around and it started after that. It worked a few times and now nothing. If I jump the starter relay pins with the key on it cranks over but will not start, but the fuel pump relay also isn't working either. The only relays under the hood that click is the TCM shutdown relay. I can send a ground directly from the body to the starter relay with the relay plugged in and the engine will crank with the key but even when I force the fuel pump to come on the car still won't start. I tried the key on-off-on-off-on but no codes display. The PRND all have a box around them too. The PCM is a two connector and I believe I have the right pin to test. The ground for the starter relay is a tan wire then changes to a tan/white at a connector right by the PDC. when I test the tan/white wire at the PCM with it unplugged there is almost no resistance to the tan wire at the starter relay ground cavity 85.
AnswerHi Colin,
Check fuse 13 in the junction block at the left end of the dash as it might have a subtle crack in its wire. Then also verify that the fuse shows 12v on to be present on both ends when you have the key in both the run and the start position of the ignition switch. That fuse does power the activation coil of the fuel pump and also it provides one of two separate 12v supplies to the PCM.
Thanks again for the rating and nomination, which again feel free to repeat.
Roland
