Pontiac Repair: 98 Sunfire cranks but will not start, engine cranks, bicycle wheel

Question
This concerns a 1998 Sunfire with a 2.2 Liter engine.

About a month or two ago, I noticed that inserting the key and turning it to the 'on' position would occasionally result in an arcing electrical sound from the steering column.  At about the same time, I started to experience the car cranking briskly, but not starting.  The problem seemed to be temperature related; it was harder to start on cold days, but once started it would run throughout the day, restarting several times without a problem.  Turning the key to 'off' and then trying to restart seemed to help the problem.

I also noted that when I turned the key to 'on' I could hear the fuel pump start.  I tried a two step approach where I first turned the key to 'on', waited for the pump to turn off (1 or 2 seconds) and then turned it to 'start'.  This seemed to improve starting a fair bit.

Today, I tried the same approach and heard the same electrical arcing noise from the steering column.  When I turn the key to 'on', there is a loud continuous rattle from somewhere in the engine compartment.  It seemed to come from the space between the engine and firewall, but I'm not sure.

Now, turning the key to 'on' will cause this rapid continuous clicking; it reminds me a bit of a card stuck in the spokes of a bicycle wheel.  It is so loud I cannot tell if the fuel pump is cycling or not.  Turning the key to 'start' causes the clicking noise to stop and the engine cranks normally, but will not start.

The fuel filter also needs changing, but I'm not sure of its location.  If you can point me in the direction of the fuel filter, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks for any help you can provide - Charlie

Answer
Hey Charles:

these cars are noted for issues with the ignitions switch. Som much so that they had a recall on them. You may want to call your local pontiac dealer and give them you VIN# and see if the recall has been done or not. The ignition switches on these cars when they go bad or start to go bad cause all kinds of wierd electrical gremlins. That is where I would start. No for the fuel filter it's under the car back behind the gas tank. If the filer is plugged it will cause a hard or long cranking time before the car starts. Good luck :)