I have a 66 GTO convertible with a 389 tripower but there seems to be a starting issue. There are times when I try and start the car , key in the ignition and turn and I get nothing just silence. New battery power works but it won’t start, zero starter engagement. Come back 10 minutes later and it turns right over. It has done this when the car has been parked over night and at times after driving for a bit.

Kinda clueless on where to start. It has a new battery and the starter looks fairly new. All the dash lights work.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Hello,

Is this a column shift car or floor shift? Manual shift transmission? Your "ignition switch" or possibly the key lock cylinder (two completely different things) could be going bad. Could also be a bad battery ground cable or a faulty fat positive battery cable headed towards the starter solenoid. There is also a usually purple wire from the ignition switch to the starter solenoid that could be faulty. Maybe a bad starter solenoid??

A multimeter set to check wire continuity will be your friend here and I would not start spending a lot of money playing the "Swaptronics" game. Let's analyze a few things first.

Rick

My wiring harness comes loose on my ignition switch. JUSTA reach behind the switch and see if you can push it in or wiggle it. Hold the key in start position.

4 hours ago, B52bombardier1 said:

Hello,

Is this a column shift car or floor shift? Manual shift transmission? Your "ignition switch" or possibly the key lock cylinder (two completely different things) could be going bad. Could also be a bad battery ground cable or a faulty fat positive battery cable headed towards the starter solenoid. There is also a usually purple wire from the ignition switch to the starter solenoid that could be faulty. Maybe a bad starter solenoid??

A multimeter set to check wire continuity will be your friend here and I would not start spending a lot of money playing the "Swaptronics" game. Let's analyze a few things first.

Rick

Rick

Sorry I should have added more detail. Car is automatic with the shifter on the floor. I have owned it for approx. a year. Battery is a month old and has a full charge, verified with a multimeter. Key lock cylinder was replaced last year, Ignition switch is original to the car. the starter looks fairly new but unable to verify its age or when it was put in.

I will check continuity this weekend, and do the wire trace under the dash. Is there a way to determine if the starter solenoid is going bad besides taking it off the car and having it tested?

Mike

1 hour ago, JUSTA6 said:

My wiring harness comes loose on my ignition switch. JUSTA reach behind the switch and see if you can push it in or wiggle it. Hold the key in start position.

That was my first attempt as its a rats nest under the dash. I will have to get back under the dash and see if there are anything loose

Thanks

Mike

Hello Mike,

Using extreme caution - car definitely in neutral or park, up on a lift, wheels off the ground - you could apply 12-volt power directly to the starter solenoid from under the vehicle. This bypasses the neutral safety switch, another possibly faulty component here.

Rick

Mike, a couple things. First, get a remote starter switch. The use of this bypasses everything except the starter & solenoid. This will immediately answer the solenoid question & is a must have tool for any engine or emergency situations that needs to start or bump an engine over.

Next check the neutral safety switch. This should be at the bottom of the column. Pull the two wires that connect to it & jumper them together. Tape them up & leave them that way for a while. See if that resolves the issue. If it does resolve it then either the switch is bad or you need to adjust the mechanism that rotates the column. If it proves to be the solenoid more than likely the pin & disc inside the solenoid is burnt. This can be fixed by removing the solenoid than remove the cover. Clean the pin, actually a threaded screw that the wire attaches to & the disc.

6 hours ago, B52bombardier1 said:

Hello Mike,

Using extreme caution - car definitely in neutral or park, up on a lift, wheels off the ground - you could apply 12-volt power directly to the starter solenoid from under the vehicle. This bypasses the neutral safety switch, another possibly faulty component here.

Rick

Thanks Rick for explaining the process. I will check that out this weekend when I can put it on some stands.

2 hours ago, Last Indian said:

Mike, a couple things. First, get a remote starter switch. The use of this bypasses everything except the starter & solenoid. This will immediately answer the solenoid question & is a must have tool for any engine or emergency situations that needs to start or bump an engine over.

Next check the neutral safety switch. This should be at the bottom of the column. Pull the two wires that connect to it & jumper them together. Tape them up & leave them that way for a while. See if that resolves the issue. If it does resolve it then either the switch is bad or you need to adjust the mechanism that rotates the column. If it proves to be the solenoid more than likely the pin & disc inside the solenoid is burnt. This can be fixed by removing the solenoid than remove the cover. Clean the pin, actually a threaded screw that the wire attaches to & the disc.

Gary

Thank you for the assistance. I will invest in a remote starter switch while I wait for it to arrive i will install the new ignition switch which I that came with the wiring kit, I was waiting for winter to redo the rats nest under the dash. I may replace the ignition switch this week while I wait for the remote starter to arrive and check the neutral safety.

Thanks again for the help

Mike