Intermittent no start?

[just4bob50]

Ok, I have been frustrated for a few months now trying to figure this problem out when it happens on my 92LX. The problem as it exists is that occasionally the car will simply not start. You put the key in and the door chime sounds, turn it and ge the dash lights and go to start the car and nothing. When you go to turn the key back to take it out, the door chime becomes distorted. If you try and start the car again, the door chime is normal, but there are no dash lights now, then not even a click for the starter solenoid.

Now here is the frustrating part, if you disconnect the negitave teminal on the battery for a minute or two the car will start up just fine. This problem can happen a couple of tmes a day or not at all for a few days, but whenever it happens disconnecting the battery always lets the car start up again. I have noticed that if the terminal is off for only a few seconds the car doesnt start. Ive played around leaving the terminal off for 10-60 seconds and the car wont start unless it is off longer than that. I assume that something is being reset, but have no idea what.

I have changed the ignition switch twice, the starter solenoid, and checked every connection I could see under the dash that goes to the ignition switch. I thought about just replacing all the relays associated with the igniton and the ECU, but I can never isolate the problem. I have quick dissconect terminals on my battery cables so when this happens its not a huge crisis, I just figured that I would have stumbled on to the problem by now.

Im getting the car tuned soon and would like to have this sorted out before I go.

 

[dcurtis]

I bet it's either bad cables, or terminals, not getting a good connection. Re-check all of you connections under the hood.

 

[lang williams]

check out the ground from the engine while your at it.

 

[87AODGT]

also if your car has a tilt steering setup make sure the bolts for the tild mechanism are tiight there's one behind the multifunction switch and one at the bottom. i had problems when mine came loose with no start and it drove me insane until I decided to play with that and the problem went away for good

 

[asecretfile]

I had something similar happen on mine...I added a battery negative to engine block ground and never had a problem since

 

[just4bob50]

Well, I guess when the weather gets better I will start replacing ground cables. Its just that when i put this motor in I took the extra time to make sure all the grounds went to bare metal and then put dielectric grease over the contact area. I took readings from all the grounds and everything that I checked was within .01 volts of what the battery was reading.

The only reason that I didnt think it was a bad ground is because once the car is started and running it runs perfect. Then once I turn it off it is hit or miss as to whether it will start up again with out pulling the negative terminal.