Lumina :: 1996 LS Intermittently Start With The Key
Aug 9, 2012
Because my car would intermittently start with the key (it would run fine if I jumped the relay at the starter) I just put in a new Autozone lock/cylinder in my old '96 Lumina LS. Prior to the install, I took the new lock/key and old key to the locksmith, who told me he has the tool to read the resistance on the key which corresponds to the computer in my car and I wouldn't need to go to GM. Also, the brake lights weren't working right so while I had the steering wheel off I replaced the turn signal switch too.
I went to check to make sure the turn signals/brake lights worked before buttoning everything back up so I reattached the battery, with the key in the new lock; the dash lights came on, the chime went off as they should. I then put the ignition key in the 'run' position and the chime died and the lock mechanism will no longer turn and I get no lights at the dash. The car won't shift and I'm effectively screwed! FYI - The headlights and brake lights both now work but I can't turn the key in the ignition. Did I just get locked out? Did my locksmith hand me a line of bull?
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I have a 1996 Lumina 3.1. For the last few years, every now and then I would turn on the key, all electrical systems, lights, windows, radio, etc. would work but it wouldn't turn over. If I waited about 4 minutes it would start perfectly and it wouldn't happen again for up to a month. Last week it did it and after I waited and tried it again it turned over once then everything went dead. A mechanic (friend) installed a new battery and it started. He took it to his shop and installed a new computer. Everything read fine, but now when you turn on the key it will turn over fine but not start. Leave the key on and wait about 2 minutes till you hear the fuel pump start and the engine will start fine. If you stop for a few minutes it will start but if you stop for more than 5 or 10 minutes you have to wait for the fuel pump to come on again.
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I purchased a 92 Lumina Euro with a 3.1 and 101,400 miles on it a little over two weeks ago. It has been having problems since I got it.
It stalls intermittently, typically after I drive to work, shut it off for two hours, and then start it to go to my next client(home health aid) sometimes it stalls right after starting it then, and/or sometimes when put in reverse and/or drive and occasionally at stops signs after the aforementioned problems occur. It has also stalled out twice after highway driving after the car is shut off and started shortly afterwards, for instance, when I ran into a tobacco store for some cigs.. After the problem occurs it usually drives ok if I continue to drive it awhile even if I shut it off for a short time and restart.. I added some fuel injector cleaner when I filled the tank but it didn't work.
After about a week of the stalling issues the car refused to start after dying and didn't start for two or three days. As I was unable to get an answer from the dealer my step-father, who went with me when I bought the car, called him and he said if I could get the car there he would fix it. So I borrowed a bundle to have it towed the 25 miles or so to the small town car lot.
His mechanic supposedly fixed it by replacing the TPS and the dealer informed me that they had cleaned the throttle body before I bought it and apparently the TPS needed replaced to. However the issues again started after one day of it running fine. I tired to get a hold of this guy again and again I get the voice mail and no return call so as soon as I got off work I drove it over there and again he said he would fix it. He had it for three days and I again tried to get a hold of him without success and he again answered the phone for my step-dad and told him they had ordered some kind of module that would be in Monday. So Wednesday he calls me and tells me that they didn't replace this module because when they took it out it tested good five times but they noticed some gunk build up at the contacts of the wires that hook to the module and now the car was fixed. Why did they order the part before testing??? This doesn't make sense so it throws doubt on what the man said. I went to get the car and when I got back to my town and went to get those cigs it died twice after restart and put into reverse. That was two days ago and it has been dying once or twice each day since then although it is somewhat better than before as it isn't taking as long for the idle to even out at sufficient rpms after I throttle it at idle or drive awhile. BUT now it seems to be sucking the gas hard and I am wondering if this guy just did some jerry-rigging because he sure isn't fixing it.
A few more details. The rpms drop rapidly when this occurs, it has a couple of times had a rough idle at the same time but more often the rpms drop and it dies.Sometimes if I use the throttle and keep it up around 1000 rpms for a short time it won't die. I have smelt a burnt smell a couple times when I shut the car off, like electric burnt, not oil burnt or stinky exhaust. Lets see, I felt a very brief loss of power feeling when driving on the highway on two different occasions, so brief that it was barely discernable. It runs over the halfway point on the temp gauge after driving awhile in town, seems a little hot to me but I read these cars don't kick on the fan till 220. Sometimes the rpm bobs a little up and down at idle and slow speeds and once the battery power dropped and popped right back up when it was idling funny and when it had that no start an acquaintance tested it by putting a screwdriver in a plug wire and pointing it towards the engine as I cranked it and he said it had no spark and it did crank every time I tried to start it during the no-start condition. It has also done a bit of surging from time to time when the prob happens. The car is recovering from the stall condition quicker than it did before since this last "fix" but still stalling.
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My 1996 Volvo 850 with 254K miles has what seems like random starting troubles. Some days it starts without any problems. Other days I am unable to get it started. The battery is fine. I had to tow it to my mechanic one night and he started the car the next morning without any problems! But it has become unreliable.
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1996 Buick Le Sabre. About 1 time in 10, the car will not start. The starter is fine; seems to get no gas. Took it to garage for diagnosis. They could find NO problem: but replaced plugs and wires anyhow. Car still refuses to start -- just about 1 time in 10. It seems to have a bigger problem if the car was parked going UPHILL. This is not always the case. Is it likely to be the fuel pump? Is there no way to check this without simply replacing the fuel pump?
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1996 lincoln towncar wont start intermittently. Started doing this yesterday, was troubleshooting and my friend jumped the starter to check it and he said it was good. I messed with a few fuses wires and it started up fine. Drove today with no problem, parked and it won't start again... same as yesterday... turn key and all u get is a clicking sound from the inside sounds like under the glovebox in the dash...
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i have a 96 ranger with a 2.3l engine sometimes it will start right up and sometimes it has to crank 4 or 5 times to start i just gave it a tuneup and changed the oil and filter. should i run sea foam through the oil system,it sat for about seven years and i need to convert the idiot gauge to a real gauge.
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Is there a way to clear the " check engine light" code if I dont have a instrument? Can I disconnect the battery and will that do it?
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I have a 1996 Pontiac Trans Sport 3.4L (without Passkey anti-theft) which on occasion won't start after being parked. The fault only happens when the vehicle has been sitting, it does not die while being driven (so far). The engine cranks normally but does not fire. The peculiar and significant thing about the fault is that the fuel pump relay (driven directly by the PCM), chatters at about a 10 Hz rate. Instead of receiving a steady 12VDC to keep it energized, it is receiving a pulse stream from the PCM.
The first few times this occurred, I heard the relay "chattering " under the hood , and was able to start the van by unplugging the relay and shorting the connector terminals for the contacts together with a wire jumper ( these terminals connect "hot at all times" 12VDC from the PCM fuse (orange wire) through the relay contacts to the fuel pump +ve). The electric pump would run and I could start the engine easily. By the time I arrived at my destination, the fuel pump relay 'drive' would be normal and I could plug the relay back in and continue normal operation.
The last few times this problem occurred, the van would not fire -- no spark as long as the relay drive was pulsing. When it would finally go back to normal operation of the relay, the engine would start OK.
Last Spring in cold weather I had the van towed 2 blocks to a Pontiac dealer with this problem. The problem resolved before they inspected it; however after the Technician's inspection the Service Advisor said there was no fuel pressure at the test port and that the pump must be deffective (shorted), overloading the relay causing it to chatter. That diagnosis made no sense to me. They wanted to replace the fuel pump as the solution ($600). I got past the Service Advisor and asked the mechanic to show me the fuel pressure -- the car started on the hoist when I tried it, and fuel pressure was normal (>30psi). I left with just the relay changed, as they thought the original would have burned -up contacts from excessive current to the pump. (I cut it open later and found its' contacts to be perfect). While at the dealership I asked the S.A. if he knew of any TSBs, or other incidences of this problem; he said he had not heard of this problem before.
I had the same problem one week later, but not again all summer until this Fall's cold and wet weather. I had to have the vehicle towed home and it still wouldn't start the next day. As soon as I accessed the PCM behind the glove box and jiggled it the relay chattering stopped and car could start. However, later the same day, still in the driveway, the fault was back and no amount of jiggling or other manipulations had any effect. Later still I went out to test for spark, and the fault was gone. (Cold, wet weather all day).
Vibration seems to have little effect. I have checked the PCM connectors' security and pulled, twisted and wiggled the wires coming from it, as mentioned above, to no effect. I suspect the fault is inside the PCM and is thermally induced by cold weather. The next time it happens I will try a warm hair dryer on the aluminum housing of the PCM. I wonder if there is a fix for this (repair a cracked solder joint, etc.) other than replacing the PCM. I work in electronics, and will open the PCM up and inspect it before forking out for a new one.
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I am having trouble with my air conditioning system in my 1996 Chevy Lumina. When I turn on the AC, the compressor clutch does not engage and the fans do not spin. I was able to jump the compressor so the clutch engaged, however, the fans still did not spin and the AC was not cold. I then jumped the low pressure cycling switch (near the accumulator), which caused the fans to spin while the compressor was running. However, this still did not produce cold air from the AC and none of the AC lines were cold to the touch. I am starting to think the system is low on Freon, but I do not have gauges to test the pressure.
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So I have a 1996 Chevy Lumina (3.1L V6 engine) and I keep getting a DTC code P0101, which is a Mass Airflow Sensor malfunction. It's rather annoying because every time this happens, my engine shuts off. I'm talking no power steering, no power breaks, no acceleration, nothing. So I replaced the mass airflow sensor and it continues to stop about every five minutes. However, it does something odd and that is that the car drives just fine when it's in Overdrive and stops when it's in regular drive. I don't know if that's important, but I thought it might diagnose the problem.
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I was driving to work and lost all power (during rush hour) I was able to coast to a exit. Had it towed home, when I turn the key the starter engages but nothing after that, the engine will not turn over. I checked the battery and has a full 12 volts.
I removed the belt and front plugs to see if I could manually turn the engine over but it will not budge. How can I tell if this engine is really locked up or if maybe something else is happening?
3.1 V6 engine .....
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1090 Lumina Sedan 3.1 ... First time it had starting issues Recently. About 2 months ago my lumina's engine would die when i pushed down on the gas pedal. After 2 days of trying to fix the issue it wouldn't start at all, i replaced:
TPS
MAP/MAT Sensor
Fuel Filter
None of these worked so i sent it to a shop, they replaced:
ECM
Multi Port Injection (All 6 Injectors)
TPS (even though i had just installed a new one)
Serpentine Belt (it broke when they were test driving it after the Repairs were done)
The car would not start even after they replaced the first 3 parts on the list, so the tech looked further at the engine and found frayed and open wires, on the bottom near the front side passenger door, he repaired these wires and the car started and ran.
The only issues i had after their repair was a rough idle while braking and/or when i was at a full stop, the rough idle went away after a few days of driving.
((Current No Start Issues))A week ago i had what i am guessing is a few electrical issues: Speedometer Twitching and then dropping to nothing while driving, temp and oil light popping on and then off, when the engine was at a good temp and the oil was fine when i had checked the day before.
I went out a few days ago to run some errands and on my way home i turned a corner and when i put my foot down on the gas pedal the car just went "Put-put Put-put" every time i pushed the pedal more than a 1/4 of the way down. i reach a stop sign and being i was in the middle of nowhere and no one was coming down the road for miles i braked slightly and went past the stop sign halfway through my turn the engine died and i coasted to the side of the road, i got out and checked the engine, i had coolant not a whole lot but enough, then i checked the oil and it as far as i could tell it was at the add line even though it had been fine a few days before,(there has been no indication of an oil leak).
I rechecked the coolant and it looked like there was more in there than there was a few minutes before but i couldn't be sure, i was able to get the car restarted and headed towards home (about 2 miles away).at this point i was able to get the car going at around 25-45mph on the next sharp corner i turned the engine died again so i restarted and kept going, it died once more right before i reached the driveway but i was able to coast the rest of the way, once i parked the car i turned the engine off and tried to restart it a minute later and it started again so i left it be and called someone to bring me some oil, when they got to me with the oil i put some in and and it would not start at all.
- I checked one of the spark plug wires and it is not getting any spark.
- The ground terminal on the battery seems to be stripped
- The battery / altenator / starter---- All read to be between 12.15 and 12.36 volts
- The head lights, instrument panel and such still turn on properly.
I'm at a loss here, it was just in the shop 20 days ago and now it isn't working again. I would prefer to not have to put it back in the shop, if it might be something i could repair from home.
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My car turns very rough and then turns off as soon as I let go of the key... won't hold an idle...
Checked the MAP sensor and when I tried to pull it from the hose the tube was very brittle and broke...
I put in a new MAP Sensor and checked for bad hoses... Still can't get the car to start!
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this light comes on intermittently and does not go off unless engine is turned off, and then it goes out.
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Sometimes in the morning the AC will work just fine, but after a while it stops working. It looks like the clutch will not engage and I don't know how to troubleshoot it. I'll take a picture later on today. I'm wondering which part is what, and what might be causing the problem.
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My car has started to on occasion not have any power when I turn key. I can try it several times and then poof, the power is there and it stars with no trouble. When I say no power, there is nothing, no dash lights no sound, Absolutely nothing!
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I have a 1996 Ford Escort that was giving me problems resulting in a new fuel pump and fuel filter, that was improperly installed and got that fixed. It has continued with the problems and they are getting worse. I had the fuel pressure checked, came out fine, then had a full engine diagnostic test, all testing fine. The mechanic suspects a sensor. The car acts like it is going to stall, then just when I think it is going to quit, it kicks in and runs great.
I got bad fuel a while back and it is doing the same behavior except does not quit. It happens very intermittently, now in every driving situation, except since I brought it in. The mechanic said if he checks the sensor when it's not happening, it would be a waste of time and money. Is this true? A faulty sensor will not read as faulty? This town is full of bridges, and the highway has long stretches of nothing and a mountain pass. He is suggesting I drive it until it happens again, then take it in, but that's what I did the first time. Do I really have to wait till it quits in one of these driving scenarios?
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I have a 99 Lumina 3.1l. I live in a cold climate (-15f). I hadn't driven the car in 2 months, and the block heater doesn't work as there is a short somewhere.
I want to get the car on the road again and before insuring it I tried to start it Friday. To its credit it started up almost right away - its always been great in the cold. I let it run for 30 minutes to heat everything up.
I insured it Saturday and went to start it and won't go. Turned over & over & over, and the engine will chug every now and then but won't catch. Its a few degrees colder than it was Friday, but not by much.
It did have just under a quarter tank of gas, so I'm wondering if it could be condensation in the fuel system somewhere that was sucked in while idling on Friday? If so I don't really know what to do about that. Or could there are other things to check/try.
I'm replacing the plug on the block heater, but don't think thats the short. I was going to drive it to the garage to have them replace the cord (as I doubt its the block heater itself) but have to get it started to do that
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I have a 96 ford ranger 4cyl 5 spd. I've only had it for a month or so, but I've noticed on cold mornings my odometer won't work. The trip or the total mileage. I can hear the odometer cable clicking. Once the cab gets warmed up it'll start working. It's only happened twice, at about 50 degrees or lower, so I can only imagine what'll happen once winter kicks in. Where to go from here? I was thinking maybe it needs to be re-lubed or something...
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I figured something out on my ranger that has been bugging me for a while it was a third cly misfire so I changed the plugs and it went away for a while.the po told me he had just changed the plug wires so i didn't mess with those and it was an intermittent misfire so i changed the brain box because it was 15.00 at pull and save and it had been all updated boy did it run smooth for a while then the misfire came back. So I decided to check the 3rd cylinder plug wires and found out the one that is hard to change on the drivers side was badly rusted so i borrowed one off my windstar it was a little longer but boy does it run smoother and it doesn't die all the time and chug chug all the time now i just need to change the battery. i have already changed the clutch and the tranny twice i took one out of an 88 and it fit just fine by the way the engine is a 2.3 8 plug engine with over 230,000miles on it my next project is a timing belt and a heater core won't that be fun and yes i smell the antifreeze inside and don't like the stop leak like the last person put in.
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