Replaced headgaskets on 3800 Series III - now no fuel pump or crank.

[DeGueldre]

Hey gang. My dad replaced the head gaskets on my 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix with 3800 series III engine. It's all back together and he has made certain that EVERYTHING is plugged back in but she won't start. In fact, when the key is turned, there is no fuel pump and she will not crank however, all the lights and fans work as they should. I'm thinking it's a anti-theft issue as he had the entire wiring harness under the hood disconnected for about 3 weeks. With that said, all of the fuses, relays and ground connections under the hood have been checked and double checked. Furthermore he's tried 2 different keys, hoping that the PK3 key went bad but had no success with that either.

It should be noted that the dashboard computer doesn't indicate an anti-thef issue. In fact it doesn't say anything out of the ordinary. Another interesting tidbit is that his OBDII code reader no longer links with the car when plugged in (it did before the repair).

We're really stuck on this one. Any help is appreciated.

[FordMan77]

Check the fuse for the cigarette lighter. This is also tied to the OBD port IIRC. Beyond that, I'd double check all the underhood fuses and grounds to be sure nothing is blown/loose. If everything is connected properly there should be no reason it won't start. I had the engine out of mine for a while and it fired right up after reassembly with no issues.

[DeGueldre]

Check the fuse for the cigarette lighter. This is also tied to the OBD port IIRC. Beyond that, I'd double check all the underhood fuses and grounds to be sure nothing is blown/loose. If everything is connected properly there should be no reason it won't start. I had the engine out of mine for a while and it fired right up after reassembly with no issues.

Thank you for the quick reply. I can't say for sure whether dad has checked the in cabin fuses (cigarette lighter) but I know for certain that he has checked all the fuses, relays and ground connection under the hood. I'll verify and check back ASAP.

Cheers!

[DeGueldre]

Ok... So Dad checked on mom's Buick (same engine) and his OBDII code reader only powers up once the car is started.

The cigarette lighter fuse appears to be good in my Grand Prix. So....Back to square one.

[Fivefingerdeathpunch]

You can try a security relearn if you want, easy enough to try.

You can google the procedure but it should be : Attempt to start the car, then leave the key in the on position for 10min, then turn it off for 10 seconds, back to on for 10min, off for 10 seconds and then on for 10min again, then try to start it. You may want a battery charger hooked-up.

[DeGueldre]

You can try a security relearn if you want, easy enough to try.

You can google the procedure but it should be : Attempt to start the car, then leave the key in the on position for 10min, then turn it off for 10 seconds, back to on for 10min, off for 10 seconds and then on for 10min again, then try to start it. You may want a battery charger hooked-up.

We can try that. Thank you.

I did Google a security reset yesterday and the procedure I found required the keyless entry FOB to do it. This car isn't equipped with keyless entry. I know this because I brought it to the dealership 2 years ago to purchase and program a FOB for it and they discovered that they couldn't program a FOB. They said it was the 1st Grand Prix that they had ever seen without a keyless entry option.

[Scottydoggs]

id make sure all the grounds are back on on the tranny bell housing and also make sure the starter is wired up right. the grounds and starter wires are all close, people mix them up all the time.

black wires are grounds. they dont go to the starter at all.

[DeGueldre]

id make sure all the grounds are back on on the tranny bell housing and also make sure the starter is wired up right. the grounds and starter wires are all close, people mix them up all the time.

black wires are grounds. they dont go to the starter at all.

I'll verify all the connections again. Thank you.

[DeGueldre]

So as it turns out, the wired connection to the PCM wasn't connected properly. In all honesty, I thought that big box at the front driver side portion of the engine bay was the mass airflow intake or something and not the PCM housing.
A friendly young mechanic at the dealership enlightened us this morning. In any event, dad got the car to run for the 1st time in weeks. Only running it a few minutes at a time right now just to burn the oil of the engine. We did get a P0068 error code though... This appears to be a throttle position sensor code.

What might you gurus suggest we look for in regards to eliminating this new error code?

Much thanks in advance!!