Fuel pump primes but car wont crank

**87IROCZOWNER69** · 01-07-2014

Let my sister drive the 2000 GTP around tonight after she brought her car to me and I deemed it unfit to be driven because of lateral arm issues. Anywho she drove it a total of 10 miles and made two stops. She then proceeded to make a third stop at a gas station to put gas in the car. After filling it up she goes to start it and it wont start. So then I come out there and try it myself. I turn the key on (pump primes) and go to start it. When I turn the key all you hear is a click from the passenger side of the dash and then the dic and the radio lights turn off. However none of the other lights in the car dim or shut off. In my mind that would mean that the battery should be fine and the starter should also be fine.

So where do I start?

**lewis1952** · 01-07-2014

Take your glove box out. See if there are 1 or 2 relays behind it. 1 may be a starter relay, If they are there, turn the key on and see if the click is coming from one of them.

**87IROCZOWNER69** · 01-07-2014

There under the dash or are they in that cubby hold inside the glove box?

What would the clicking mean?

**87IROCZOWNER69** · 01-07-2014

So I went to start it this morning and read up that it could be the neutral safety switch that could be causing it. So I put it in neutral and gave it a shot, when I put it in neutral I noticed that the dash board was not showing me what gear I was in (Mine is one of the ones where it only shows it on the dash). Could this be causing me issues? I also read up that it could be the ignition main fuse, sound plausible?

**ChrisL** · 01-07-2014

My first action would have been throwing some jumper cables on it. I believe ignition switches are known to go out or at least they are on the Regals.

**87IROCZOWNER69** · 01-08-2014

Alright tomorrow I'll have to check out that fuse and see if a quick jump will do anything.

**Scottydoggs** · 01-08-2014

try a jump start, if that dont do it, have some one turn the key, go by the bumper and listen for a click, that would be the starter, if you hit it with a hammer a few times if may work again, but is on borrowed time.

or it could think its in gear like you were saying its not showing the gear on the dash. broken shiftier wire maybe under the console.

**87IROCZOWNER69** · 01-08-2014

Definitely not the starter. I went through a bad starter with my sisters 3.8 Impala and its not acting anything like that (kind of wish it was the problem because they are really easy to change).

Yeah I'll have to check that whole shifter thing as well. Thing is that when I bought it the po was telling me how for the last year he had had it he would have to shake the shifter a little bit to pull the key out. It didn't always happen all the time to me however it has happened and it's kind of a pain. He told me what was causing it but I dont remember what he said it was anymore.....I think maybe he said it had something to do with the shifter cable.

**Scottydoggs** · 01-08-2014

the wires break on the wire harness to the plug to the shiftier.

not sure if it keeps the car from starting tho. it always seems to affect the key not turning back, or the shiftier locking in park and not releasing.

**87IROCZOWNER69** · 01-12-2014

Which plug to the shifter are you talking about? I tried hitting the starter with a hammer and jumping it and the ignition fuses are all good so..... idk where to go from here.

**Scottydoggs** · 01-12-2014

take the console out, theres a plug that runs to the sifter. those wires break. theres a thread around here and you tube where the guy bought a whole box of pins to repin the plug, he's selling the pins for a buck each.

**87IROCZOWNER69** · 01-31-2014

Well sure enough I went to tinker with the car again and one of the wires connecting to the plug to the shifter was broken. Thing is that it broke right next to the plug so I'm just going to go to the junkyard and get a new plug with a bit of extra wire on it and splice it in. I really just dont wanna wait on shipping the pins in order to repin the plug.

So fingers crossed that the thing starts after all this! I got a car I wanna get as a fix and flip so having this running again would be nice.

**87IROCZOWNER69** · 02-01-2014

Alright well I spliced the new plug into the car and still no start, the key comes out every time now but the car still won't start. Decided to mess with the relays in the cubby hole and they are all ok, so are there relays under the dash next to the blower motor as well that I'm not aware of? It's too dark for me to look and I have no source of light.

**87IROCZOWNER69** · 02-02-2014

I guess is it possible that it's the starter solenoid?

**Scottydoggs** · 02-02-2014

a few good hammer blows can shock the starter back to life. if you hear it click when the key is turned to start. that can also mean a bad starter solenoid.

**87IROCZOWNER69** · 02-02-2014

I have smacked the starter with a hammer with no difference plus the interior lights don't dim at all when starting.

All I get is the single click and nothing else. Is there a way to check if it's the solenoid or is it just one of those you have to replace it to find out sort of things?

**pontiac4lifesc** · 02-02-2014

if your shift indicator isnt showing anything pop the hood and reach down to the shifter lever on the tranny and push back on it. had that happen on a friends car once.

**Scottydoggs** · 02-02-2014

yeah, check that shiftier linkage.

could just be a bad starter, or wires to it.

**87IROCZOWNER69** · 02-02-2014

Alrighty, atleast I won't be bored tomorrow

**87IROCZOWNER69** · 02-02-2014

Now I feel stupid.

Went outside and popped the hood to move that shifter linkage and as I was looking around back there I see one of the big plugs on the transmission is only plugged in half way...

So I plugged it in, jumped it, and now it's running. The transmission shop that put the tranny in must not have plugged it in completely when it was rebuilt.