Battey Goes Down – Car Won’t Start Sometimes

My situation is weird. I have a Trans Am WS6 Gen III vehicle. Sometimes it will not start even thou everything seems fine. It is shift gear (6 speed). I replaced the clutch switch and the solenoid and starter relays. When it will not start, there are no indications as to what is wrong.

For instance, I do not hear the starter complaining or the solenoid spinning. It simply does not crank at all. I sometimes depress the clutch switch manually with my hands while turning the switch and the car on neutral. I suspect the clutch switch is not grounding itself properly. Please advice…

Jorge

Hey there Jorge,

I would highly recommend you get an electrical test done by your mechanic FIRST. As a general rule of thumb you can try the following.

With the headlights ON as you turn the ignition key to the start position.

1. If the headlights dim down, you probably have a bad battery or a bad starter motor

2. If the headlights stay bright, you probably have a wiring issue, security system problem, clutch safety switch, bad connection to the starter, relay issue etc. etc.

3. If the headlights go out completely you have a loose battery connection, dirty battery cables or a bad ground at the battery

From what you have shared with me, I would look hard at the neutral safety switch and the clutch linkage under the vehicle on the transmission for excess wear or out of adjustment issues.

Another thing to rule out is the ignition key itself, if you have a small chip on the side of the key and have a spare key try the other key. You might have a worn out ignition key, or the ignition lock cylinder where the key inserts is worn out and the security system is activated.

This video is very helpful in testing the items I have listed above. Start ruling out items, simple items first like the battery and cables then the harder stuff like the neutral safety switch.

Please share this with your friends,

Austin Davis