intermittant cranking

[TurboCajun]

A friend brought me his car about 1 month ago with a no crank situation, ( lights, fuel pump, etc. came on.). I got under the car and checked to see it there was power at the solenoid at the turn of the key and I could not get a reading and after 2 or 3 tries the car all in a sudden turns over and does not act up for a month, now he is telling me the same thing is happening.
Starter does not drag, and the solenoid sounds like its ok when it was starting. has anyone had intermittant starts with a bad switch?

[ULYCYC]

Does it have a ign kill alarm system?  That is common if it's faulty

[Just a Six?]

Long shot but possibly the ignition switch on column has a bad connection?? Maybe when bumped (getting in or out of the car) it acts up??

[TurboCajun]

i dont know, its an 85 but completely converted from a wrecked 86. I am going check the car tomorrow and i want to try to fix it quick because i will have to work on it in a storage center
 

[TurboCajun]

I do know that he has a very very loose steering wheel, the bolts on the tilt have prob come loose

[Steve Wood]

the switch is down on the column and not in the hub.  http://www.vortexbuicks-etc.com/ignition_switch.htm

Check and see if the switch position needs to be adjusted a bit so that the rod that activates it to start is getting a full throw on it.

Also check for voltage on the purple wire at the solenoid, if you did not....if it has voltage, but the starter does not work, then you may have a solenoid problem.  This may be what you checked?  If that is what you did, then go to the switch adjustment.... and if that does not work, sounds like you need a new switch....

[TurboCajun]

thanks guys

[Steve Wood]

And??

[TurboCajun]

ok it did have the theft system on it, I found one relay and could not find where the light blue wire from that relay was going. so I bypassed the relay and got it working and told the owner that I would find out what causes the theft feature to activate. so my question is what causes it to cut out the gound(light blue) wire on the relay that the purple/white and purple wire are connected to?

[Steve Wood]

I believe the theft deterrent controller does that

[TurboCajun]

is that the other box that the light blue wire goes to. and how does it work?

[Steve Wood]

I don't know how it works...it is the brains of the system just like the control box you get with an aftermarket system.  As far as I know, it is one of those items like a cruise control module...repla ced, not fixed

[Steve Wood]

There are a number of pages in the shop manual beginning on page 133-0 of the electrical section dealing with troubleshootin g, etc.

[TurboCajun]

well lets just consider this SOLVED because it is bypassed

[Steve Wood]

If all the fuses are good, then I would guess the module is the problem.  Me, I am a bypasser, or I would go aftermarket