05 Montana sv6 No start

dad59

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Happy New Year my montana acting up. Turn key to start, all lights on dash come on, can hear fuel pump, but nothing from starter. to add to that, radio won't shut off when drivers door is opened and locks wont power lock, they will power open. Then car will start like nothings wrong, turn it off and here we go again. All happened afer snow and rain.
 
It's a little unclear concerning how you eventually get it started? Is starting related to the doors or that is a totally separate issue?
 
Good grief your starting off the New Year on the wrong foot.

Lets start by learning more about your vehicle, How many miles do you have on it?

Do you have a check engine or other service light on?

It sounds like you are describing a couple different problems.

The starting problem and the lock issue may be related to and part of the security system malfunctioning.

I would suggest searching any and all related TSBs technical service bulletins found in a online subscription to a factory service manual like Alldata diy or Mitchel 1 diy

If you do not find any related TSBs we can move on to diagnosing this problem. there should be a diagnostic flow chart you will need to follow to get to the bottom of this problem. we can help with the terminology and test procedure but you will need this information to get to the bottom of your problem without wasting time and money.

Alldata has a ten day free trial http://www.alldata.com/landing-page/alldata-free-trial

The radio staying on with the drivers door needs further explanation.

I feel this may be covered in the owners manual. which can be downloaded for free via this link. http://www.pontiac.com/owners/owner_resources/manuals.html

Before you get too carried away you need to check a few basics, check your owners manual to insure you will not need a code for the radio once you disconnect your battery.

If you do you can buy a inexpensive device that uses a 9 volt battery to keep this radio code active and other computer settings by powering up the 12 volt on all the time power outlet.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...emory saver&qid=1451662334&ref_=sr_1_2&sr=8-2

this should be covered in your owners manual or service manual I provided a link to either.

Once you know your safe to do so, disconnect the negative battery cable then the positive cable and check for corrosion clean the battery and cable connections as needed also remove and clean and jump connections found under the hood.

reconnect the positive connections first then the negative connections.

With a DVOM digital volt ohm meter test the charging system you should get 13-14 volts while running.

http://www.amazon.com/INNOVA-3320-A...1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451662609&sr=8-1&keywords=DVOM

You may want to make sure your key fobs have good or new batteries in them, check either manual for reprogramming them if necessary

Once you know you have a good charging system a good battery good connections, no codes in the computer and no warning lights and properly functioning Key fobs with fresh batteries we can begin diagnosing your problems.
 
wow lots to look at. Van was fine before this all started the morning after snow and rain. locks worked before , no probs with radio turning off before. just left it for 10 min., and tried again turning key and it went. Same thing couple hours later. it's the original starter, van has 280k new battery a yr ago. i will clean all terminals and try again. when it first started back up my radio station was different and seems to have blown my right rear bulb. Crazy. I don't have a key fob and only one key
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I forgot to mention, since you mentioned rain, check your carpet to see if it is wet anywhere, lift the mats and push down on the carpet, you may have had rain water get in from some where possibly wetting down one of the multiple computers or modules.
 
Thanks, I just cleaned thr battery terminals and put battery on charge. Bit of corrosion there. I have power to the starter now( didn't before) no light on dash anymore, (not sure if thats good) I will give it a boost when second car arrives
 
Good Luck I hope this simple fix puts your New Year back on track.

let us know how it works out for you. I will mention if your battery is drained or near dead from the corrosion it is best to charge the battery with a charger.

A alternator is meant to keep a fully charged battery fully charged.

Using your alternator to recharge a dead battery is very hard on the alternator.

a inexpensive battery charger like this one is much less than replacing a alternator.

and can be used again and again if needed down the road.

http://www.harborfreight.com/26-amp-612v-manual-charger-60322.html

Good luck with whatever you do.

Keep us posted so others know what cured your problems.

also let us know about the radio if cleaning the connections fixed all the weird problems

Thanks
 
I started with the battery charger, too slow on a cold day, so jumped it. Fired right up and no more issues, even the tail light back on. Maybe a bad cell in battery, or just corrosion. Thanks for all the help, 2016 , Lets get it on. Enjoy
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your welcome, I am glad we helped some.
 
New day, same problem lol I think now it's the security system playing with me. leave the key in for ever and it will start. Take the key out and no start. Crazy, hoping now.
 
if all you did the day before is jump it to start it you have fixed nothing. Have the battery load tested and have the charging system tested.
 
Yes I agree, with melsg5 you need a good battery and a good alternator to ensure that your vehicle and its many electronic devices operate correctly.

test the battery and charging system, also do not forget to check all the jumper terminals for corrosion. the connections do not need to be at the battery to be corroded.
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I was hoping all it needed was to clean up battery terms, but smornin proved that wrong, the boost thing worked, but key was in ignition for 10 mins or so, started right up,left key in after no crank smornin 10 mins and fired right up,went out driving around, left key in and fire right up. It charges at start up to 14 v and then backs off to 12.6v. Is that normal running volts, seems low to me, time will tell. Keys in lol Thanks again
 
Take your vehicle to Autozone or nearly any Automotive parts store and they will test your battery and charging system.

Once you know you have a good battery and Alternator, we can begin to help you diagnose your vehicle if it is needed.
 
12.6 volts is not good
 
Most shops closed round here new yrs and all. Thats tomorrow to the shop. The key has to stay in or it wont start and sends security light blinking once a sec. Regulstorcharging at 15.1 today lol Keep me guessing, keep u entertained Thanks
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Did you make sure to check all the connections for corrosion, while your waiting on the battery and charging system test?
 
Thanks again folks, was the BCM goin crazy, slow but sure, all better now. Enjoy
 
leave key in or... do what I did...

sounds like all kinds of things going nuts at one time! Could just be a bad switch or ground somewhere. Anyway, you made a comment that grabbed my attention. You mentioned that if you were to keep the key in the ignition the vehicle would start, take it out, and you were back to square one. Back a few years, I "defeated" the Passlock II system in my van by doing something relatively Low-tech. I had a key that had the keychain loop broken, so I wanted to get a new one made to replace it. I wasn't going to pay the price for a new one with the chip in it. So, I got a $5 generic blank cut, and dug out the chip (likes like a piece of glass rice) from the old key. I took the boot off of around the lock cylinder and siliconed the chip on top of the Passlock II reader. I no longer need to buy the chipped (and more expensive keys). I've never had any issues including security lock-out. Do I care that someone can use a blank now to steal my van? No. They'd be doing me a favour...
 
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