98 Pontiac Sunfire starts then immediately shuts off.

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Angelasunnyfire

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I know...I know...this issue circulates around the internet constantly. Most of the time it never gets an answer OR the "10 min" trick to over ride the Passlock does the trick. I have searched endlessly and have tried all I know to fix this. Well, here is my issue. I have a 98 Pontiac Sunfire 2.2 135,000 miles. Starts for about 4 seconds then shuts right off. No dash lights come on at all...zero (no, the theft light does not come on), but headlights, chimes, and radio come on fine. Fuel pump okay, ignition switch okay, battery okay, starter is okay. My key is a copy and not the original chipped key.

This happened before, had a full diagnostic ran and was told it was the Instrument panel and the anti-theft system and they wanted $1,300 to fix or they would by the car for $300 LOL! Went to the repair shop and asked for my keys and the car started right in front of their faces :mad:! They claim they did nothing to fix it, so I figured it was intermittent. The car has been running fine for the past 2 months, but now it's done it again. I tried the 10 minute and the 10 click trick, but no dice. I have had no issues with the car or recent repairs in the past 6 months (aside from this issue). Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
 
So are you saying at this point the car will not start at all? If the Passlock light is not on I would suspect the cause is something else. Do you have the skills to test for spark at the plugs and do a fuel pressure test?
 
The car will do a "false start" meaning it cranks then runs for about 4 seconds, but shuts off immediately.

I checked the fuel pressure and spark plugs the first day to rule them out, they all checked out perfect.
 
what are the fuel pressure readings and does it run longer if you use starter fluid/spray?
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One thing most people dont think of is the air filter or the oxygen sensor. If you have the skills do yourself a favor and pickup an upper throttle assembly gasket, and Open up your upper throttle assembly manifold and clean that crap out. Guaranteed you will see loads of gunk in there. I use carb cleaner in there. Gets everything out. Use lots of rags or paper towels and gloves. There is a little tube in the middle that comes right out, it was clogged right up for me, i was having issues with engine sputtering and after giving that whole area a good cleaning i had no issues with the starting or running operations.

Give that a try and let us know how it went.
 
Thanks for the responses! Sorry for the absence, some things came up that made the car take a backseat. Anyways, I had a mobile mechanic come out cause I just couldn't be bothered anymore....another $65 down the drain. Starter fluid did nothing, didn't grab the Fuel pump reading from him. However, he ran fluid through it and we both could hear it working too. He ruled out the starter and ignition switch. He stated that I should get a chipped key cause the diagnostic readings fail at the security system according to him. Could it indeed be the Instrument Panel? Now that the dash lights are out, but all other lights are working and I checked all the fuses and they are good I am thinking MAYBE...MAYBE. Who at Pontiac thought up the whole Passlock thing???
 
Drarkan said:
One thing most people dont think of is the air filter or the oxygen sensor. If you have the skills do yourself a favor and pickup an upper throttle assembly gasket, and Open up your upper throttle assembly manifold and clean that crap out. Guaranteed you will see loads of gunk in there. I use carb cleaner in there. Gets everything out. Use lots of rags or paper towels and gloves. There is a little tube in the middle that comes right out, it was clogged right up for me, i was having issues with engine sputtering and after giving that whole area a good cleaning i had no issues with the starting or running operations.

Give that a try and let us know how it went.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll give it a try sometime this weekend and let ya'll know. This car is doin me head in :mad:.
 
the comment about the key makes no sense, the car started before you had the problem so the key didnt suddenly change. How did you jump then to the instrument panel? Sounds like you need to find a ASE certified shop close by and have the vehicle towed.
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melsg5 said:
the comment about the key makes no sense, the car started before you had the problem so the key didnt suddenly change. How did you jump then to the instrument panel? Sounds like you need to find a ASE certified shop close by and have the vehicle towed.
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Everyone that has looked at my car claimed to be ASE certified. I have wasted hundreds of dollars on towing and diagnostics, car still sitting. Instrument panel is one of the diagnostics I recieved which I put in my OP. This list mechanic stated that since my key was a copy which does not have the original chip to over ride the Passlock it can cause issues with starting. His logic is to order a key from Pontiac with a chip that can be programmed to my car. All I keep getting is fuel pump, starter, or passlock.
 
I will take a snapshot of my diagnostic and post it. Perhaps that could shead some light.
 
Here's the latest diagnostic after the Fuel pump, ignition coil, new chipped key diagnostics. Each shop or mechanic starts the last one was full of it. Just want to get this baby running and not waste more money on nonsense :-(.

EDITED: There is more to add about the attached diagnostic and why I did not go with this particular shop. Yes, it is a legitimate shop with all the right certifications and glowing yelp reviews yadda..yadda..yadda. HOWEVER, they told me that my car would never start again, it would cost $1300 to fix, and that they have a guy who will buy it from me for "$700...I mean $300 right now...you could probably get $400 or we can they can kindly tow the car back home for you for $75." As irrelevant as my personal feelings for the shop may be to my issue at hand I felt they were being shady. I immediately went to the shop, asked for my keys, and the car "magically" started for me on the first try and I drove it away from the shop for months with zero issues. So I don't know to trust this diagnostic over the other diagnostics that each mechanic ruled as garbage.
 

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I am reading their diagnosis as in order to further trace the cause of the NO GO for the ignition switch they have to remove the instrument panel, it says nothing about replacing it. They charged $145 for labor which depending on labor rate might be 1 1/2 hours. You had a shop that was working on it and might have been able to fix it. Unfortunately nobody can predict how many hours it takes to fix an electrical issue. How did the price jump to $1,300?
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melsg5 said:
I am reading their diagnosis as in order to further trace the cause of the NO GO for the ignition switch they have to remove the instrument panel, it says nothing about replacing it. They charged $145 for labor which depending on labor rate might be 1 1/2 hours. You had a shop that was working on it and might have been able to fix it. Unfortunately nobody can predict how many hours it takes to fix an electrical issue. How did the price jump to $1,300?
Click to expand...

Thank you for responding! They said they have to order the entire Instument Cluster and put it in. That is what the hefty price tag was supposed to be for. The money I paid was for a tow and to diagnosis my car. I didn't let them continue because the combination of them telling me my car would NEVER start, someone happens to be walking by the shop wanting to buy my car which I never told them to offer for sale, the hefty price tag, and of course me being able to start my car on the first try at their shop just rubbed me the wrong way.

What do you think my next step should be? Thanks again!
 
Only thing you can do is get a key from a dealer or have it towed to another shop or sell it as is
 
Update: Just called the previous shop because I noticed the diagnostic recipet did not have the complete diagnostic on it. It did not included the estimate nor did it include the results.

The mechanic states that what the final diagnostic is the either the Instrument Panel OR the "computer" is not communicating with the theft system. I asked if the final issue is no communication with the theft system. He stated "I think so". Sigh....anyone have anymore ideas?
 
melsg5 said:
Only thing you can do is get a key from a dealer or have it towed to another shop or sell it as is
Click to expand...

:(....at the end I know you're right, clinging on to hope.
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you didnt go into detail but you did try leaving the key on for 15 minutes, the antitheft light should go out, remove the key, wait about 10 seconds and then try starting?
 
There are no lights on the instrument panel, but all the other lights work, radio, headlights etc. I did the processes you described, but I did not take the key out when I did the reprogramming. Will taking the key out make a difference? I will try again when I get home. Thanks!
 
Fixed!!!!!

Fixed! Swapped out my instrument cluster with a used one I bought ($45), switched out some faulty wires that were there, reprogrammed my security system. Thanks for all the reply's!
 
wow, long, hard, struggle but glad to hear you got it fixed
 
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