First-time poster here (and new to the Fiero community). I picked up a non-running ‘86 SE Automatic last weekend that I was intending to use as a parts car. The wiring had been chewed up by mice, and very poorly repaired/spliced by previous owners. I decided to mess around and see what signs of life it showed, and after tossing in a battery/couple fuses it cranked over nicely. I left it for the night and came back yesterday morning to put in new filters/plugs/wires & some gas.
After changing out all of those components and adding gas, I tried to crank it over and it only cranked for about 1 second before it stopped. I spent the rest of the day checking the wiring and going over similar forum posts online, but I still have yet to get it to crank over again. I have tried another new battery, checked fuses, and checked the ground wires around the battery to no avail. The check engine light does come on when the key is turned to ‘on’, and the fuel pump also runs.
My current thought is that either the wiring is causing the issue (and it just happened to work the previous night) or starter might’ve gone bad, but I figured it would be worth a shot to see if anyone here has any ideas as to what I should check before replacing it. I am pretty new to working on cars as well, so any knowledge would be very much appreciated. I’ve attached some photos of the wiring situation around the starter/engine bay/under dash. Thanks!
Do you hear a click from the starter solenoid when you turn the key? If you do, there's a chance that it's "simply" a bad connection at either end of the positive and/or negative battery cables (and/or bad/internally corroded cables). If you don't hear the starter solenoid click, make sure the shift lever for the automatic transmission is properly either in Park or Neutral. Wiggle it around a bit in case the safety switch is somehow engaged when it shouldn't be.
I want to mention something about your images. You're brand new here so I'll give you a tip. When you upload an image, please hit Enter twice afterwards before uploading the next image.This inserts a blank line between image links. Doing so will allow the images to display correctly on a full size monitor, and the link for (usually) the third image will also not become corrupted (due to a space being added to the address, as you can see in your first post).
There are guys here who have been PFF members for a long time, and for whatever reason, they seem incapable of uploading images properly... so don't feel bad. Just click on EDIT for this post, and see how I've configured your image upload links. It's very simple to manage!
[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 11-30-2022).]
I'd pull as many spark plugs as I easily could to see if a cylinder is full of fuel.
If all looks fine, I'd jump the starter with a screwdriver to eliminate the starter itself.
Good point, but I think it might be a whole lot simpler (before removing spark plugs, etc) just to to put a socket wrench on the bolt at the end of the crankshaft to see if the engine will rotate or not.
[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 11-30-2022).]
Use a screwdriver and jump across the 2 wires on the solenoid. That will bypass all other circuits. If its a 4/5 speed be sure its in neutral just in case you get lucky.
Spoon
------------------ "Kilgore Trout once wrote a short story which was a dialogue between two pieces of yeast. They were discussing the possible purposes of life as they ate sugar and suffocated in their own excrement. Because of their limited intelligence, they never came close to guessing that they were making champagne." - Kurt Vonnegut
Do you hear a click from the starter solenoid when you turn the key? If you do, there's a chance that it's "simply" a bad connection at either end of the positive and/or negative battery cables (and/or bad/internally corroded cables). If you don't hear the starter solenoid click, make sure the shift lever for the automatic transmission is properly either in Park or Neutral. Wiggle it around a bit in case the safety switch is somehow engaged when it shouldn't be.
I want to mention something about your images. You're brand new here so I'll give you a tip. When you upload an image, please hit Enter twice afterwards before uploading the next image.This inserts a blank line between image links. Doing so will allow the images to display correctly on a full size monitor, and the link for (usually) the third image will also not become corrupted (due to a space being added to the address, as you can see in your first post).
There are guys here who have been PFF members for a long time, and for whatever reason, they seem incapable of uploading images properly... so don't feel bad. Just click on EDIT for this post, and see how I've configured your image upload links. It's very simple to manage!
Ah thanks for the heads up! I created that post from my phone, so it was a bit tricky to figure out the uploads lol. I'll plan to use my laptop next time.
And apologies for the late response, I unexpectedly had to leave town for a few weeks. I got home a few days ago and finally took at look at the Fiero again. So I was able to jump the starter with a screwdriver, and it does crank over that way. Also when I turn the key all the way, I can hear the solenoid clicking. I am thinking that it must be a wire issue then. The positive cable from the battery looks to be fine and not rusty, but the other wire going to the solenoid had a bit of surface rust around it.
Are there any typical spots to look for when searching for corrosion in the solenoid wiring? I traced the wire up to the harness, but wasn't sure where to go to next.
Thanks again for the help, it is much appreciated!!
[This message has been edited by tdhartman (edited 12-20-2022).]
Starter Solenoid and Motor bodies are the grounds and whole thing is bolted to the engine.
ALL wires the the solenoid have "12V" all or part of time. Big wire to battery 1 small wire to start the car. 1 "extra" small wire for V6 cold start injector circuit. Both small ones go to same "stud" on the solenoid.
Starter Solenoid making noise often means just make noise but still not working to connect big wire to the motor. But if you "jumped" the small stud and big stud on the solenoid and trying to start the engine then starter motor and solenoid is good.
Steering Column and I-switch can fail in different ways and maybe engine etc gets power w/ key on but can push the I-switch far enough to start. That's even w/ a new I-switch and you turn the key as much as possible. some issues, See my Cave, Steering
If the Battery is <12V then is "dead" and needs charging at minimum. If <11 volts then the battery may have a "dead cell" etc and needs replacement even if can take a charge for a short time. See my Cave, Battery
------------------ Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. (Jurassic Park)
The positive cable from the battery looks to be fine and not rusty, but the other wire going to the solenoid had a bit of surface rust around it.
You won't be able to tell just by looking at it.
It's never a bad thing to disconnect all pertinent electrical connections, clean therm down to shiny metal, apply dielectric grease (to help prevent future corrosion), and them reassemble making sure that all connections are tight. If you're lucky, that alone will do the trick.
Thanks for the replies. I just checked the battery voltage, and it is down to 12V exactly (I’ve been running the battery while trying to crank it over all day). I plugged it into a charger and will give it another go once it’s fully charged. It is a brand new Duralast battery that I had just purchased last month when I got this Fiero.
I had ordered replacement AC Delco positive/negative battery cables a few weeks ago, and just got both of them installed tonight. I made sure to clean all the surfaces they bolted to, and re-spliced the smaller positive/negative wires to the corresponding big wire. I haven’t gotten to fully test them yet since the battery is a bit drained, so I’ll try again in a few hours here.
[This message has been edited by tdhartman (edited 12-20-2022).]
Welp I tried it again this morning with a fully charged battery, and still no crank only a clicking sound. I'm going to inspect under the dash and check the wiring there again.
So the only times I was able to crank the engine over I had done the following:
- Tried cranking with a battery and it was only clicking (as it currently doing).
- Put in new fuses since it was missing a couple of them. Still no crank.
- Swapped in another battery, and it cranked on the 5th try (only clicked the first 4) and then worked every subsequent crank that same night
- The next morning I reconnected the fuel lines to the filter under the car and added a bit of gas. Tried cranking and it worked for about 1 second before it stopped, and has only been clicking ever since then.
- The cold start injectors do engage while cranking as gas would leak out of the injector line. I have since replaced the O-ring and it is not leaking anymore.
I am hoping to avoid tearing into the steering column on this car, but I do have an old column from my other Fiero (bad tilt mechanism) with functional ignition switch components that I could always try swapping over.
Ended up solving the no crank issue! I pulled the neutral safety switch connector and inserted a jumper wire between the yellow and purple wires to test it, and it cranked right over finally. I think I may have been hearing a different clicking sound when attempting to crank (and assumed it was the solenoid)? Anyways, it seems like it needs a replacement switch so that's next on my list along with getting the engine to spark. Thanks a ton for all of the help and suggestions!!
Tyler
[img]https://images.fiero.nl/userimages/tdhartman/F6A03CC 9-07ED-4FFA-AA80-E7E119D98DC7.jpeg[/img]
Just click on EDIT for this post, and see how I've configured your image upload links. It's very simple to manage! 
