I have an 03 Alero that won't start

Question

I started the car and went to the store with no issue, less then an hour went to leave for work and got no response. Everything works fine I.e lights, radio, power windows, EXC. it just won't turn over. I assumed the starter went out on me.i took the starter off and had it tested. The starter turned over in the machine but the worker said it might be having trouble with the load but the new starter is expensive for me to just guess. I didn't get anything from the starter wile it was on the car" not even a click or tick". Is this a starter problem or something worse. Can anyone help me figure this out? With the info available would you replace the starter or continue trouble shooting?

Answer 1

It sounds to me from your description as though either the relay is not telling the starter to energize or the ignition switch went bad. At this point I would not suspect the battery because you said you get nothing when you turn the key, but all of the accessories are working. You could have it tested just to eliminate it, but I'd not lean in the direction of it having an issue at this point. I don't think it's the starter, because you had it tested. If it isn't making any sort of noise, one might suspect the solenoid, but if the solenoid works when it's being bench tested, it's not the issue. Don't replace it (at this point) as this would cost you a lot of money for no reason.

You could possibly try to rotate the key several times in the ignition switch in rapid succession. If this causes the starter to kick at some point, this is where I'd start looking. If it does nothing, check to see if there's a starter relay in the under hood fuse box. If there, swap it out with a known good one (there should be several in this same location which don't need to be used to start the car). If the relay is bad, just replace it.

Other than that, you are probably looking at a trip to the mechanic. The reason for the issue is going to be buried somewhere in the wiring.