She just won't start!!

**subgyro** · 01-04-2009, 08:22 PM

I get the solenoid click, but she never turns over. At all.

99 GMC Suburban SLT 2500 4x4, 185,000 kms on the 5700 Vortec. I have owned this beast for 2 whole months. When we went below -10C I snapped on the insulated grille cover.

Early in the AM it was -25C, I started the truck no problem, let her warm up a good 20 minutes, then drove 80 - 100 k/h for a good 40 minutes. Shut her down, got a coffee, the solenoid clicks, but she won't turn over. Got underneath and banged the starter with a hammer and still the same.
Got towed home. They told me I'd have a truck in 2 - 3 hours, and I had one within the hour.

Since I've had the truck home, I have replaced (for brand new, no refurbs) the starter relay, the starter, and the neutral safety switch. The ground for the starter was so rusted into place that I had to crimp a new end on the line to ground the new starter. 2 weeks ago I put in a new battery with 875 cold cranking amps, and the last couple days we've had a low of -15C and the battery tests fine.

It floors me that this happens directly after so much normal operation. My money is on the fact that one of you are going to tell me about a $2 part I've missed that will fix her when I've already spent $300..

My other cars are before computers and such. I can figure out most vacuum and mechanical things. But I must admit the excessive wiring under the hood of my new Bourbon intimidates me a pretty good deal...

Anybody have any ideas?

Thanks in advance,

That guy laying under his Suburban in the parking lot in the snow.
Wish you had a camera.

**retired** · 01-04-2009, 08:28 PM

Check all your grounds and positive connections, just sounds like something is loose.

**subgyro** · 10-30-2010, 12:59 PM

So I'm back under the truck again. Kinda shocked to see dual exhaust and 2 catalytic converters under there before the single muffler, but I digress.

The grounds (I could reach) all seemed fine, but I did have to add a washer to the post for my positive battery terminal - the paddles stayed loose when the bolt was cranked all the way down. So she started fine for a year. Then one foggy morning I didn't even get the solenoid click.

This time I'm actually looking into the problem instead of just replacing things. Here's the troubleshooting I've done so far:

With the ignition in Start, measured voltage between the starter solenoid and a ground, read 0 volts. Then used a test lamp between a ground and the starter relay cavity 30 to get no light. The directions I have say to now repair the broken circuit between the ignition fuse and the starter relay. Near as I can tell, that's inside the under-hood fuse block, but I can't figure out how to open that puppy up.

Has anybody actually had to do this before? The bloody thing seems hermetically sealed. Any help would be greatly appreciated!