weird starting snafu (solenoid?)

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grunt_99

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Hi folks, new user here with a question about starting my c3.

If my car sits for any period of time, when I go to start it, nothing happens (at first). Good battery etc etc. BUT... if I pop the hood, and jump the starter solenoid points with a screwdriver (with key in 'on' pos) it turns over, (and will start if I keep doing it), but usually I just do this step once for a quick second, it turns over, then I go back into the car and turn the key and it then starts up normally.

So it seems like after I "wake it up with a screwdriver" everythign is then ok again and I can start it normally. Also, if I happen to stall the car (has a bad carb on it right now) it will start right back up while I'm driving it. But if it's been sitting for a while (can't say how long, but at least an hour+, maybe much less than that), I will have to "re-energize" the thing again, for lack of a better term.

Any idea why? It's not a starter thing, it starts great. When I have the issue it doesn't even attempt to fire. I'm thinking somethign electrical or solenoid itself. One side-bar: I used to have a constant drain on my old battery (at least I thought I did, but maybe it was just a bad battery) so I bought a battery shut off switch when i got a new battery. Does that have anythign to do with it? Can't see how. And to be honest, I don't think this was happeneing when I first got the switch. Would the solenoid need 'power' to build up in it before it works or soemthing??? Meaning, if I turned the battery switch on, and waited 5 mins woudl it then start? As you can tell I'm no electician!!! I didn't want to kill my new battery, so I have not experimented with leaving the switch turned on all the time to see what happens.

Thanks for your thoughts on this. It's not a big problem, I can always pop the hood and get it going, but it's a bit of a nuisance. And I'm afraid I coudl stall it in traffic sometime and have it NOT restart, but like I say that's never happened.

Sorry for the long first post! Trying to cover everythign LOL.
 
I have a 03 C5 and have been experiencing starting issues as well. I posted my troubles and the suggestion is perhaps a bad battery. I can't be certain how old the battery is but it had very low kms on it when I bought it (41 K) so it may indeed be the original. On three occasions I have had to put a charger on the battery in order to start it. After a run, it will restart no problem then after a sit, even as short as an hour, it won't start. I get the clicking sound that indicates not enough power. I have ordered a new battery. I also just learned about parking the think in reverse (manual transmission). I have no idea why that is but I may have neglected to do it. Does anyone know the technical reason why it must be parked in reverse?
 
grunt_99 said:
Hi folks, new user here with a question about starting my c3.

If my car sits for any period of time, when I go to start it, nothing happens (at first). Good battery etc etc. BUT... if I pop the hood, and jump the starter solenoid points with a screwdriver (with key in 'on' pos) it turns over, (and will start if I keep doing it), but usually I just do this step once for a quick second, it turns over, then I go back into the car and turn the key and it then starts up normally.

So it seems like after I "wake it up with a screwdriver" everythign is then ok again and I can start it normally. Also, if I happen to stall the car (has a bad carb on it right now) it will start right back up while I'm driving it. But if it's been sitting for a while (can't say how long, but at least an hour+, maybe much less than that), I will have to "re-energize" the thing again, for lack of a better term.

Any idea why? It's not a starter thing, it starts great. When I have the issue it doesn't even attempt to fire. I'm thinking somethign electrical or solenoid itself. One side-bar: I used to have a constant drain on my old battery (at least I thought I did, but maybe it was just a bad battery) so I bought a battery shut off switch when i got a new battery. Does that have anythign to do with it? Can't see how. And to be honest, I don't think this was happeneing when I first got the switch. Would the solenoid need 'power' to build up in it before it works or soemthing??? Meaning, if I turned the battery switch on, and waited 5 mins woudl it then start? As you can tell I'm no electician!!! I didn't want to kill my new battery, so I have not experimented with leaving the switch turned on all the time to see what happens.

Thanks for your thoughts on this. It's not a big problem, I can always pop the hood and get it going, but it's a bit of a nuisance. And I'm afraid I coudl stall it in traffic sometime and have it NOT restart, but like I say that's never happened.

Sorry for the long first post! Trying to cover everythign LOL.
Click to expand...

That is a strange problem. Wish I had a solution as I'm another C3 owner and we need to stick together. I agree with CCO, Nasty98 (Manny) may be able to help.
 
Not sure if this will help but.... I had starter issues that spawned from a bad ground cable from the frame to the engine. I tried to figure out what the problem was for like a month. After a new battery and starter I finally figured it out.

Anyway check the ground cable just in case. The starter grounds through the block so if it is a bad connection then it is not always connecting.

Mine just needed a good cleaning, but it could always be the cable itself too.

T
 
Can you remove / replace the solenoid without removing the starter motor all together or is it just as easy to remove the lot? TIA
 
72ray said:
Can you remove / replace the solenoid without removing the starter motor all together or is it just as easy to remove the lot? TIA
Click to expand...
Been my past experience that it's easier to remove the starter first. Anything like my old Chevelle, the solenoid can be removed if you can get at it but between the exhaust and the position, that inside solenoid bolt is hard to even see, let alone get at... lol... Let us know how you make out.
 
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