1994 Chevy Suburban 2500 Won't Start
Asked by Guru1GT6W Oct 04, 2019 at 04:20 PM about the 1994 Chevrolet Suburban K2500 4WD
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
So, my Dad has this 94 Suburban I've been
trying to fix for him for the last few weeks. It
won't start when you turn the key. Have it on
a battery charger charging at 200 amps. I
put three new starters in it. Just replaced the
ignition switch. Put a new alternator on it. It
still won't start. Total silence when you turn
the key. It was working great once after I put
a starter in. Took it to a gas station and
back. Then it wouldn't start again after we
got it home. He says the only other
possibility is the neutral safety switch being
fried. I can't find it though. Any ideas?
11 Answers
lincolnscott49 answered 4 years ago
Sounds like a starter relay to me but the nutral safety switch is located where the shifter attaches to the tranny
There was a wire next to the positive and negative connections to the starter that had a broken light bulb hanging off it. I bought a terminal head that fit the other side of the solenoid parallel to the negative. Then I hooked a battery charger at 200 amps to the battery and started hitting the wired connections to the solenoid with a long screwdriver. I held it in place on one bit and it got the teeth to start spinning rapidly. Except that didn't kick it on. What can I do?
lincolnscott49 answered 4 years ago
it isn't a starter relay but rather a starter solenoid and if you crossed the wires of the two wires making the connection and the starter spun but it didn't turn the engine over could be a bad bendix in the starter .
Just replaced the starter relay and that wasn't it. Gonna get a new starter and see if that's the issue.
lincolnscott49 answered 4 years ago
You said you replaced the ignition switch. When you did this was it just the key or the switch itself unplugging a harness to remove and reinstall ? Did you check the ignition control module ?
I took the steering wheel apart and popped a new ignition switch with a new key in. No broken wires in between, everything seemed alright, and I put everything back together right.
lincolnscott49 answered 4 years ago
That's not the ignition. That's just the ignition lock cylinder. The ignition is mounded to the top of the steering wheel shaft in front of the ignition cylinder lock. The ignition cylinder lock is just mechanical that operates in conjunction with the ignition switch when the key is turned to move the actuator solid shaft to points of the ignition. That part is electrical and a harness plug will have to be removed when replacing. Keep in mind it could be the ignition module as well.Hope this helps .
lincolnscott49 answered 4 years ago
https://www.partsgeek.com/cw7tb7d-gmc-k2500-suburban-ignition-switch.html?utm_source=shopzilla&utm_medium=pf&utm_content=ttc&utm_campaign=PartsGeek+ShopZilla&fp=pp&utm_term=GMC+Ignition+Switchgoogle these parts so you know what to look for.........................
lincolnscott49 answered 4 years ago
You also have fuesable links before and after the junction box. That is a wire that can burn inside the isolation and no longer pass currant . It will look normal but when you pull on it it will stretch if the wire inside has burned. if so don't just splice in a new wire but rather the correct fuseable link must be spliced in to protect the system from overload and a potential fire hazard to your harness. Check this first. You could use a needle inserted into the isolation and check for currant with a 12 volt tester gator clip to negative and probe to the needle. The light should light up on both fuesable links before and after the junction box
