Why does my car not start? won't turn over or click when turn key?

Asked by Leone Apr 04, 2013 at 11:27 AM about the 2000 Pontiac Bonneville SE

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Try to start it.  fiddle with gear shift and key... still wont start.?  guages come on and just wont start.

20 Answers

dont know John, that bugger is hard to get to under the back seat, and if given changing the battery, or not changing the battery would take the path of least resistance, no one is as diligent as yourself about staying up on top of what needs to be done and five years can slip away in a snap...so that's why, John, there are reasons for everything...not simply making this up...yes the assumption is made that this customer has had the honor of removing the back seat to jumpstart people or be jumped and sure they noted how this is a terrible place to put a battery, like a fuse in an ignition bomb~ please don't call me any names...I've noted your level above mine (big whoop) and please ease up on the complements or I'll have to tell Henry! (the man, the legend, always there to help you too-)....bummer, man :(

4 people found this helpful.

Batteries will lose their ability to receive a charge 10% per year, is what one Electrochemical Engineer of 35 years has to say about this (Mr. Nawaz M. Qureshi) [my dad]...so yeah John, I'm a douche because I know a few facts about electrochemstry~ in ten years will not be able to receive a charge, and will go on what it's got~ I'll remember this!

1 people found this helpful.
69,015

If that was true and the car was built in 1999 then in 2010 the battery would have quit taking charge and I highly doubt he would have gotten another 3 years out of it. I called you a douche but I meant to call you arrogant. You get on here look at half of someones issues and jump the gun and your answer is always the same, battery or egr. You post an answer saying you are positive its one of the two and then assume people who ask these questions know nothing about cars. The only reason you have any points is because you beg people to mark them as helpful because 10 more and you will get a higher rank. The reason I attack your answers is NOT because they are incorrect but because they are only 1 of many possibilities. I have replaced about 3X more starters than batteries and 99% of the time a battery will slowly die not just die over night. It will crank slow or make the starter solenoid click like a machine gun. A bad starter however when the key is turned won't draw current which won't dim the lights.

5 people found this helpful.

Righto, my associate, am not in this for points at all, like when DavidH25 came back from his ordeal with a sick parent found his reputation climbed over the top to be number one...yes number one, was pretty much happy to start with NO points, but yes I am BUSTED for diagnosing an EGR when the opel CORSA does not even have one oops and double oops, but that guy knew what I had to say about keeping your favorite thing in the world from continuing to stay alive put bob_nueske into this guy's favor....remarkably was able to find an EGR for his car which wasn't even designed to have one-...so mistakes, forgiven...just want to help people with their automotive troubles...that's the only reason I'm here (this and my wife doesn't want me porn surfin')~

1 people found this helpful.

they teased me in Drafting school calling me "jack_spratt_aristocrat"...guess there's a shred of truth in being somethin' of a know it all....and still have my front teeth yet~ maybe just (aristocrat) instead of (dick) should be my new name~

1 people found this helpful.

You know John, I spent three years doing smog mechanic work, as I was third in a staff three, and learned all about EGR's so if I tend to diagnose this evil device as the culprit, either this or instruction to activate or not activate can be problematic as well, but quite certain three years of service twelve years ago pales in comparison to your experience in all things automotive as well~

1 people found this helpful.
69,015

Instead of telling someone THIS is the issue guaranteed, replace it and be on your way try diagnosing the problem with them. When a car arrives to you with an issue you don't just throw parts at it, if you do then you will have very displeased customers wondering why they just spent $100 on an egr or battery and the issue still persists. About a week ago you even had the car owner telling you your answer was not the issue it's already been tested and passed and you threw something else out there and they again said that's been tested and its good. You looked arrogant in the way you presented possible issues and I have a feeling you pissed the guy off because he ignored your third answer. This question has a quite a few possibilities and since the person even stated it doesn't even click that implies that the starter isn't getting any power when the key is turned, but the battery isn't dead because the other accessories work. Leone have you tried jumping the starter with the key on to see if it cranks?

3 people found this helpful.
69,015

A faulty egr will act almost identically to a vacuum leak or it will have 0 effect on the engine. You worked on the egr system 12 years ago? GM hasn't used vacuum operated EGRs in the past 15+ my 1990 regal had an electronic EGR on it that opened when the MAP sensor told the ecm it was at a certain point. Faulty egr and map sensors both have a code for obd 1 vehicles.

1 people found this helpful.
69,015

Dude a faulty ignition switch not sending a signal to the starter solenoid means no crankey when the key turney. Do you have any automotive experience outside of developing an egr? Key turney no crankey means starter bad or no voltage telling starter to crankey. Battery goodey means ignition switchey not sending voltage to starter or starter bad.

2 people found this helpful.
10

JOHN YOU CAN HAVE A BAD STARTER THAT MAKES ZERO NOISE WHEN KEY IS TURNED OVER, SO YOU DONT KNOW WHAT YOUR TALKING ABOUT.DOES THAT MAKE YOU A DUESH?

1 people found this helpful.
110

wow come here to find answers about my car and instead just found a bunch of little girls arguing... thanks...

11 people found this helpful.
10

Funny all of them watch a few episodes of Gas monkey,street outlaws,and there professional's all of the sudden,and what's funny is most of those guys read from a script that a real mechanic writes for them

1 people found this helpful.
60

The battery isn't hard to get to, I have the same car just pull up on the back seat from the front and the clips pop easy then the whole bench pulls out no prob, 30 seconds... My battery is still going strong but when I turn the key it doesn't even try to crank, I think its the ignition switch

1 people found this helpful.
70

1983 Pontiac Bonneville I can turn the key radio n lights comes on but it won't start any suggestions people ?????

7 people found this helpful.
10

Does it have a factory alarm to it because the factory radio that came in the car might have something to do with it not cranking or starting up

1 people found this helpful.

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