So I daily drive a 98 GT convertible, 5 speed, no ABS. It has the cheap American muscle CAI, Flowmaster Cat-back, and a Bama tune via SCT X3 Handheld. Eibach lowering springs, Koni ST.RT shocks, steeda Bump steer kit as well as a few other odds and ends that i believe are unrelated. Anyway I Daily Drove it with these mods for like like a year with no Problems. This winter though something happened and now the car wont start on occasion. It all started when i came home one night after work around midnight. I had parked the car and turned it off and was getting out and all my exterior lights as well as my interior lights including the dash came on full brightness the cut off about a second later. I come out the next morning and everything is fine. I find out that the map light terminals in my mirror were screwed so i just unplugged the mirror. It was fine for a little while then when i get in the car after work the next week and go to start it.... Nothing....Absolutely nothing. The fuel pump primes and everything but there is no cranking.
I sat there trying to think what this could be, so i gave it a couple more tries and it finally gave in and started. Not immediately though. I held the key and after about three seconds or so of holding the key in the start position the stater cranked and the engine started. Granted this night i was not paying the most attention but i do not recall the Theft light being on or blinking.
Now it has done this many times since but never under the same circumstances nor the same solution. Sometimes the theft light will be on and stay solid but not blink. but most of the time the theft light is off and the car just refuses to crank.
Occasionally if i cycle the key a few times it will start with no issue.
Other times i will cycle the clutch and key a few times and it will start.
Most recently i had to take the parking brake off and roll the car a little bit, then it decided to start but that was after like 5 minutes of the usual key cycling. i even tried to lock and unlock the car with the remote to maybe fool that PATS if thats what it was but even that did not help.
I replaced the battery a few months ago because I thought that could be the issue since it was old and seemed to constantly leak from the vents.
this seemed to fix it for a while, but no the car still occasionally will not start. It doesn't matter whether i drive it hard or gentle sometimes it just doesn't start.
I also checked the starter terminals for corrosion and to make sure they weren't falling off. They all seemed to be fine and Of course every time i went to inspect why it wouldn't start, it would start without any issues.
The Car isn't un-driveable thankfully but this is really annoying.
Any Help or Insight at all would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
-3G
I sat there trying to think what this could be, so i gave it a couple more tries and it finally gave in and started. Not immediately though. I held the key and after about three seconds or so of holding the key in the start position the stater cranked and the engine started. Granted this night i was not paying the most attention but i do not recall the Theft light being on or blinking.
Now it has done this many times since but never under the same circumstances nor the same solution. Sometimes the theft light will be on and stay solid but not blink. but most of the time the theft light is off and the car just refuses to crank.
Occasionally if i cycle the key a few times it will start with no issue.
Other times i will cycle the clutch and key a few times and it will start.
Most recently i had to take the parking brake off and roll the car a little bit, then it decided to start but that was after like 5 minutes of the usual key cycling. i even tried to lock and unlock the car with the remote to maybe fool that PATS if thats what it was but even that did not help.
I replaced the battery a few months ago because I thought that could be the issue since it was old and seemed to constantly leak from the vents.
this seemed to fix it for a while, but no the car still occasionally will not start. It doesn't matter whether i drive it hard or gentle sometimes it just doesn't start.
I also checked the starter terminals for corrosion and to make sure they weren't falling off. They all seemed to be fine and Of course every time i went to inspect why it wouldn't start, it would start without any issues.
The Car isn't un-driveable thankfully but this is really annoying.
Any Help or Insight at all would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
-3G
