HELP! Advice, condolences, flames, opinions, anything

Welcome Guest, we hope you find what you're looking for. Take a few seconds to register for an account and participate in the conversations!

ALL FORUMS ARE OFF-LIMITS FOR 0-POST USERS
CLICK THE SIGN AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF

[billccm]

Hello All:

I am glad to have found this forum. I have been a member of NAIOA for 8 years now, but am glad I found this place.

I am in need of some help. I have a 2001 Impala LS that has been leaving my wife stranded every other day, or so, with a no crank issue. I bought this car in 2002, it currently has 89,900K miles, and has been ‘reasonably’ reliable until recently.

Here is the history; a few weeks back, the car strands my wife after a five-mile trip. The condition is NO CRANK. There are no SECURITY messages, and everything seems normal. While waiting for AAA, I get to the location with my meter and some tools. Battery voltage is 13V, and wiggle cables, harness, etc. Still no crank, and I hear a relay click under the dash, and a relay click under the hood when the key is in the crank position.

I have read over the years the horror stories about these cars and actually expected this to happen one day. I had brought another key with me, so I tried it, but still no crank. I pulled the BCM and PCM fuses, waited five minutes, replaced the fuses, but still no crank. Just for the heck of it, I leave the key in the ON position for 15 minutes, but still no crank.

Approximately an hour has passed, and still no crank. As the AAA tow truck approaches, I reach in and give it one more try and the car cranks and starts.

I get the car home, and tuner spray/contact clean every harness and cable I can find. The car cranks and is reliable for exactly one week-then strand my wife again after a one mile errand.

She waits for AAA an hour and ten minutes, and the tow truck driver starts the car.

So, here is where the story gets ugly. I take the car to my trusted mechanic, and we discuss the issue. He says immediately it is a BCM issue, but I say there is no SECURITY message, and pulling the BCM and PCM fuses does nothing.

He keeps the car for two days, and calls saying that battery cables fixed the issue.

The car strands my wife the next morning. She tries to start it in 15 minute intervals, and at EXACTLY one hours and fifteen minutes, the car cranks and starts. Back to the shop.

The shop keeps the car for FOUR days, and claims that the BCM has many security and ‘erroneous’ codes. He says he is “100% certain” that this is the cause. So, the BCM is replaced, and the car is reliable for two weeks.

So, when it strands my wife again, she does not call AAA. She tries the car in 15 minute intervals, and noticed that when she jiggled the ignition switch, the car started. She did not have to wait an hour this time.

Back to the shop. Ignition switch and Passlock sensor replaced.

The car strands my wife the next morning. She tries to start it in 15 minute intervals, and at EXACTLY one hours and fifteen minutes, the car cranks and starts. Back to the shop.
(I know this is a repeat paragraph, but this is really what happened).

I tell the shop no more parts, and rent a car. The shop says they will do a harness and wire inspection and stop.

I spoke with another mechanic this weekend, and he says the only known fix for this issue is a ‘match’ to the car. He claims most shops won’t even look at a GM car with a no crank issue and BCM codes.

So, I am thinking, it is time for a new car. I like to buy American (after this event, I don’t know why), and decided I should go back to a Crown Vic, or get a new Charger, or 300. I think my days as a GM customer are over (what a shame, I wanted a Corvette someday).

Since this is my wife’s daily driver, we spend yesterday test driving a 2009 Grand Marquis with 12,000 miles, a 2009 Fusion with 13,000 miles, a 2009 Chrysler 300 with 22,000 miles, and two Chargers, one brand new, and one with 30K miles. All cars mentioned are priced from $17,988 (Grand Marquis) to $14,988 (Fusion).

My wife says at the end of the day she still prefers her Impala! She claims it was a perfect fit for her as a daily driver.

What am I going to do? Her car can’t be fixed, and I really cannot make myself buy another GM product.

So, here is where I will ask for some advice. I have already spent about $4,000 in repairs and rental car fees with this single Impala failure. One thing you can say for the GM W Body cars, they are very predictable about what fails on them. I know that I will need UIM and LIM gaskets any day now, coolant elbows, water pump, instrument cluster, fuel pump, etc. I cannot afford to dump thousands into a car that has a trade in value of $2,200, nor can I miss work all of the time while this car strands my wife every week.

Is it time to concede and go to the other side and get a Camry?

What would you do?

I’ll save you the effort; don’t suggest ‘get another mechanic’. I’ve called three, or four shops and shared this long tale, and they all claim they would have done the same thing. This is an inherent design defect that does not seem to have a solution.

Thanks for any advice/tip/moral support!

Take care, Bill

[SofaKingWeToddDid]

my moms car did that, she removed the remote starter and it fixed it. mind you i think she also had the security system of the car disabled (this was on a 99 LeSabre)

[crazy k]

it would not be hard at all to wire in a starter bypass, meaning a wire from the battery to a button and to the starter solenoid...  but would the car only crank then?

[SofaKingWeToddDid]

it would atleast crank. lol i think the security only stops the starter... i dont think it kills it. but i could be wrong i dunno. the bypass might have been what happened to my moms car, cant check now as it is long gone.

[Chris]

personally, I think I would have traded that thing in $3,500 ago.

But then again people say that about my '92

[billccm]

You are correct in that I should have traded the car $3500 ago, but we have all been there. You start with $289 for battery cables thinking your car is fixed. Then you spend $675 on a BCM thinking your car is fixed. Then you figure you have already 'invested' $1,000 in a car your wife really likes, and it's better than spending $20,000 on a new car, so the $1,000 for an ignition switch and Passlock sensor is the right thing to do. In the meantime (and I spared you guys this story), the radiator tank explodes and cost $875 to replace, so since you have already spent $2,000, you spend the $875 and then find out the car itself is still not fixed, and so on and so on you throw good money after bad.

Hind sight is 20/20, I knew that, and you knew that, too.

Have a nice day.

[Prospeeder]

Take it to a GM dealer or somthin, theres got to be TSBs or somthing, theres no such thing as an "Unfixable car" And You will find just as horrid rampent problems on toyotas hondas fords and especially dodges. Dont think running to a toyota or fords gonna solve anything, just new different expensive problems.

[SofaKingWeToddDid]

a lemon can be any colour in the automotive world. it can sport any badge and name...

[DiscoStudd]

I'd pick up a factory service manual (I think 2001 was the last year they made good old-fashioned book versions) and run through the troubleshooting section.

$875 for a radiator?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? :shock:  Holy. Fuckstick. Batman.  I just found a tiny crack in the side tank of my 04's radiator, and located a brand new one for $175!


Being as you're a member of NAIOA, have you asked the almighty bbengineer for advice?  He seems to have his shit together pretty well in regards to the electronics on these Impys...

[Chris]

$875 for a radiator?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? :shock:  Holy. Fuckstick. Batman.  I just found a tiny crack in the side tank of my 04's radiator, and located a brand new one for $175!

I found a hole in mine, and just used massive amounts of JB Weld, then called it a day.