04 cavalier no crank - Maintenance and Repair Forum

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04 cavalier no crank
Monday, March 28, 2016 12:01 PM
Ok, hoping for some help here

Car sat for about 4 months, no issues when parked. Now I have a no crank situation I cannot figure out. When I put the key in the ignition, Dash lights up as it should, But when I turn the key I get nohing. Not even a click at the starter

When I jump the starter, the starter spins but does not turn over the motor. Replaced the starter with a new one and get the same thing. Ignition does not turn starter however. Any ideas??

Neutral safety switch? Igntion? Help!

Re: 04 cavalier no crank
Tuesday, March 29, 2016 12:31 PM
Hi Travis,

The voltage to the starter solenoid indeed goes through the Park/Neutral switch (or through a switch on the clutch, if the car has manual transmission).
The manual I have (for an '05 car) does not indicate anything else in that circuit.
Do check with a test light if the voltage gets to the solenoid.

What you are saying about the starter itself, that does not really make sense (starter spinning but not cranking the engine).
The starter solenoid moves the pinion gear (Bendix gear) in mesh with the ring gear on the flywheel, and only then closes the electrical contacts for the starter motor.
There is also a one way clutch in the Bendix gear, if the motor starts up, it will not spin the starter with it.
If the starter is spinning and the motor is not cranking then that clutch in the Bendix gear could be faulty.
Happening it to both starters is highly unlikely, but I guess anything is possible.

Did you charge up the battery after having sat for that long?

Good luck, Peter
Re: 04 cavalier no crank
Tuesday, March 29, 2016 5:19 PM
So it sat for a few months and now it won't start? I may be misunderstanding this but why not check the battery, alternator and plugs?. If the engine won't crank, you are probably dealing with a starter or battery problem & seeing as how you mentioned that you replaced the starter go ahead and swap or charge the battery. Autozone charges batteries for free. Again I may be completely misunderstanding your post but my brain is saying battery. I mean if a car fails to start it means it either has insufficient voltage,cranking speed, fuel, or compression & to my knowledge the most common causes for no starts are either starters or batteries.
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