H3 randomly won't start - pull battery & wait

[njhomer]

I have a problem with my H3 randomly not starting. The accessories come on and the engine cranks but it won't start. However, if you pull the battery, reconnect it and wait atleast 45 mins, the vehicle will start. This is occurred 3 times in the last month, always at the worst times. I call for roadside assitance, but by the time they arrive the truck starts.

I did some research and my problem is identical to the problems the Oldsmobile Alero had with the Passlock anti-theft system. The problem is very random and has only occurred 3 times in the last month. THe dealer has no way to reproduce the problem and won't spend any time troubleshooting the issue.

My dealer "Perrine Hummer in Cranberry, NJ" isn't being much help since they can't reproduce the problem. About 2 months ago my truck had the BCM changed while trying to solve a issue with the right rear tail light being stuck on and blowing fuses. That problem turned out to be a damaged wiring harness on the right side of the vehicle, a problem which appears to be caused when the truck was assembled. Strangely this took 40,000 miles to show up as a problem. IN the end the BCM didn't need to be changed and I am struggling with a faulty vehicle because of poor service.

Has anyone had a problem similar to this or have a suggestion on what the dealer should be checking?

[Ryan Graham]

Dealt with a similar problem on an older (2003?) GM vehicle and it turned out to be the ignition switch itself (electrical switch, not lock cylinder). Although disconnecting the battery had no effect on it. Do you think it's the battery disconnect, the time (45 mins), or the number of times you attempt to crank it that determines when it will start? Did the problems start immediately after the BCM replacment? Sorry, not much help with this one.

[njhomer]

The problem started about a month after the BCM was replaced. It seems to be the time that matters the most. Pulling the battery and reconnecting has no effect if you try to start it immediately. The number of times I try cranking doesn't seem to matter either. I've tried waiting different lengths of time and the magic number is 45-60 minutes. Someone else suggested I try the work around for the early generation Passlock system, which was to leave the key in the on position for 10mins, then turn it off for 5 secs and try starting the engine again.

[RubHer Yellow Ducky]

We have all had some type of little problems just like with any car/truck/suv but yours is a new one on me...wait a day or 2 and someone on here who works for GM/Hummer will give you an answer which will be a good starting point to solve your problem...

good luck

[njhomer]

Thanks for the reply.

The dealer is still working on it. A little bit of yelling today got them to dig deeper into the problem. So far they found that the BCM / theft detorant system was reprogrammed with the wrong VIN#. They are hoping this explains the random failure on start. It also explains why my radio no longer displays the H3 logo when started. GM tech support is having them leave the battery disconnected for 10 hours and then reconnect the system and reprogram everything. If the vehicle still has failures then GM tech said to replace the radio and then the BCM again for the 3rd time.

Electrical issues are a nightmare. I love my H3 and just want it to be normal again.