Intermitten Starting Problem Anyone else have this Issue???

[J.T.]

Newbie here guys so take it easy...I just got my 2003 H1 open top 6.5 Turbo Diesel with 19k miles a couple of months ago and everything was fine until I went to Tahoe on a really cold day and it wouldnt start..called a tow truck took him about half an hour to get it turned over...drove home fine 2 hours and wouldnt start the next day...figured dead batteries...hooked it up to the charger and cranked right up..not a half hour later like the tow truck? Take it to Hummer of Sacramento they say the batteries are fine hold charge with load etc etc...get it home and its fine drive it for a week...it sits for a week still fine..then the other day I take it out park it for one day and it wont crank over the next morning?? So I hook up the charger and the Batteries test fine i try Jumpin it like before and NOTHING everything turns on fine just NOTHING when tryin to crank it...so I call up AMG Roadside and they send out a flat bed to take it to Sacramento Hummer..The tow guy tries to start it a few times and nothing...so we get it on the flat bed and when we get to Sacramento Hummer it starts right up! Im baffled by now...Tow guy says "it sounds like my starter cylenoid"??? anyways Hummer of Sacramento looks at it and calls me the next day saying my "aftermarket" alarm system (Clifford paging alarm with autostart) which was in it when I bought it a couple a months ago was wired badly that the installer only twisted wires together and used only electrical tape instead of wire fittings etc...SO I ask how much to rewire it with the correct fittings (maybe about $5-$10 fittings) and he says $380!!..anyways what Im asking is would this cause my truck not to start?? Ive installed stereos and alarms in the past and have not ran into a vehicle not starting because electrical tape was used instead of fittings..any other thoughts on why this thing does it intermittenly? ALL REPLIES ARE APPRECIATED... THANKS IN ADVANCE!!

[HUMTECH]

I have seen many car starters that were installed poorly and caused all kinds of electrical problems including no start situations. If you do have them wire it for you insist they solder and shrinkwrap all connections, butt connectors can work there way loose especially in an off road vehicle which gets bounced around A lot. At $380.00 I would think they would be anyway.

[H2 Ranger]

a few suggestions,

loose electrical connections shouldn't be hard to find in starting system.
when it does it again:

check the selnoid lead (does it have proper voltage?)

check the condition of all starter and battery leads are they tight and clean?

if all that checks out check your starter but still some alarm systems have disabling systems (so no one jacks the vehicle...
let us know what you find....

[RonB]

do a search on the HML (humvee.net) or check the tech pages on Chuck's site (flashoffroad.com) for a wealth of info. If it doesn't turn over, give the starter a wack with a hammer. Worked for me when my starter went south. Good luck.

Ron B

[HummBebe]

After you get all of that done, come wheeling with some of us Nor Cal folks.

We are headed for some trails in Truckee tomorrow!!

There are several of us on the board who purchased at Sac Hummer.

[f5fstop]

Originally Posted by HUMTECH

I have seen many car starters that were installed poorly and caused all kinds of electrical problems including no start situations. If you do have them wire it for you insist they solder and shrinkwrap all connections, butt connectors can work there way loose especially in an off road vehicle which gets bounced around A lot. At $380.00 I would think they would be anyway.

I agree. It doesn't take much to cause an electrical problem that is created by someone who does sloppy work. The man problem with items such as this is that GM does not have to cover any damages caused by a system incorrectly wired, and to be honest, I have to agree with GM.
Intermittent problems are one thing, allowing the wiring to keep arching or causing problems could blow a module, and that gets costly and again, not covered under warranty.

The price the dealer quoted you sounds awful high, but it might be worth it, unless you know someone who knows what they are doing and repairs the wiring.

GM does approve of butt end connectors if done right. However, for any connections that are out in the elements, they suggest (require for warranty work), sealable butt end connectors. You heat them up and sealant comes out of the ends to make them waterproof.

Now as to your problem, it sounds like the ignition switch/module could be acting up. Not unheard of in any vehicle. Problem is a dealer who can't locate an intermittent problem, will zero in on an aftermarket setup. In addition, intermittent problems are hell to solve.

[hmcoleap]

Not to doubt the diagnostic work of the guys who have actually seen/heard the problem in person, but it sounds like it could potentially be an issue with your neutral safety switch to me... when that goes bad it can make your starting intermittent. Do you get absolutely nothing when you turn the key?

Next tiime it fails to start up, shift the transmission into N instead of P and try to start it again... if it fires right up, then that could be your issue.

-Manny

Originally Posted by J.T.

Newbie here guys so take it easy...I just got my 2003 H1 open top 6.5 Turbo Diesel with 19k miles a couple of months ago and everything was fine until I went to Tahoe on a really cold day and it wouldnt start..called a tow truck took him about half an hour to get it turned over...drove home fine 2 hours and wouldnt start the next day...figured dead batteries...hooked it up to the charger and cranked right up..not a half hour later like the tow truck? Take it to Hummer of Sacramento they say the batteries are fine hold charge with load etc etc...get it home and its fine drive it for a week...it sits for a week still fine..then the other day I take it out park it for one day and it wont crank over the next morning?? So I hook up the charger and the Batteries test fine i try Jumpin it like before and NOTHING everything turns on fine just NOTHING when tryin to crank it...so I call up AMG Roadside and they send out a flat bed to take it to Sacramento Hummer..The tow guy tries to start it a few times and nothing...so we get it on the flat bed and when we get to Sacramento Hummer it starts right up! Im baffled by now...Tow guy says "it sounds like my starter cylenoid"??? anyways Hummer of Sacramento looks at it and calls me the next day saying my "aftermarket" alarm system (Clifford paging alarm with autostart) which was in it when I bought it a couple a months ago was wired badly that the installer only twisted wires together and used only electrical tape instead of wire fittings etc...SO I ask how much to rewire it with the correct fittings (maybe about $5-$10 fittings) and he says $380!!..anyways what Im asking is would this cause my truck not to start?? Ive installed stereos and alarms in the past and have not ran into a vehicle not starting because electrical tape was used instead of fittings..any other thoughts on why this thing does it intermittenly? ALL REPLIES ARE APPRECIATED... THANKS IN ADVANCE!!

[philfischer]

I just had this same problem and have had it on several H-ones that I have owned.

Next time its hard to start, and or you have NO power, go and grab the battery cables going from the batter into the dash. Just start grabbing all battery cables and rattling them by handling them and moving them around.

When the nerds at cartoys installed my alarm, i had the same exact problem and they are working on it right now by taking the wires they installed in the battery and moving them down the battery cord a little further. For some reason the heat causes them to "short out" and in many cases just move the cords around and back and forth and the little "ding" will start if you have your door open.

Its crazy, but the short of it is, dont install CLIFFORD.

P
www.philfischer.com

[J.T.]

sorry guys I posted on the other forums....it was the starter afterall and GM did replace it and apologize....