got a 92 deville:190000k on the dial.yesterday it ran like a new car,today it does nothing. sort of. everything works,except for the starter. turn the key and nothing. lights don't dim,or anything indicating a battery. a friend suggested it might be in the securety system,or the key "lost" its program. any suggestions? anything a good mechanic,with no computor hookup can try? thanks in advance!!!!!!

Check the battery cables for corrision and tightness if the battery checks out good. Also pull the codes if you have battery power.

If its because of the security system the security light should be doing something to tell you.

You check the fluid level in the battery? or jumping it from another car?

I left my opera lights on overnight which drained my battery. Jumped it and drove awhile, parked for a few hours then drove it again, parked a few more hours and when i went to start it it sat dead in the parking lot till I got anohter jump.

The next morning I added a bit of water to the battery, tightened the cables, and hooked a battery charger up to it and its been fine since.

When my car wouldnt start the last time It was similar to what you describe.
Radio/lights and "door dinging sound" worked but never tried to crank or turn over. When I tried again it was dead silent. Adjusted cables and got battery power again, tried again it was silent. went for a jump and it turned over first try.

thanks for the replies. heres what i have so far.
no codes show on the on board diagnostics.
battery is up full. and both terminals are clean and tight.
the security light never comes on.
none of the fuses are blown.checked those inside and on the fire wall.
when the key is turned over in an attempt to start,the idle adjustment moves up,but the starter will not engage. if you hold the key in the start position,lots of lights come on,(normal stuff like the anti-lock/charge batt and stuff.)and a bell starts to ding. but no starter. if you turn the key to the on position,and use a remote start switch,(jumping the starter)the engine turns over fine,but makes no attempt to start. tried this with both keys that i have for the car.
any other tests,or ideas that i can check out??
THANKS

If the car starts with a remote starter attached to the starter. Then the problem lies between the battery and your starter (cables or ground).

the car does not start. it simply turns over using the remote switch. what else can i check? does this sound like it is in the security system? it has been suggested on another site that it is the wires from the ignition switch,that tell the security system the correct key has been inserted. the fix is a new key switch. something i have never done before. thoughts? comments anyone?!!

How about the basics? Do you have spark? Do you have fuel pressure?

Play with the shifter while starting , maybe its the neutral start switch.

If the car starts with a remote starter attached to the starter. Then the problem lies between the battery and your starter (cables or ground).

Not really. If there was something wrong like that it wouldnt work with the remote starter either. It could still be because of the security system or there could be something wrong with something else like fj12 said something wrong with the neutral safety switch. You have to figure out yourself what it is. It almost sounds like it is because of the security stuff but like I said before if theres something wrong with that the security light should be doing something to tell you.

thanks for all the help so far. as stated before, the car does NOT run even with the remote starter switch. it does turn over with the remote, so i am very sure the battery is good. it has no spark,no fuel. there are no fuses blown,and the security light never comes on. not with the key on, or in the start position. this has me stumped. if i find the 2 white wires coming from the ignition switch,and jump accross them,will that "trick" the security system, or just cause more problems. i have never changed a switch in the steering column, and the quote from the local dealer was 175.00 for the switch, plus labor. i know you guys are on top of these cars, give me something to work with here. this is my dailey driver, and i really need to get her back on the road, but just don't have the cash flow for the dealer repair.
any other hints or suggestions?
THANKS

I have heard of the security system (VATS) wire being very thin and breaking in the steering column after many years of usage. If you don't have a FSM, do an internet search for GM VATS. Don't bother buying their bypass kits if you go that route. All you need is a resistor from Radio Shack.

ranger,
thanks for hanging in there with me. i did a search of this site and found the bypass method of using a resister from radio shack. i just finished a couple of other tests on the car. i unplugged and jumped the netural safety switch, no go, so i plugged it back in. i pulled and checked every fuse inside and out with a meter. all checked good. pulled a battery check with a load teaster. checked OK. i took the cover off under the steering column, but could not locate a loom by itself as described in the bypass method. i have no way of knowing which wires to splice the resister into. there are a lot of very small wires down there. anybody know the colors,or how to tell which ones are to the tumbler? THANKS again for all the help and suggestions.

As I said, do an internet search for GM VATS. Several of those sites have wiring schematics which will show you the wire color.

Just do a search here and youll find information about it. It comes up a lot and there are several posts that say exactly how to fix it.

OK here is what i did to get it running. i measured the ohms of the chip. 523 ohm resister is what i needed. of course the local radio shack only went to 497,so i was doing internet searchs on vats, and found a place that sold a key box to solder in line to eliminate the need to replace the tumbler. i thought if a box would do the trick, why not just use the key? so i soldered leads onto my spare key, soldered them into the wires at the bottom of the steering column, and she started right up. ain't life grand. THANKS to all members who responded. hope i can return the favor someday.

Why not just measure the resistance of the spare key and buy a resistor from Radio Shack and wire that in line?

i had the same kinda problem with my 93 jeep grand cherokee.. try taking the key for the door and turning it to the left in the driver door,trunk and passenger door and see what you get.. may work or may not.

Douche the resistor pellet on the key and the keyhole with contact cleaner