2000 SLS; suddenly the car will not crank over

[danerin]

The car I am working on is a 2000 SLS with the 4.6L Northstar. First it was running very rough and I pulled the codes on it. It had;

p0304(misfire) and p0385(crank sensor B)


Feeling proud I went out and got myself a tune up kit and 2 brand new crank sensors and then.....

Went to start the car to pull it into the shop and now it won't crank over. The dash lights come on and the fuel pump primes but no starter action.

Checked the battery, checked fuses, checked as much wiring as I could get to... All I get when I turn the key is a faint clicking, which to me sounds like it's coming from the fuse box up front. The starter is the original with 127k on it, it was not dragging or grinding any and seems strange for it to just up and quit one day with no tell-tale signs other than age.

Has any one had this perticular problem with a SLS and know of any solutions? From searching the forums already I came up with TSB #02-06-03-007 beings something about "no crank, lights illuminate, etc. etc." but I cannot find this actual bulletin anywhere.

[dirtyguido]

I just went through this with mine....

Bought it at the auction - red light marked as "tow" because it supposedly stalled, ran rough, and it sometimes refused to start all together..... Got it for next to nothing, and after $200 in parts, it runs like a dream...

I doubt this is any sort of starter issue....

First things first...

If you have a good scanner (I have the SnapOn Ethos - not great but it works)... look at the history codes, not just the present codes. I bet you see a CKP variation code there. P1336 or something if i remember correctly. Mine also had a Map sensor code in it, but that's unrelated to your problem.

These northstar crank sensors, especially from 2000-2003 are notorious for random intermittent failures, and when they do momentarily fail, the PCM just kills the motor, because it thinks the crank has snapped. I.e. the top sensor is telling the PCM the crank is in one place, the bottom one is saying another which would not line up unless the crank had let go... It's really a scary situation to drive the car too, we had one customers who would run like butter, then suddenly out of absolutely nowhere flat out stall, and lose all power too, almost like you turned the key off.. You usually end up with the sensor b code cause the northstar uses one to test the other and when they are both bad it usually guesses sensor B from my experience. you must change both.

Push the car into the shop, put it on the lift and do the crank sensors. After that My car ran all the time (albeit it still ran like crap)....

The car should start at this point. One note here - be careful of the o-rings between the oil filter housing and the block. They fall out easily and will cause a huge oil leak if you lose one. OH and the second thing. Make sure you reconnect the oil pressure sender sensor before you bolt the oil filter housing back in place, otherwise there is just no room to plug it back in because it sits above the motor mount. Easiest way I have found to do it is to slide the housing back in on a 45 degree angle and guide the connector in with your other hand.

Once you get the car started, clear all the codes....

Next thing... do the plugs all 8 of em. be careful with the plug boots once the coil pack modules come off... Make sure you use the standard AC Delco plat plugs, I know there has been a lot of discussion here, but they are the only thing that the northstar will like for sure, others will be hit or miss.

Now try and start the car again.
Put the car on the scanner and look for any misfires...

If you have any, you either have a vaccum leak, a bad coil, or an intake leak. These cars are extremely sensitive to intake path leaks between the MAF and the throttle body. And it's really easy to create one. There is no clamp holding the intake silencer to the intake elbow between the MAF and the throttle body.... IF you even lean on it while looking at the motor you can create enough of an unmeasured air leak to cause all sorts of havoc and misfires.

Good Luck and happy wrenching...

If you need any more help, let me know.

Take care,

George

[JC316]

Good advice, but the car should still try to turn over. Sounds like the starter took a crap on you to me, that or the relay went out.

[Krashed989]

Nah, that clicking you hear is the starter solenoid, working. The only way it's the starter is if the contacts in the solenoid are bad. Check battery connections, cables and test the battery.

[chubbyranger]

Battery may be toast. Mine went dead and would not spin the starter even with a charger and jump. New battery = restart for me.

[danerin]

Thanks everyone for the info. Hopefully I can figure this thing out soon enough. Getting tired of seeing it just sit in the garage, I'll post a solution when I find it.

Thanks again.

[Murphyg]

Had the same no start with my 01 STS.
Dash lights and everything but no start. Just a very very faint click. Called for a tow and when he showed up tried to start again and got symptoms of a bad battery. Wanted to crank, lights flashing etc.
Dealer tested the battery and was toast.

Next day same original no start symptoms. They contacted GM warranty seein as how they couldnt duplicate the symptom.
Warranty said to change the starter. Has been fine for about a month now.
Said that if that didnt work though they would then change the ignition switch. But like said all now seems fine.

[sjzfly]

Good Evening, did you ever figure out what caused the no start problem on the SLS? My 2000 STS won't turn over after I replaced the 2 Crankshaft Position sensors. I had gotten a p0386 code twice and several p0300 raddom misfire codes mostly when on cruise and going down a hill. The car never does seem to mis however, it runs strong and idles nice. I can't believe the starter crapped out at that exact time after replacing them, but I guess it could have. I took the new sensors out and put the old ones back in and still it won't turnover. The motor is a new Jasper reman with only 1500 miles on it. I did not put it in but maybe should have brought it back to the guys that did. Thanks for any input,,Steve

[Ranger]

Won't even crank? Do you hear the solenoid clicking? Lights work? Do they dim when you turn the key?