2000 Malibu won't start in the cold
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2000 Malibu won't start in the cold
Hey everyone.
My 2000 Malibu has been giving me some trouble in these recent weeks because of the cold. It won't start in the morning, the battery turns on, but when I try to start the engine, it clicks a single time, refusing to turn on. I come home during my lunch hour, and it still won't start. But when my husband comes back from work around 3, it starts up without hesitation, and will continue to do so until the next morning.
So I took it to my mechanic. He couldn't replicate it (because it was towards the evening) but he replaced the starter (with a used starter from another car he had), assuming that was it. Well that didn't fix anything. So we took it to Autozone, and it turns out the battery had a bad cell. So we warrantied the battery and thought our problems were over.
The next week, it does the same exact thing. This time the battery tested fine. So I took it to my mechanic again, and one of his assistants cleaned off the lead oxide from the battery terminals. Problem solved.
Now this week, it's doing the same thing again. So I took it to another mechanic. They duplicated the problem, but only once after that it started just fine. The techs who were working on it think it could be the starter, because they can hear the starter running a little while after it actually starts. They also think it might be a short, but because they couldn't duplicate it, they can't tell for sure. The mechanic who runs that shop thinks it could be the body control module, but once again, couldn't properly diagnose it because it started up fine this morning.
I'm getting very frustrated with it and I wish someone could just give me a straight answer. I would greatly appreciate any input. Thanks!
My 2000 Malibu has been giving me some trouble in these recent weeks because of the cold. It won't start in the morning, the battery turns on, but when I try to start the engine, it clicks a single time, refusing to turn on. I come home during my lunch hour, and it still won't start. But when my husband comes back from work around 3, it starts up without hesitation, and will continue to do so until the next morning.
So I took it to my mechanic. He couldn't replicate it (because it was towards the evening) but he replaced the starter (with a used starter from another car he had), assuming that was it. Well that didn't fix anything. So we took it to Autozone, and it turns out the battery had a bad cell. So we warrantied the battery and thought our problems were over.
The next week, it does the same exact thing. This time the battery tested fine. So I took it to my mechanic again, and one of his assistants cleaned off the lead oxide from the battery terminals. Problem solved.
Now this week, it's doing the same thing again. So I took it to another mechanic. They duplicated the problem, but only once after that it started just fine. The techs who were working on it think it could be the starter, because they can hear the starter running a little while after it actually starts. They also think it might be a short, but because they couldn't duplicate it, they can't tell for sure. The mechanic who runs that shop thinks it could be the body control module, but once again, couldn't properly diagnose it because it started up fine this morning.
I'm getting very frustrated with it and I wish someone could just give me a straight answer. I would greatly appreciate any input. Thanks!
Last edited by tobixforever; Feb 26, 2015 at 2:24 PM. Reason: Submitted before I finished writing post
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Joined: Feb 2015
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Additional Info
While looking up what exactly a body control module was, a few things came to mind that have been weird electrically with my car.
Ever since I've had it, for about a year, the headlights have always been on, even if I have them turned off, they are always on when the car is on.
And a few months ago, my turn signals started acting up. When you start driving it for the first time that day, the turn signal will turn on, but it won't blink, it'll just be a solid light until you turn it off. But as you continue to use it, it eventually gets better and works itself out.
I've really never thought anything of those things, but in light of new developments, maybe that can help lead to a correct diagnosis.
Ever since I've had it, for about a year, the headlights have always been on, even if I have them turned off, they are always on when the car is on.
And a few months ago, my turn signals started acting up. When you start driving it for the first time that day, the turn signal will turn on, but it won't blink, it'll just be a solid light until you turn it off. But as you continue to use it, it eventually gets better and works itself out.
I've really never thought anything of those things, but in light of new developments, maybe that can help lead to a correct diagnosis.
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