2001 Chevy Malibu LS

I have a problem where the car doesn't reliably start. Here are some of the scenarios.

1 week ago. 70 degrees but high humidity.... recently it was raining heavily and humidity was really high and the car would not start in the morning 7am even though it was 70 degrees out. I turn the key and the lights come on, radio comes on, turn the key and I hear no clicks, no cranking, nothing. At noon at 80 degrees, I turn the key and the car starts fine.

Nov 2012. 40 degrees. I turn the key, no sounds are made. I leave the car in on with lights on for 5 minutes, then turn the key, starts but the cranking sounds dirty and takes a little longer

Jan 2012. 10 degrees. I turn the key, no sounds made. Leave the car in and the lights on for 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 min, 1 hr. Car will not start.

Is this the infamous cyclinder issue or a bad starter. Please advise

 

Well it sounds like you have a weak battery since cold weather will reduce the strength of your battery. The click is the starter solenoid trying to engage the starter but it doesn't have enough power from the battery to make it happen. Time for a new battery........Also I don't know where you live or how cold it gets but in really cold weather you need to plug in a bock heater to your car so the engine will start, if you live in a warmer climate your car might not even have a bock heater but if it does you could plug that in to make it easier starting but first I recommend you get a new battery.

 

Check your battery and oil. Colder weather affects both the battery and the oil inside the car. The battery stores chemical energy and releases it as electricity when the key is turned in the ignition. Cold weather reduces the battery's output to the engine by slowing its chemical reaction. Cold also causes oil to thicken, making it harder for the oil to flow between engine parts when the car is being started.

 

Guys, it's not the battery. The lights and radio always work fine and the mechanic ran a test on the battery and the strength was fine.

I'm also not getting a clicking sound when I turn the key... I don't get any sound at all, no click and no cranking.

I need to point out again that this car wouldn't start in the middle of summer on an early morning when there was really high humidity.

My guess is the humidity and cold are causing the ignition cylinder to malfunction and lock out the fuel injection. This is what 2 mechanics have said. They also say it could be it needs a new starter.

Unfortunately, I can't get it to repeat the problem. It's sitting at the repair shop now, and the mechanic can't tell me which problem it has. I guess I could take the car back and wait till it gets cold and see if a security light comes up on the dash when trying to start it. Or I suppose I could leave a bucket of water in the car to simulate high humidity. Any other ideas?

 

James-

You're right. It s NOT the battery. That is everybody's knee-jerk reaction when I tell them about this EXACT same problem on my 2001 Malibu.

Here's what I have figured out so far... Mine will not start when it is ~freezing temperature or colder. Same symptoms as yours. Will not turn, does not click, etc.

I recently found, though, that I CAN jump it across the solenoid and it will start right up. It's cold where I live right now, and I have been successfully able to start it in this way every time it plays dead. The solenoid and starter appear to be good, so I think my problem is somewhere between the ignition switch and the solenoid. I'm going to wait until it is warmer before I dig into it any further, so right now, I have a toggle switch wired in between the solenoid and the positive battery terminal as a temp fix.

Did you ever find out anything more on yours?

 

Distracty Welcome to the forum