Oldsmobile Silhouette Will Not Crank Over

Oldsmobile Silhouette 2001. Question: Intermittent. Seems to be increasing frequency. Turn key to Start. Nothing happens. Starter does not engage. No electrical accessories work. It is as if a master switch has been turned off.

Turn key off. Sometimes a servo motor sound is heard from the instrument panel. Speedometer and Tach needles oscillate at bottom of the scale. (Sounds like it is trying to reset.) Sometimes if let set for 5-10 minutes the van will start with no problem.

What steps do I take to fix the problem? Thank you.

oldsmobile silhouette

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ANSWER:

There could be several reasons form this. First, check the battery cable connections. Have seen many time that the lug in the battery that the cable bolt screws into, begin to pull out of the battery And give many different electrical problems. They will usually also leak acid. Try to loosen/tighten cable and see if it begins to pull out of battery.

There is also harness connector under the van that also gives odd electrical problems. Under the van, right behind the front seat, 1-3 harness connectors go up into the body. Theses sometimes get water intrusion and turn the wires green. Just unplug them and look inside the connector on the harness and the body. If corroded, it will be very obvious.

Could also have and ignition switch problem, but check these simple things first.


Question:
1995 Silhouette Oldsmobile 3800. Where is the ICM location?

Answer: The ignition control module on the 3800 V6 engine is located under the ignition coils. The coils are on the passenger side of the engine, sort of above the belt and front valve cover. The coils need to be removed, then the module will come right off.


Question:
Problem with my 2001 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE 3400 V6 SERVICE ENGINE. Auto part store pulled code and said it was the ECT sensor. WE REPLACED ECT SENSOR. Service engine light on again, pulled codes and it said engine temp too low to regulate, and temp gauge does not register. What could be the problem? Could it be a faulty ECT sensor?

Answer:
If the code you are getting is P0128, then there are two common causes for this.
1. A bad thermostat. This would also cause the engine to not heat up enough to get heat out of the heater vents.
2. A coolant leak causing the coolant level to be low. Or a headgasket problem. This would cause air pockets in the system, and will cause the code and also no heat.


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