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97 vt commodore cranks but wont start.. need help

funkydever

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hi everyone. my mrs has a 97 vt which cranks but wont start. at first she would either swap a couple of the relay fuses around or lock the car with the remote on the key then un lock multiple times and most of the time eventually it would start . sometimes after doin this a couple of times but sometimes it could take hours. so firstly i had racv come out and he told me the battery was no good so to start there. we got a brand new battery and the car worked perfect for a few days then started doin what it was again. so i had them come again and he said it probably was the crank angle sensor. so i had lube mobile come and he said all signs pointed to that to so i got him to put a new one in. he did and then he informed it still wouldnt start...after payin him a fortune i was not impressed. then he told me he couldnt work it out so he would come back with someone else that specialised in these things. then they told me it was the dfi module and would cost me $675 to replace. so i thought i would test it myself so i took it out and checked all the engine coils with a multimeter and they read fine then i took the one out of my vx wagon and put the one from the vt in my vx and it started fine.. lucky i did this or i would of been down $675 for nothing.so its not the battery, cas or dfi module. and now im stumped and dont know where to go from here..can anyone help ??
 

IBLOWN

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I think you need somebody to come out and perform a scan on the car. You could have some BCM issues. There seems to be a link with the problem. The link is everytime you remove the battery/power it works for a while. Before you go further, remove the positive battery terminal for a few mins, replace, then see what happens. If it starts, you must have ECU/BCM issues.
 

VTS5

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Swap batteries between vt and vx,i think your battery got weaker.What its CC rating?..What does it show under load?
 

lout

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another person who needs to improve their maintenance
any way is red mode light flashing when you try to start
 

funkydever

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another person who needs to improve their maintenance
any way is red mode light flashing when you try to start

hey mate hows it goin.cheers for the reply. yeah the mode light is flashing. i was thinking it could b the immobiliser stopping it but when u push the button on the key the alarm light stops flashing but the mode light continues to flash. what are u thinking it could mean?
 

funkydever

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and cheers to the guys replying. i wil try those things with the battery this mourning aswell and let u know how i go
 
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devilly

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start relay under the bonnet.check terminals at battery and all the leads that go to it for tightness and firm connection.sounds like you have a power drain going on.working good for a few days then not may be alternator not recharging battery.
 

funkydever

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start relay under the bonnet.check terminals at battery and all the leads that go to it for tightness and firm connection.sounds like you have a power drain going on.working good for a few days then not may be alternator not recharging battery.

funny u say that actually. when i went to try a few things this mourning the battery was drained dead and i charged it to full on a charger only a couple of days ago. how can i test the alternator ?
 

lout

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yeah the mode light is flashing. i was thinking it could b the immobiliser stopping it but when u push the button on the key the alarm light stops flashing but the mode light continues to flash. what are u thinking it could mean?[/QUOTE said:
this sounds like you have a separate alarm system and factory system
anyway the car will not start if the red mode light is flashing, this is the factory immobilizer
need more info on type of alarm, does alarm use a separate remote
your factory key/remote does that work normally
 
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devilly

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most people use a multimeter,i use the method of holding mode and up button,then start car then release the buttons,then press mode until you get volts up,mines on 14.1, when you press brake light it will drop the volts and then go back up.if this doesn't happen check the wiring,at the back of alternator,common place for it failing, disconnect the battery check the nut and the wires ,you can drive the car with the volts meter on.see what it does.
 
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