Vz wont start sometimes

[Trayner]

Is your immobilizer light turning off or still flashing when you go to start it?. You could always try a BCM reset not sure if that will do much thou.

I had the same problem for over 18 months but decided to live with it, however, last week was at Auto Lecs getting scanned for Air Bag fault and starter played up big time, same as yours, so replaced it with a spare starter I had on the shelf and all good since then.

Stripped the old starter and found the armature was burntish, so quick run over with light emery cloth and a general degrease of starter, test, and I now have a spare starter again.

edit...Just noticed the post above about BCM.
The Auto Lec reset the BCM twice with no result.

Yeah the immobilizer light turns off and it will start say the 4/10 times the first shot . if not I turn the key to off to on to off and on till it works .
In the morning after the car has been sitting all night the car will start first shot , but if I go to the servo and run in to grab a drink on the way to work then come back out and start the car again it will be a 50/50 it will work .

Tested all the grounds and wires running to the starter and checked over the relay with a multimeter and all seems to be good.
Made up a small loom on a switch that goes from 12v positive from the battery to the starter with a switch inline and pushing it , the starter wont start first shot will "click" a few times then have to push the button a few times then it will start .
So in doing this seems that its not computer/bcm related .

Which leaves me to believe that it is the starter motor solenoid that is gone/sticky thats why it will sometimes work first shot after leaving it for say 20 mins or so .

 

[Trayner]

Update

Changed the starter motor and now works first shot every time .

Testing the old starter on a battery in the garage , it will click , take the 12v off and re apply then it will turn . take it off it will click , take it off it will click so defently was a sticky solenoid.

 

[SS-REX]

Update

Changed the starter motor and now works first shot every time .

Testing the old starter on a battery in the garage , it will click , take the 12v off and re apply then it will turn . take it off it will click , take it off it will click so defently was a sticky solenoid.

Sweet glad you finally solved it i hate electrical gremlins how many km's has your Ute done.

 

[Trayner]

Sweet glad you finally solved it i hate electrical gremlins how many km's has your Ute done.

Hit 130,000 the other day , but she will be a weekender once i get my work wagon

 

[SS-REX]

Hit 130,000 the other day , but she will be a weekender once i get my work wagon

I'm at 170,000 makes me a little worried haha

 

[iChris]

sorry to bump a old thread, but I'm having similar issues with my WK but the problem has only just started.

when I go to start the car sometimes it will just make a single "click" noise from under the hood. I try to start it again and it will usually start second time. last time it did this when I went to start the car it made the single "click" noise and then after holding the key in the start position after a few seconds of silence it turned over and started as normal. I tested the battery and it seems ok and the dash is telling me it's putting out 14.8v at idle.

I made a video yesterday of the car starting and you can hear the "click" noise and then shortly after it starts as normal.

should I just replace the starter and hope that will fix the issue or is there anything else I can try?

and how difficult is it to change a starter on a LS1 with extractors without a hoist?

 

[Dezzle]

and how difficult is it to change a starter on a LS1 with extractors without a hoist?

Sounds like your solenoid is probably on it's way out.
Mine just slowly got more harder to start.

I changed my starter recently (Adventra LS1) and had to disconnect my leads, the extractor and push it toward the inner guard to get access.
It was just done on stands.

It's a pain, but not too difficult.

 

[Trayner]

sorry to bump a old thread, but I'm having similar issues with my WK but the problem has only just started.

when I go to start the car sometimes it will just make a single "click" noise from under the hood. I try to start it again and it will usually start second time. last time it did this when I went to start the car it made the single "click" noise and then after holding the key in the start position after a few seconds of silence it turned over and started as normal. I tested the battery and it seems ok and the dash is telling me it's putting out 14.8v at idle.

I made a video yesterday of the car starting and you can hear the "click" noise and then shortly after it starts as normal.

should I just replace the starter and hope that will fix the issue or is there anything else I can try?

and how difficult is it to change a starter on a LS1 with extractors without a hoist?

Yeah thats what mine did , started off only maybe doing it once a week , to like everyday .
Bridge the stater solenoid to make sure that it is indeed the starter motor .

Pain in the ass to do at home but do able , unbolt the drivers side extractors from the block and move them to the side , unbolt starter from underneath, then you have to bend your arm and wiggle the starter thru the maze of steering column and extractors

 

[Trayner]

Generic commodore pic taken from the net , but yeah the starter relay will be the one in the first slot , pull the sucker out , turn the key to ON , and bridge out a wire from 87 and 30 where I marked with green .

taken from another thread

 

[iChris]

here's a video I took that shows the issue. sometimes the pause between the click is several seconds and it will then start.

http://vid1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag79/uliekthis/5A0EA4FA-AA0A-4EAD-B546-99E3F09AFA62_zpswjculf5n.mp4

edit;

taken from another thread

so what will bridging that relay do? besides bypassing it?