I've got a '91 Pontiac Sunbird that's developed an aggravating ignition problem. If I turn it off when the engine is hot, on a warm day, the starter won't kick in when I try to start it up again. All the other electrics come on, it's just the starter that doesn't answer. When I turn the key, it does nothing. Sometimes there's hesitation and then it kicks in if I hold the key in the ignition position, sometimes it turns for a second and then stops before the engine starts, but more and more it just doesn't answer at all. I replaced the old starter last fall when this problem first turned up, but it didn't solve it.
This is completely tied to temperature. It never happens in winter, but becomes a plague in summer. If I get in and the ignition won't ignite, I have to let the car sit for a half hour or an hour and then it usually will start. Naturally this usually happens when I'm doing errands, etc, and is darned inconvenient.
One other possibly relevant point: Last summer the solenoid in my auto transmission went out (tranny wouldn't shift) and I had it replaced. That too was linked to temperature; it only acted up when the engine was hot, which is why I mention it here. I've tried shifting into neutral or reaming the shift back and forth when I have the ignition problem, on the chance it's connected to the tranny ignition kill switch, but it has no effect.
Naturally I can't get it to do this for the guys down at the garage, only on the way to the garage and on the way home afterward.
Any ideas?
RK Henderson
Author of "The Neighborhood Forager," the complete guide to the wild edibles of residential areas.
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