I have a 3.8 liter 2002 Chevy impala that I am having problems with. My interior lights come on and the radio and the gauge lights all come on but I have had 2 instances now where my car will not crank over. I turn the key and there is is nothing. Not even clicking but the lights come on. I had the battery tested but it came back good with 776 cranking amps out of 800. The car will start right up after a few tries after that it runs fine and starts on the 1st try. I don't know what to check.
Please do not blindly replace the starter, if you do not hear a click the relay is likely not being energized, this has nothing to do with the starter...
I would venture a guess it may have to do with anti theft, however I would let someone else chime in on that. I try to stay as far away as possible from those kinda issues so my experience in that area is lacking.
First thing is to clean the battery terminals. Check the ground strap/cable for tightness. Check the neutral safety switch. Check the brake switch. Try a different key.
Key won't help any, 02 should be passlock. That said, passlock could be your issue. After attempting a start, leave the key on... does the lock symbol remain on or flash?
No security light. Just the normal start up lights. When you turn the key you get nothing. just lights. there is no click when you turn. you do hear something running then stopping. Problem is intermittent too. It happened last Thurs. morning and just yesterday afternoon when I got off work. The MAF, Water Pump and Alternator have all been replaced before in this vehicle.
On my Toyota Camry, it would sometimes not start; there was no click, but the starter was the problem- the shop found some internal defects.
Since I had it rebuilt, everything has worked perfectly.
Buying a rebuilt starter at Pep Boys, etc. would have been less expensive, but the quality might not have been there. I felt more confident rebuilding my old starter at a local automotive electric shop.
No security light. Just the normal start up lights. When you turn the key you get nothing. just lights. there is no click when you turn. you do hear something running then stopping.