We just got done putting the new 3.4 in my 03. only 65k no sign of any leaks. all wires where they need to be, fresh fluids and filters and even a new belt. put the key in turn it...and nothing. some dash lights will come on (security, service engine, traction off, seat belt, low fuel.) i KNOW i have at LEAST a half a tank if not more in my tank but it reads empty, plus there is no sound coming from my fuel pump. after i turned the key off...and took it out of the ignition my parking lights wouldn't shut off. we started to charge the battery thinking it was almost dead, that didn't change anything. we double checked ground wires and they all look good. we charged the battery for a half hour disconnected it, hooked it back up and tried resetting the security and that didn't change anything either.

i found this post and the first video he posted is exactly what my car is doing = https://montecarloforum.com/forum/mo...t-start-46187/

while we were attempting to get the car pushed into the garage the key was in the ignition so we could have it in neutral. it was dinging away like normal when all of the sudden it started making creepy noises and going nuts. i hurried up and took the key out and for about 10 seconds after the dash lights and the radio lights still stayed lit up! after we got the car in the garage hubby cleaned the terminals on the battery and wires and as soon as he touched the positive on my rearview mirror lights started blinking real fast and the key was out of the ignition laying on the dash and both doors were shut. dome light did nothing. we disconnected the battery again and have walked away for the night.
my battery has a tag on it saying its dated 11/08...so im going to go buy a new battery, BUT if this does not work does anyone have any ideas as to what else could be the problem? my hub is certain it has nothing to do with the engine swap. maybe ignition? or since i have not had the chance to replace the ecm yet could that be going bizerk?

 

i found this on autozone.com while searching for prices of things. this came up when i did a search under BCM. [Valuecraft ignition control module: Part Number: DR145VC
Alternate Part Number: DR145TG
Warranty: 1 YR
Notes: Test sheets work with GenIII testers only. See attached bulletin to identify your tester. It is best to test your old parts first. Wells Test sheets are available for most ignition modules. A misfire condition can destroy the ignition module. If the engine is or has been misfiring, do not install the new ignition module until after the source of the misfire has been corrected. Check the secondary ignition circuit; Plugs, Plug Wires, Coil (s), Distributor Cap Rotor. Also check for any camshaft position sensor trouble codes.]

now beings that my enigne had a misfire code in cyl 5 and was knocking real bad and wouldnt move...id say that qualifies as a misfire condition. so this may be a possibility....

 

If these conditions did not exist prior to the engine swap, then something happened during the swap. Damaged wire, bad or missing ground, harness not properly connected, anything. Even a bad battery or poorly charged one will cause these cars to do crazy things (I had one on mine that when it went did, my back up lights would blink). These things go crazy because the computer tech in the car is functional but not enough power to be fully functional if that makes sense.

If these was the anti-theft system in the car, it would prevent the injectors from firing (but the fuel pump would activate and the starter would crank).

With out going through the schematics, I'm not sure.

Just as an off the wall, because of the other freak things it's doing, either pull a known good battery from another car and try it or have the Monte battery tested. For many of us, this winter has been CRAZY cold and therefore causing all sorts of bizarre issues with parts.

 

Thanks for the help. the charger kept saying the battery was cold. im buying a new battery tonight. praying this is the issue. since the date on the battery say 11/08, its probably safe to say i need a new one anyhow so its not like its a new battery that i killed or anything. my husband said there was only 2 ground wires he disconnected and he connected them back up. he checked to make sure they were still secure and they were. so unless there is another one he is not aware of....
In the summer last year we kinda had the same issue...but not as "freaky" so to speak. we tore the dash apart to install a toggle switch and to replace my ac/heater control unit. when we put the dash back together the car wouldn't start. turned the key and it was like it had no power except lights and stuff would work. i tore my dash panel back off stuck my key in and my car fired. turned the car off, clicked the panel back in place and it was dead again. so for a while i was driving around with my dash half off enough to get my key in the ignition behind it. then one day i pushed the panel in and didn't put the little plastic piece on that says "off, acc, on, start" and it fired every time . so i left that off. i checked to make sure when i was putting the panel back on i wasn't pinching any wires, jolting something lose in the ignition or any of the above so i was as confused as confused could get. we thought maybe my ignition was going bad then...but i have not had one single issue with it since then. its been a good 9 months since that happened.

 

new battery is in...still no luck. my lights aren't going all funky on me ad there is no feed back sounds like we had with the old battery...but it still wont start, my message center still goes thru all of the warnings light, and it still says i have no gas and we don't hear the pump. The hubby triple checked the ground wires and they all seem fine, all hooked up. he was no where near the fuel pump or no farther under the car then the engine so we couldn't have messed with a fuel ground. all harnesses are accounted for and hooked up. unless the ecm really did crap the bed completely this time, im at a lose of words. the ignition could still be bad, but i wouldn't think that would have anything to do with my gas gauge reading properly.

 

while doing some searching this morning for some answer or a reason for anything thats been going wrong with my car...i have come across this: " This can and will apply to most problems I've read here. My 02' LS started acting up recently(lights flashing, relays clicking, AC shutting off, misfires, ABS/traction inop). Being that I'm an Electronics Tech, there's no reason I can't troubleshoot and repair these issues myself. I found that GM doesn't seem to get the Theory behind electrical current flow (the part about- current flows on the surface of the conductor) Paint isn't conductive (unless it's leaded, but it's NOT). First and foremost check all ground connections under the hood(on engine block or body panels) Seems like they're relying on the bolts to make the contact to the chassis, since all ground connections on the body have paint under them. In doing so I've had a few of the problems start functioning again. I haven't got all fixed, but after tomorrow I should have some more info for all you monte's out there. " "1st they say they made the sensor cables too short that go to the speed sensors. being that they'll try and sell you that. Dont' buy into it. These cars all have major wiring issues. As GM thinks it's OK to put a ground connection over painted body panels. I have a 02' monte (electrically the same car, as with most other functions) and I was able to fix mine by removing the ground wires, cleaning/replacing it fixed the ABS/traction. There's also a problematic area where the AC cable, ABS sensor wires, and multiple ground wires meet and come together by the AC accumulator mounting ring ( on the driver side, under air filter box, shiny silver canister with line coming in and one out- that's the accumulator) the cable beside that with all the wires coming in and out of that is a problem area, where chaffing is caused from the mounting ring." alot of other people have also had problems with ignition switch causing issues with their blower motors. one guy said he replaced his ignition switch and the problems went away after having replaced blower motor, relays and a cpl other things with no luck. an ignition switch is a lil under $100 at Autozone. Tonight we are going to tear my air cleaner compartment apart and clean it all up and try to "properly" ground the wires and go from there.

 

found a ground wire that managed to become disconnected from the bottom of the engine. that fixed the no crank no fuel issue. now we have no spark.