Lil Help...Weird Problem.
 

I have a 1998 Monte Carlo and it will not start unless it is facing downhill, in park with no e-brake on...when the slack in the transmission is all taken up. If it's not facing downhill with the help of gravity, someone needs to push it forward and hold pressure til it starts. Any ideas???

Welcome to the forum!
Sorry to hear your having trouble with starting your Monte...

My first thought... Is a neutral safety switch. Will it start in Neutral?
I'm not totally familiar with all the ins and outs , solenoids etc on our Monte's But this is the first thing that comes to mind.
Maybe, The park mechanism/cable is out of alignment as well.

Please feel free to join in on the conversation in the daily blog.
Looking forward to seeing Pics of your Monte as well as filling out your profile and Garage!:thumbsup:
Thanks for Joining the MCF Family!

Also be sure to let us know what the issue was so we can pass it along to other members that may have the same issue down the road.

I'm sure someone else will chime in with other ideas/help!

That was my first thought also, and I probably know less than you about it but it does not start in neutral. I'm thinking you may be on to something with that mechanism/cable alignment. If on flat ground, I turn the key....nothing, no power, no starter...then if someone pushes it forward, in park, when I feel the car hit the end of the slack in the transmission, it turns right over and starts. If they rock it, every time it hits the end of the slack, it will try to start but the second it rocks back it goes dead. You have to hold it forward for a good 2-3 seconds til the car is running, like a normal ignition time. Thanks, So much for the info. My dad put a motor in it about a year ago so he may be able to guide me to that mechanism. I will post back with updates.

Maybe its a possible ground issue? Try checking the ground from the battery to the frame. Also try checking the wires that connect directly to the starter... Maybe theres a bare wire and taking the slack out of the park mechanism causes it to make a positive ground....(rubs against something) or pinchs a wire.

That was it, I put it in park, I un-clipped the cable, manually pulled it toward the firewall(it didn't move much, like 1/4") like the instructions I found in another thread and put the clip back on and now it starts every time. Thanks, for pointing me in the right direction!

Your Welcome!:thumbsup:
Glad we could help!...

Thanks for shareing what was wrong and how you fixed it!

Pls don't forget to share some pics of your Monte and join us in the daily Blog!:)