I have a 2006 Pontiac Vibe, 300,000km, 1ZZ-FE, automatic transmission. I'm in Canada.
Intermittent issue where the car is completely dead when inserting and turning key. No chiming when the key is inserted, locks don't work, lights don't work, no power to any systems, can't start the car. I have tried this with both the main key and the spare key. The key turns fine when inserted into the ignition. If I disconnect and re-connect the battery, when I insert the key all systems turn on as usual and I can start the car. If I turn off the car and try to turn it back on, once again, all systems are dead.
Sometimes when I insert the key and the chimes and lights do come on as usual, when I turn the key to "start", suddenly everything goes totally dead again (no lights, locks, chimes, windows, key fob won't control anything, etc).
I checked and there are no blown fuses.
The car has:
New starter
New battery (charged)
Based on my research I am thinking it could be a bad ignition switch or a bad main relay. Any thoughts / suggestions? Any input on the issue would be appreciated!
Thanks for the input, guys! Turned out it was a loose / greasy / dirty connection where the top post clamp attaches to the large positive wire itself leading to the battery. Car seems to be fixed now!
I got it right! Great!
Well, I would start with more basic checks. For example:
How are those battery posts and clamps? Any corrosion? Are they cinched down tight?
What about intermittent problems with the harnesses that run from the clamps? Do you have power and ground coming from all those wires?
It sounds to me like an intermittent short, somewhere in the electrical system. Get a schematic and probe and check for power and ground.
If not, you may have a bad starter. New is not the same as known good. The replacement could be defective. Scotty has a video on that, and starter replacement.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ5jKlQvy1Y
And here: https://youtu.be/ct2wiMFVS3o
One of the lessons, here, is to always observe and cover the most basic elements, before throwing any parts at a problem. You probably didn't need the new starter. (The loose connection probably killed that battery, over time).
Well, starters are relatively cheap. I've heard of outrageous cases of people throwing in new ECMs, along with many other parts, when the problem ultimately lay in the battery terminals or the harness.
Happy Driving.