Hey Scotty, my daughter owns a 2009 Pontiac Vibe 1.8 litre that we put a used engine in. It sometimes has a really hard time starting when it’s cold, like it’s not catching on all cylinders. I have replaced the spark plugs, coils, fuel injectors and MAF sensor. Once it’s running it runs great and it will start fine 1 day but the next day won’t. No check engine lights.
Sounds like it needs a new battery. Have it tested.
Battery is 2 months old, posts are clean.
try boosting it with another vehicle and see if it starts more readily
Used a booster pack....made no difference.
Go to the FAQ and follow the link for 'car won't start' . Scotty has some good videos there
Was the used engine verified trouble free, before you installed it? Is all the wiring, good?
The engine ran fine for quite awhile. This has just started to happen recently. Just odd that one day it starts fine, the next, has a really hard time or not at all. Leave it overnight and it starts right up again. Also when I was trying to start it yesterday, I noticed when I had the key turned to the start position, I could let go of it and it would stay in the start position, I had to physically turn it back to on. After getting it going and it ran for a bit, I shut it off and started it again and the key didn’t stick.
Test the starter - https://forums.genvibe.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=4179
Sounds like you also need a new ignition lock cylinder.
Starter was new when we replaced the engine.
If I replace the ignition cylinder, do I need to get the keys reprogrammed?
Well you’ll have to troubleshoot the issue - https://carkiller.com/scottykilmer/qa/nostart/
If you replace the ignition cylinder, yeah most modern vehicles require you to have it reprogrammed with the main computer/immobiliser. I’d look at the starting problem first though, as it’s more serious.
So my next question is, could the ignition switch itself cause the hard to start issue? The key only sticks when it has a hard time starting and not when it starts up right away. Are the electrical contacts dirty on the switch and that’s what’s causing the hard start. Should I take it apart and clean it with contact cleaner?
The engine ran fine for quite awhile. This has just started to happen recently. Just odd that one day it starts fine, the next, has a really hard time or not at all. Leave it overnight and it starts right up again. Also when I was trying to start it yesterday, I noticed when I had the key turned to the start position, I could let go of it and it would stay in the start position, I had to physically turn it back to on. After getting it going and it ran for a bit, I shut it off and started it again and the key didn’t stick.