Hello all. I'm currently working on a 2007 HHR that belongs to my sister. I'm at my wits end and could really use some help. This particular HHR is mostly a base model with the 2.2l ecotech engine and a manual transmission. Turning the key does nothing. The car will not try to crank at all, and the fuel pump doesn't turn on.

So far, here is where I am at with my testing:

1. I first verified that all of the fuses and relays in the vehicle were good. I next made sure that the battery was fully charged and I have kept a high end trickle charger connected up while working on it. Lastly I checked to make sure that there were no check engine codes by scanning the computer.
2. I did find some remnants of a remote starter that the original owner had on it. Many wires from an aftermarket unit were connected up under the dash. It was wired up to the PK3 key sensor, ignition power wires, brake pedal switch, and over to the bcm as well. I removed everything that I could find.
3. The fuel pump does not try to prime when I turn the key to the on position. If I jumper the relay under the hood, in the fuse box, the pump turns right on.
4. I decided to pull the starter and test it outside of the vehicle. I found that the solenoid was dead. However, the starter had been slowly dying prior to the current situation. A bad solenoid couldn't have damaged something else in the starting system could it?
5. Next I tried connecting my multimeter to the starter wires, and with the starter still out I had my sister turn the key. Unfortunately, it couldn't be that simple and I saw no voltage on the starter wires.
6. There are no security lights when using the key. To make sure it wasn't a computer problem, I tried swapping in a used ECM from another 2007 HHR with matching numbers from a local junk yard. I dId realize that this wouldn't fully work since the VIN numbers do not match, but I have an HP Tuner and can reprogram a replacement if necessary. The only thing that I saw different with the new ECM installed was that the security lights came on in the dash. The car still didn't try to crank over, nor did the fuel pump try to prime. A quick check of trouble codes now showed a crank position sensor error that I couldn't clear. I decided to put the original computer back in the car.
7. I next tried a couple of different ignition switches that I got at the junk yard, and yet again I still got the same results of no starting.
8. Lastly I did some further testing in the fuse box under the hood, I found that the I/P IGN fuse never gets any power, and the crank relay never gets power or engages.

Because my sister is on limited income, she can't afford to take it in to the dealership to get it fixed. And without it she can't get to work on her own. Therefore, it is up to me to get it fixed and at this point I am fresh out of ideas! I have no clue as to why I can't get power to the fuel pump or to the starter. I've read through multiple websites/forums and I've spent many hours searching online, but I haven't found the solution that I need. I'm hoping that someone here may have some idea of additional tests that I can perform. Any help at all is greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading!

Well I wanted to make sure that I did try to do everything that I could think of before being a noob and expecting someone to do the work for me! 😉

The crank sensor error was only present when I had the alternate ECM installed. Once the original ECM was put back in the car, it no longer had any trouble codes. I can only assume that it is either something stored in the junk yard ECM from its original vehicle, or because it was in an unfamiliar car.

Thanks for the reply, and I too hope someone else has some more ideas!

It did indeed have a P0315 code with the used ECM installed. And with the original back in, there are no codes.

Yes I verified and even replaced the crank fuse and relay to be safe. It used to run fine before the current issue started.

I misspoke about the starter wires and no power. I DO have power to the main red wire at the starter. I also cleaned and made sure the positive wires going to the fuse block under the hood were properly connected. I am not getting any power to the purple trigger wire.

The ignition switch recall was done before she bought the car.

This one doesn't have a neutral safety switch because it is a manual. But it did have a new clutch switch installed in it a few months ago. I did try jumpering it just to make sure that wasn't the culprit.

I have manually checked every fuse in the car and they are all good.

Today I ran a new ground wire to just make sure that wasn't part of the problem. Unfortunately it did not make any noticeable changes.

I know the fuse panel under the hood has power, but whatever enables it to turn on the fuel pump and crank relays is not happening. I'm just stumped. Any other suggestions?