Originally Posted by Floridaguy99 (Post 803600)

Hi all,

I am helping my younger brother with his car issue. He has a 2008 HHR (auto trans) that will not start or crank. He lives about two and a half hours away from me. Yesterday I drove to his place to try and help him fix the car.

First thing we did was take the battery to get tested. After testing good, we got a full charge on it and headed back to the car. I verified that the battery connection wires were clean and corrosion free. I inspected the battery ground terminal (chassis side) and ensured it was also good to go. I checked the 30A crank fuse(#5) in the fuse box and made sure it was good. I also ohmed out the crank relay (#34) and tried swapping it with another relay of the same part number. I also inspected the two posts to the left of the engine fuse box and made sure they were tight and secure. After doing all this, it still did not start or crank.

I went ahead and replaced the starter. I ensured all connections were nice and tight. I cleaned the terminal heads with a wire brush to clean off any corrosion. The vehicle still did not start. I replaced the ignition switch too and it also did not fix the problem. I attempted to start the car in neutral to see if changing the position of the park/neutral position switch would help any.

When the key is turned to start the vehicle, the headlights go out (or very dim, it was the day time). There is no clicking noise made. Any idea or input would be greatly appreciated. All the lights in the dash go out while the key is held to the start position. I am planning to head back again this upcoming weekend to continue troubleshooting. I have attached a wiring schematic of the starter system in case it helps any.