My car won't even turn over. Turning the key and no sound, no nothing. I need help!?

Question

I went on vacation for a week and when I got back I went to use my car the next day with no results. My car has a sunroof problem (before my time) and it leaks one way or another. I have tried to take the car in to get the sunroof fixed however no one will fix it. It drops down when closing so there isn't a seal.

Now here is the problem; My car had water in the back feet areas. Not just a little bit, but ALOT! I got some towels to soak it up and still didn't get it all soaked up. Had to get more towels, and figured I should take out back seat and see what is going on there.

I had found water under there that needed to be soaked up. Now the real issue!

My car won't even turn over! The electrical isn't working. Car not locked when I returned (I took keys with me). I have many towels on the floor board in back trying to soak up all the water.

Does anyone have advice on how to get this to turn over and start. I even need to get the elctrical working again. OLDS IntrigueHELP

No lights, no horn, no gauges, no windows rolling down, no locks on car. The battery was replaced about two months ago. Car sitting for a week no one driving it or touching it.

Yes there are wires under the carpet in the back seat and floorboard. Yes there are wires under the seats (both electric).

I am trying my best to get this solved with out taking it someplace.

Now ideas?

I will have the b/f jump it tomorrow evening for sure.

Thank you everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I won't have it jumped until I can find an electrician to at least look at it and tell me if it's "safe" to jump it.

If you have more ideas I am willing to hear them.
Thank you!

well the battery was completely dead. so I returned it for another.

The next thing is to seal the sunroof. Meaning have it welded shut. Mostly because it is an aftermarket thing. No one will touch this sunroof to reseal it. the sunroof drops and doesn't seal all the way. Only option left is to just seal it tight.

There is a drain on the battery and I do need to find it. I seriously believe tho, that it is the water entering into the car through sunroof.

I do appreciate all the answers. Everyone here has been so helpful!

IF YOU KNOW of anyone in Mid Missouri who will touch a sunroof that would be GREAT!

Again thank you

Answer 1

You probably have a short due to the water. I would pull the rear seat and carpet and look for wiring and then look at the connections and for any wire damage.

Try putting a battery charger on the car at no more than 10 amps. If the terminals are clean and the battery takes the charge it will probably be safe to jump it. If any fuses blow it will still be safe to jump it (a blown fuse won't let more damage occur). They will also tell you if you have a short.
The problem could also be in your ignition switch.

Answer 2

Start with the battery. You may have a small short that became a bigger problem with the water. I have a Buick that will drain (and damage the battery) if it is not driven. I think it is an alternator problem. I bought a 72 month battery and just replace when it goes bad.

I found a great trick to dry the rugs. Take off the plastic or metal covers that help hold down the carpet at the doors. Go to an sporting goods store and find the chemical hot packs that go in your pockets or ski boots in cold weather. I buy a 5 pack for about $2.00. Place empty aluminum or plastic soda cans under BOTH the carpet and pad. Activate the hot packs and put them on the floor boards. I use the packs that generate 130 degrees for ten hours or so, These dry carpets very well, make sure you space them to get all the carpets. . The cans will help the heat circulate, there packs that get hotter but I'm afraid they might melt some of the plastic in the insulation. Leave windows open a little to allow the moisture to flow.

Answer 3

I dont know yet what everyone else has advised you but this is what you need to do. I would suggest that the sunroof has caused your flat battery problem via a short. The water in the rear foot well is either from rain or someone that thinks destroying others property is funny.
I would locate the wires that go to the sun roof (usually run up the front pillars of windshield, and either cut power wire and fit a switch, so you can leave switched off until you wish to use the sun roof, OR pull the fuse that runs the sun roof until you can afford to fix this problem. This will prevent current draining from the battery when not in use. Also next time you go away, simply remove the positive cable from the battery so nothing is on in your car while you are away, then reconnect when you return. Because nothing is connected, the battery will stay charged for a long time. I leave my chevy with the battery connected for two months at a time in Iowa, and it has never let me down, even at below zero temps, but there are no shorts in my vehicle.
Good Luck, Tanner.

Answer 4

There is an orange wire on GM/Cad/Olds which is the body chassis feed. It runs the electric seats, sun roof, trunk light, dome light, and a bunch of other stuff. It is quite possible that the water has caused an electric drain that is not large enough to blow a fuse. In addition, on some models, this circuit is on a breaker which will reset itself. This could drain the battery.

The short answer is that you probably need a battery charge. Another possibility is dirty battery terminals, although the GM side terminal batteries don't have much of a problem with that.

You mentioned "jumping the car off:" Be careful with that: for one thing jumper cables alone will not carry enough amperage to start a totally dead battery. They are more properly callled "booster cables". Many manufacturers recommend that you not use them at all!

You might buy a small battery charger: you can get a cheap one for about $20. They are nice to have!!

If the car starts with a charged battery, the next thing is to determine why it went dead in the first place. Get a test light: they are cheap: less than $10. Disconnect one battery terminal and put the test light between the battery and the disconected cable. Make sure to close the doors (dome lights!!) and turn everything off. If the light lights up, you have a drain or short which is draining the battery.

Leave the light in place and pull out fuses one by one: when the light goes off, you've found the circuit with the drain!

I'm an ASE master mechainc in business for over 30 years: check out my website: http://econofix.com for more troubleshooting articles.

George

Answer 5

Just replace the battery. Install a battery quick disconnect so that when you are done with the car for the day or even after every trip, just use it to disconnect the battery electrically from the car's electrical system and it will not run down due to whatever ground you have. Some grounds are serious, but yours has been doing this for a while so I wouldn't worry too much.

Sunroof. RTV Silicone. It is waterproof and it will seal anything. It will fill any nook and cranny and is not too expensive. Cheaper than the alternatives.

Good luck.

Answer 6

the most likely problem is a dead battery. if there is a short in the electrical system, trying to jump the car may not be a good idea. also, as said in other answers, the battery may not take or hold a charge. remove the battery and take it to a local autoparts store like O'Reillys or whatever there is in your area. just look in the yellow pages under automotive. they can test the battery and tell you if it is dead and will be ok if charged, or if it is bad and needs to be replaced. do this first, and go from there. a knowledgable parts person can also give you other suggestions what may be wrong. if the battery is bad and nearly new, it should still be under warranty and should not cost anything to replace if needed.

Answer 7

I imagine that the primary failure is the battery has discharged. Check to see if the headlights and horn work. If not, recharge the battery, or jump start the car. It should turn over.
The water problem on this car most likely has nothing to do with the car not cranking over. It COULD have something to do with the battery discharging.
Look to see if there are any electronic components under the seats, or if the electric seat controls were flooded. This could account for the drain.

Answer 8

Do you have any response in the dash board guages or dome light? If not, chances are the battery is dead and will either have to be jump started, charged with a battery charger or replaced. If you have lights inside (dash etc.) when you turn the key to on, and still no starter cranking, turn your headlights on and watch them when you turn the key to start. If they dim, you have a bad connection or bad starter. I doubt if the leaking sunroof is related to your electrical problem as there really isn't anything in the rear seat area that would get wet and cause the car not to start.

Answer 9

If there is nothing when you turn the key in the ignition then your battery is dead.

Any number of things could have drained your battery, and you will need to get that checked out, but for now, you need a new battery. You can try jumper cables, but if your battery was sitting in this state for as much as a week, your battery may have already scaled and may not hold a charge.

Answer 10

well dear the water in the back on the floor aint why it is not starting, you may have a starter celeniod or relay bad, or perhaps a voltage regulator problem, not letting the current go through. if your relay is good you will hear a click at least when you go to turn the key if no click check those two things