18 ZL1 1LE won't start - Dead Battery? Electrical issue?

Ebbsnflows · 10-14-2020, 06:30 PM

My 2018 ZL1 1LE won't start.
When I get in, everything seems normal. Door sills light up, interior lights come on, the dash lights up, "Camaro" flashes across the infotainment center. When I push the start-button, I hear the fuel pump prime, my seat auto-adjusts, gauges cycle, etc...literally everything is normal...except for the fact that it won't start. There is literally no attempt to crank at all. No starter clicking...nothing. Just silence in the engine bay.

I've tried jumping it off with my truck....still no attempt to start. I'd expect a semi-dead battery to at least give me a clicking starter. Multimeter shows 12.6 to 12.8V.

Before I disassemble the trunk to remove the battery, has anyone else experienced these symptoms?

Car is 2.5 yrs old with 2900 miles on it.

SFV1LE · 10-14-2020, 07:27 PM

Something like that happened to me once, car wouldn't start until I turned it fully off and waited a few minutes before restarting.

Also happened when I had a dead battery, car will have enough power to light everything up but it knows it's not enough to start that massive motor.

I would try disconnecting/reconnecting the battery. If that doesn't work, battery is probably too low. The OEM batteries do suck and frequently die early, I replaced mine.

Ebbsnflows · 10-14-2020, 07:41 PM

Update: Took the battery out and had it tested at local autoparts store (OReilly's). Battery tested good.

I reinstalled the battery - same exact exact issue - still won't even try to crank.
No codes or other issues...it simply won't crank.

I've got about 3 months of warranty left - but damn I do NOT want to have it towed to the dealership.

Blast2hell · 10-14-2020, 07:49 PM

Weird....just making guesses here to check on. Issue with the key fob maybe? Or the start button isn't activating all the way? I guess your starter could be completely locked up, but why would it be...short of flooded/rusted. Not likely. Just reaching with ideas.

Camaro1973 · 10-14-2020, 09:28 PM

Sounds like it could be the starter. I know theres been some issues with starters and theres an ongoing class action lawsuit, im just not 100% sure what models are affected.

Ebbsnflows · 10-14-2020, 09:59 PM

Ok, think I may have figured it out. I swapped the starter relay with the vacuum pump relay and the car started up immediately. I'm not sure if swapping the relay fixed it or just the act of reseating it did the trick. It's getting late so I'll do more troubleshooting/experimenting tomorrow. Thanks everyone for the feedback and ideas.

gtfoxy · 10-14-2020, 10:17 PM

Yeah try putting the relay back in & see what happens.

Good or bad, it’s a cheap & easy fix.

Good job.

MisterMarauder · 05-04-2022, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ebbsnflows

Ok, think I may have figured it out. I swapped the starter relay with the vacuum pump relay and the car started up immediately. I'm not sure if swapping the relay fixed it or just the act of reseating it did the trick. It's getting late so I'll do more troubleshooting/experimenting tomorrow. Thanks everyone for the feedback and ideas.

I ran into the same issue, and also used the same solution of swapping the two relays. It fired up immediately.
I then swapped the relays back to their original spot and it cranked up.

So, before I do any more troubleshooting, did you ever figure out the issue?

Did swapping the relays fix your issue?

Blu Ray · 05-04-2022, 05:28 PM

2 -1/2 Years and only 2900 miles - - - - -

Corbs09 · 05-05-2022, 11:02 AM

Id take it to the dealer... there is a reason it killed the relay.

ZED SLED · 05-05-2022, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blu Ray

2 -1/2 Years and only 2900 miles - - - - -

Thread is 1.5 years old so some simple math shows it should now have 4833 miles on it! Providing, of course, OP got the issue resolved.

NG329 · 05-05-2022, 12:48 PM

I had this happen to me at the race track. I couldn't get it started right when I was about to go out for my session. It scared the hell out of me because I was 2hrs away from home.

It turned out that my car didn't like my HPTuners ODB2 device plugged into the port. I would leave it in indefinitely and I had it piggybacked to the AEM Wideband ODB2 adapter. I pulled them both out and the car started with no problems.

If you have something plugged into ODB2 port, pull it out and try to start the car.

10-14-2020, 06:30 PM	#1
Ebbsnflows Drives: 2018 Camaro ZL1-1LE Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Western NC Posts: 405	18 ZL1 1LE won't start - Dead Battery? Electrical issue? My 2018 ZL1 1LE won't start. When I get in, everything seems normal. Door sills light up, interior lights come on, the dash lights up, "Camaro" flashes across the infotainment center. When I push the start-button, I hear the fuel pump prime, my seat auto-adjusts, gauges cycle, etc...literally everything is normal...except for the fact that it won't start. There is literally no attempt to crank at all. No starter clicking...nothing. Just silence in the engine bay. I've tried jumping it off with my truck....still no attempt to start. I'd expect a semi-dead battery to at least give me a clicking starter. Multimeter shows 12.6 to 12.8V. Before I disassemble the trunk to remove the battery, has anyone else experienced these symptoms? Car is 2.5 yrs old with 2900 miles on it. __________________ 2018 Camaro ZL1/1LE

10-14-2020, 07:41 PM	#3
Ebbsnflows Drives: 2018 Camaro ZL1-1LE Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Western NC Posts: 405	Update: Took the battery out and had it tested at local autoparts store (OReilly's). Battery tested good. I reinstalled the battery - same exact exact issue - still won't even try to crank. No codes or other issues...it simply won't crank. I've got about 3 months of warranty left - but damn I do NOT want to have it towed to the dealership. __________________ 2018 Camaro ZL1/1LE

10-14-2020, 07:49 PM	#4
Blast2hell Drives: 2020 ZLE Rally Green A10 Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: Orlando Posts: 178	Weird....just making guesses here to check on. Issue with the key fob maybe? Or the start button isn't activating all the way? I guess your starter could be completely locked up, but why would it be...short of flooded/rusted. Not likely. Just reaching with ideas. __________________ 2020 Rally Green ZLE A10 (SOLD)2017 NGM ZL1 A10 Built 3/31 Sebring Best Lap Time 2:29 Video Roebling Road Best Lap Time 1:25 Video

10-14-2020, 09:59 PM	#6
Ebbsnflows Drives: 2018 Camaro ZL1-1LE Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Western NC Posts: 405	Ok, think I may have figured it out. I swapped the starter relay with the vacuum pump relay and the car started up immediately. I'm not sure if swapping the relay fixed it or just the act of reseating it did the trick. It's getting late so I'll do more troubleshooting/experimenting tomorrow. Thanks everyone for the feedback and ideas. __________________ 2018 Camaro ZL1/1LE

05-04-2022, 05:28 PM	#9
Blu Ray ALWAYS-N-BOOST Drives: 2021 ZLE A10 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Alpine, NJ Posts: 2,376	2 -1/2 Years and only 2900 miles - - - - - __________________ 2012 1LS M6 Black-Sold 2013 2LT M6 BluRay- Sold 2015 1SS 1LE M6 Black-Sold 2021 ZLE A10 Riverside Blue - Awaiting Arrival 01/10

10-14-2020, 07:27 PM	#2
SFV1LE Drives: 2018 Hyper Blue ZL1 1LE Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: CA Posts: 1,360	Something like that happened to me once, car wouldn't start until I turned it fully off and waited a few minutes before restarting. Also happened when I had a dead battery, car will have enough power to light everything up but it knows it's not enough to start that massive motor. I would try disconnecting/reconnecting the battery. If that doesn't work, battery is probably too low. The OEM batteries do suck and frequently die early, I replaced mine.

10-14-2020, 09:28 PM	#5
Camaro1973 Drives: 2019 ZL1 Join Date: Mar 2019 Location: NJ Posts: 1,534	Sounds like it could be the starter. I know theres been some issues with starters and theres an ongoing class action lawsuit, im just not 100% sure what models are affected.

10-14-2020, 10:17 PM	#7
gtfoxy Account Suspended Drives: '21 Wild Cherry ZL1 Join Date: Aug 2018 Location: WI Posts: 2,082	Yeah try putting the relay back in & see what happens. Good or bad, it’s a cheap & easy fix. Good job.

05-05-2022, 11:02 AM	#10
Corbs09 Drives: Chevy Camaro ZLE Join Date: Mar 2022 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 112	Id take it to the dealer... there is a reason it killed the relay.

05-05-2022, 12:48 PM	#12
NG329 Drives: Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE Join Date: Oct 2021 Location: NY Posts: 707	I had this happen to me at the race track. I couldn't get it started right when I was about to go out for my session. It scared the hell out of me because I was 2hrs away from home. It turned out that my car didn't like my HPTuners ODB2 device plugged into the port. I would leave it in indefinitely and I had it piggybacked to the AEM Wideband ODB2 adapter. I pulled them both out and the car started with no problems. If you have something plugged into ODB2 port, pull it out and try to start the car.

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