2G Resurrecting a 97 GST that has sat for 7 years

[PhillyRP]

I've always wanted a 2G and stumbled across a Black 97 GST manual with 166k miles on a lien sale. It has been sitting in a Los Angeles area storage facility for about 7 years and just tried to start it today. I had to have a key made, don't have a fob, do I need one? I put in a new battery and some gas, turned the key and all it does is make a loud click from the engine bay. I'm mostly a classic muscle car car guy and the click sounds like a stuck starter to me. The motor looks all complete, fuses in tact. It has a clear fuel filter and it's not showing any fuel flowing, so maybe the pump is bad or the relay is bad? I couldn't find the relay or fuse. Shouldn't the fuel pump up once you turn the key to the first position? There are also two unknown wires, a clip and a push switch as pictured. Depending on whether I can get it started or not, I may back out of the sale if it's too involved. It passed smog 3 miles before what shows on the odometer now, so if it was a legal smog, it should run. Thanks for your help!

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[NOSLO2PT0]

I was going to suggest checking voltage at the battery when hitting the key, but if the battery is new.....
Try turning the steering wheel all the way to the left, using a long 1/2” extension, inserting it into the crank sprocket bolt and turning the motor over by hand. Talking the plugs out works make this a lot easier. This would rule out a locked up motor from lack of oil, engine out of time, etc

No other reason I could think of for the engine to at least not turn over, unless of course the starter solenoid was bad/stuck

 

[XC92]

If it's been sitting this long you want to replace the old gas as it's pretty nasty at this point and can damage the injectors and engine if run. I'd also remove the plugs, squirt in some oil and turn the engine over by hand a few times via the front crank by the left front wheel opening.

Also check the condition of the belts, especially timing, as you don't want to destroy the engine right off. And make sure there's enough oil, the oil filter's installed, all core fuses are in and ok, etc. Basic stuff. It might actually be a good thing that the car didn't start as you really want to prep it first before you run it.

Do you know why it ended up in storage and not run again?

And that switch looks like a clutch switch, that has to be pushed in to start the car. Normally this happens when you press the clutch pedal all the way in. If it's still connected to its wire but not installed in the pedal assembly, then your car won't start, and this might be the reason. But prep the car first before running it. Seriously, you'll be glad you did.

 

[PhillyRP]

If it's been sitting this long you want to replace the old gas as it's pretty nasty at this point and can damage the injectors and engine if run. I'd also remove the plugs, squirt in some oil and turn the engine over by hand a few times via the front crank by the left front wheel opening.

Also check the condition of the belts, especially timing, as you don't want to destroy the engine right off. And make sure there's enough oil, the oil filter's installed, all core fuses are in and ok, etc. Basic stuff. It might actually be a good thing that the car didn't start as you really want to prep it first before you run it.

Do you know why it ended up in storage and not run again?

And that switch looks like a clutch switch, that has to be pushed in to start the car. Normally this happens when you press the clutch pedal all the way in. If it's still connected to its wire but not installed in the pedal assembly, then your car won't start, and this might be the reason. But prep the car first before running it. Seriously, you'll be glad you did.

Awesome advice, thanks! It had zero gas, so I put in 2 gallons, but still no reading on the gas gauge, the needle didn't budge. I can only speculate why the car was ditched at the storage facility, I suspect something happened to the owner with the law. Oil shows full and not too dirty.

I was going to suggest checking voltage at the battery when hitting the key, but if the battery is new.....
Try turning the steering wheel all the way to the left, using a long 1/2” extension, inserting it into the crank sprocket bolt and turning the motor over by hand. Talking the plugs out works make this a lot easier. This would rule out a locked up motor from lack of oil, engine out of time, etc

No other reason I could think of for the engine to at least not turn over, unless of course the starter solenoid was bad/stuck

Cool, I will try that. Thanks!

 

[XC92]

If there's power and gas in the tank but it shows empty then either the sending unit's not working or connected or there's a gap in the wiring to the ECU or a blown fuse. Or the actual gauge or its connection or fuse is bad.

Sounds like an electric issue all-around, including starting the engine.

 

[dustyboner]

the 4 pin plug is probably for the radiator fan.
if it is, it will have wires of these colors:
(white/black)
(white/blue)
(blue/green)
black

the switch appears to be the hood switch
it should have 2 wires
(blue/black)
black

if its clicking instead of turning over and you have proper battery voltage, its gotta be
-the starter is bad
-the battery cables, or a bad connection of them
-the motor is seized


i wouldn't be surprised if your fuel pump is dead too. normally, when you turn the key on the fuel pump will run for 1 second to prime the fuel system. after that it only runs when the signal from the crank sensor indicates the engine is rotating.

There is a connector on the firewall to test the fuel pump. You just have to put +B (+12v) to it and it'll kick on the pump.
see this post for a pic of the connector and its location

https://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/2g-dsm-engine-bay-electrical-connections.298047/post-152963079