06 Trailblazer won't start...any ideas?

[Twins027]

Good afternoon! Someone suggested I try here for advice on my problem. My 2006 Trailblazer will turn over but not fully start. All lights, etc are fine. We do not believe it is the fuel pump (after buying but not installing a new one) and we know it is not the ignition switch (thought it might be so we installed a new one with no change to situation). There are several fuses with no power all centered around starting of the vehicle. Battery is good. I don't know what other details to give so please ask if more is needed. The background on it doing this is this...
While driving on slick roads, the back passenger tire slid off the road and into a small ditch. Tried to pull out of it but it slid further and left it there so as not to do any damage. Someone pulled me out and then drove me home in it. At our driveway we were unable to get all the way up it. After trying for several mins to get through 2 feet of snow, we parked it. Later that evening it would not start. Jump started it, and all was fine. Got it up the driveway. The next morning it would not start again (turns over but will not fire) and would not jump start. Any ideas? Could it be just a lose wire from sitting in a snow bank and trying to drive through it? Any suggestions would be appreciated!

After doing this we towed it ourselves and hooked it up to get the following codes...
P0443 P0689 P1682 and P2176

Thank you!!

 

[The_Roadie]

Welcome! You did well to come here because Trailvoy is a ghost town since we all left last year.

Can you explain more what fuses don't have power that you think should?

Do you hear the fuel pump pressurize the lines when you turn the ignition key before you try to start it? A snowbank situation can tear wiring off the underside of the vehicle that involves the fuel pump and some other systems. Have you had it on a lift for a good underbody inspection yet?

What do you mean it won't jump start? If the battery works well enough to spin the starter, adding another battery with jumper cables isn't going to change that behavior.

Given the statistics, an ignition switch was a good idea, but I still think a total undercarriage inspection is in order. Plus telling us more about the fuses.

Also please fill out your profile so we know if you have a V8 or I6, and other things, for instance. Thx!

 

[Twins027]

Thank you! I had just joined Trailvoy to post my question and someone sent me here. I can tell this is much better already!
As far as the fuses...I will go ahead and put this out there...I am the "typical stereotypical girl" when it comes to cars. I put gas and oil in it and that is where my expertise ends. I don't have the book with me or the list of fuses that I had written down. Is there a diagram of the fuse box that I can look at somewhere that you know of? I know the location and would recognize them right away if shown a pic of it .

We initially towed it to a dealer shop. By just looking at it on the trailer, they said the fuel pump did not kick on (pressurize). We bought a fuel pump from them and took it to our "shop" (to fix it ourselves). We (husband and a few co-workers) started looking at it and they said the pump was working because we could now hear it and it sprayed fuel (out of somewhere under the hood ). It has not been for a good look at the underbody. Only a few feet off the ground.

As far as the jump start...I am clueless. My father in law jump started it both times. He just said that the second time it did nothing after hooking it up. Acted like the jumper cables were not even on it whereas the first time it started right up with the cables on. Maybe a fluke?

I feel that it is something loose or something to that effect underneath. It is an awfully big coincidence that it happened right after we tried getting through deep snow and then left it to sit there. I realize that it could be something bigger but I think all wires and whatnot should be checked first. Problem with that is that my husband is dead set that it is a huge problem and not wires and didn't really check underneath. It is now at a private shop with an ex-GM mechanic but as of yet, he hasn't figured it out either.
I will fill my profile out, but for now...it is a 5.3L V8, 4WD, and it is the extended one with the 3rd row seat. I'll try to find a diagram of the fuse box also and will be back shortly with that, hopefully.

 

[Twins027]

54 Air Injection Reactor (AIR) Solenoid
56 Air Injection Reactor (AIR) Pump

these are for sure two of them.

Also the trailer turn ones.

34 shows Ignition A. I really thought one of the ones on mine not working showed "Engine 1" but I don't see that description on the diagram I am looking at.

I just noticed I am looking at the 6 cyl diagram, that may make a difference, I would assume. But the wording is correct on the two at the top. I'll try to find a V8 diagram. All the ones that are not working are in the same area of the fuse box as the two AIR ones.

 

[C-ya]

Welcome! Here is a link to the Owner's Manual. http://www.extendedgmwarranty.com/owners-manual/chevrolet/2006-Chevrolet-Trailblazer.pdf Go to page 5-113 (or 471 of the pdf). This is the underhood fuse block. Continuing on shows the underseat fuse block (second row, pass. side)

 

[Matt]

Where did your FIL connect the jumper cables? I'm having thoughts it could be a blown mega fuse.

 

[C-ya]

Where did your FIL connect the jumper cables? I'm having thoughts it could be a blown mega fuse.

My thought, too.

 

[The_Roadie]

I'm not at all sure what we can do without having hands and eyes on the truck as your mechanic has. Except guess. He can do that as well as us.

Your attempted jump starts, if they weren't directly on battery terminals, could have destroyed the Megafuse. That would only affect some of the fuses in the rear fuse block that deal with the entertainment systems and some interior lights. It will still start and run without a working Megafuse. But it's worth asking if they used the threaded studs that I labeled here as to NEVER USE FOR STARTING.

 

[Twins027]

My FIL connected them in the driveway
In all seriousness...he did say something about it not starting the first time he tried to jump it. But then when he put the cables on the correct thingys (the name for the little knobs has completely evaded me) it jump started right away. Does that help? At all?

Thanks for the owners manual! It doesn't look exactly like mine for some reason. It does show the 26-Engine 1 fuse which is one that I know was not getting power (juice, whatever). All the others in that area were also not showing power. The list doesn't show any AIR fuses though and I know those were 2 that were not showing power also.

Blown Mega Fuse? How would we check for that? I did just send that idea to my husband who had better call the mechanic and pass that along. Would that be something that could have been caused by the snow deal? Or my FIL hooking the cable up wrong initially?

Again, sorry for the "stupid" answers

 

[The_Roadie]

A meter on the resistance function can check for the Megafuse. Or putting a voltmeter on one side, then the other. Anybody owning a meter should know how to check it. It's DEFINITELY what gets blown up when folks try jumping by GUESSING where to put the cables instead of KNOWING. But a blown Magefuse can't prevent the engine from starting. Your mechanic should know the things to do if he's a pro.

Underhood fuse #26 is fed by the ignition switch in the RUN and START positions. There will be no voltage there if the key isn't turned. The only valid way to be troubleshooting by voltmeter is to have the schematics and know what's supposed to be there in the various ignition switch modes. Otherwise it's just blind guessing. That doesn't get a lot of love around here, because we have a lot of folks with access to the schematics and know how to read them.

 

[Twins027]

Thank you The Roadie. I am wondering, since he said it was on wrong...maybe instead of having the cables backwards like I assumed (again...rookie here)...maybe he did have them on one of those. Also maybe it was the trailer connector one because most fuses associated with towing ( I cannot for the life of me remember the wording) were showing no power. If the mechanic who has it now does not figure it out today, I will have my husband tow it home tomorrow to try anything you guys suggest. I also have him getting me the list of nonworking fuses so that I can tell you exactly which ones they were. I appreciate all y'alls help! And patience

 

[The_Roadie]

Free advice from an internet forum is no substitute for a trained mechanic in a heated garage with access to schematics. Please don't tow it home and transfer the entire responsibility (and guilt) to us.

 

[Twins027]

I do know we checked the fuses with the key turned in the different positions. They do have mechanical experience, though not specific to any certain vehicle make or model. My husband is semi trucks...but does have some in autos as well. As far as what if any specific tools they used...just the code reader and the one that shows whether there is power to it or not. It was not a voltage reader of any kind though that I am aware of. My FIL is pretty good with these things normally but is terminally ill so I cannot ask him to try all this. But I do know that he wasn't guessing when he hooked the cables up. He must have not realized what he had done and then tried it the correct way.

Update: we will be bringing the Trailblazer home today/tomorrow and I guess taking it to the dealer shop. The mechanic we took it to yesterday cannot find anything wrong with it. I do not know what he tried/did though.

 

[Twins027]

No, no, not at all! I wouldn't transfer any of that! I was just saying that it would be at home and we would be able to try anything suggested. As opposed to it being away where we wouldn't be able to try anything. No, please don't take it that I was saying that I was bringing it home so that I could do whatever was said and that it would have to fix it. I was just stating that it would be accessible for trying things.

 

[Matt]

Your attempted jump starts, if they weren't directly on battery terminals, could have destroyed the Megafuse. That would only affect some of the fuses in the rear fuse block that deal with the entertainment systems and some interior lights. It will still start and run without a working Megafuse. But it's worth asking if they used the threaded studs that I labeled here as to NEVER USE FOR STARTING.

Thanks for clearing that up, Bill.

 

[Twins027]

Thank you for everyone's ideas and suggestions. I asked that the mechanic check the mega fuse. He also says that he went to the local Chevy dealer shop and worked with them (he used to work there) and got schematics and whatnot in order to verify what they feel is wrong with it. They said it is the ECM Control Module that has gone out and causing the starting problem. He is supposed to check that this morning and get back with me.
Someone mentioned with the mega fuse that some of the fuses in the underseat fuse box would not be working. All of the ones in that box showed to have power at the time we checked them (with how we checked them anyway) but I did tell the mechanic to check the mega fuse as someone thought that still could be a problem (although not the starting problem).