Tahoe won’t turn over

10

Asked by Chevybonez Mar 06, 2018 at 10:15 AM about the 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe LT 4WD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I have a 2003 Tahoe that won’t turn over. It has been
sitting for a little while. It will start when jumped but it
takes awhile. But will not start with battery fully charged.
Pulled another battery from my 78 Chevy to see if it was
the battery. It does the same thing. When I turn the key to
start everything cuts out but the starter will not turn motor.
While jumping the car it will do this for awhile then all the
sudden it just fires up with no problem. Am I overthinking
this and the battery is trash or do I have other problems. It
ran fine before I parked it. All wires seem to be fine. I
haven’t checked the infamous ground wire on the
passenger side at the back of the block yet but will shortly

3 Answers

475

Do you know if the starter or ground wires was ever replaced in the past? It sounds like those two could be the top culprits from what you're describing, since you're seeing that the starter engages only after multiple "turns" with a full jump. The ground wires could be rusted out as well and providing a poor electrical connection, so give those a check to see if they need to be swapped; my 2011 Jeep had rusted ground wires and was a factor in not starting for me as well (despite having a new battery and perfect starter). Finally, once you've tried those two things (starter, ground wires), give your ignition coils and spark plugs a check. Bad ignition coils will have a white and/or brown color on the bottom tip that sits on top of the spark plug. Bad spark plugs will be black and/or orange colored right above the threads or near the top where it sits into the ignition coil. If possible, plug an OBD2 scanner to see if you are having any cylinder misfire codes (which will be related to your ignition coils and spark plugs anyway) or anything else that you can reply back with that will help pinpoint exactly what it is!

10

I’m going to give the wires a more thorough check tonight but the car runs fine once it starts. The starter doesn’t try to turn over at all when I have this problem. The battery reads it has 12.59 volts. Once I’ve jumped it and it’s running I can shut it off and start it right back up. I’ve even had it go a couple days and it will fire up.

1 people found this helpful.
475

Okay great! Interested to see how those wires are looking, and don't rule out looking at your ignition coils either. Looking forward to helping!

Your Answer:

Tahoe

Looking for a Used Tahoe in your area?

CarGurus has 19,651 nationwide Tahoe listings starting at $1,300.

ZIP:

Own this car?

Share your experience with others.

2003 Chevrolet Tahoe

Review another car

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    John Carson
    Reputation
    3,570
  • #2
    Rowefast
    Reputation
    2,290
  • #3
    Gene Arnett
    Reputation
    2,150
View All

Know more, shop wisely

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used GMC Yukon
689 Great Deals out of 11,014 listings starting at $2,200
Used Chevrolet Suburban
623 Great Deals out of 12,442 listings starting at $1,300
Used Cadillac Escalade
380 Great Deals out of 6,427 listings starting at $1,995
Used Chevrolet Silverado 1500
4,078 Great Deals out of 130,459 listings starting at $1,000
Used Ford Expedition
825 Great Deals out of 22,232 listings starting at $1,300
Used Ford F-150
6,024 Great Deals out of 128,250 listings starting at $1,100
Used Toyota 4Runner
1,113 Great Deals out of 18,937 listings starting at $1,700
Used Dodge Durango
757 Great Deals out of 20,429 listings starting at $550
Used Ford Explorer
2,261 Great Deals out of 63,161 listings starting at $700
Used GMC Yukon XL
422 Great Deals out of 9,305 listings starting at $900
Used GMC Sierra 1500
1,880 Great Deals out of 64,535 listings starting at $3,000
Used Toyota Sequoia
156 Great Deals out of 3,625 listings starting at $1,600
Used Jeep Grand Cherokee
2,575 Great Deals out of 48,557 listings starting at $800

Used Cars For Sale

2024 Chevrolet Tahoe LT 4WD For Sale
681 listings starting at $60,252
2023 Chevrolet Tahoe LT 4WD For Sale
22 Great Deals out of 185 listings starting at $50,000
2022 Chevrolet Tahoe LT 4WD For Sale
35 Great Deals out of 274 listings starting at $44,500
2021 Chevrolet Tahoe LT 4WD For Sale
36 Great Deals out of 518 listings starting at $36,465
2020 Chevrolet Tahoe LT 4WD For Sale
18 Great Deals out of 219 listings starting at $19,450

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.