A friend of mine has a 96 Camaro that won't start...(here are his words)

[Doug96CamaroRS]

It is a manual 3800 96 camaro. ran fine for years. one day it just wouldn't start. the lights would flash. i took it to a shop and they bypassed the gm security system and took out the after market (clifford) security system. everything else was tested. its not the starter, not a dead battery, not anything to do with the ignition column, not the neutral safety switch. the only thing i could possibly think of preventing it from starting would be the security systems. however, they were taken out by licensed mechanics. Before they were taken out, the security light would come on and after, it went off and stayed off. i can push start it and pop the clutch and it will run all day perfectly. but when i shut the car off it wont start back up. the voltmeter looks good. it just wont turn over. the starter has been tested, it is fine. sometimes when the car wont start the interior lights will flash a couple times. all of the lights would flash before i had the security systems removed, now it is just the interior lights. if you have any ideas of what could possibly be wrong, let me know please. i really love the car and would hate to have to get rid of it

[1BADAIR]

so, no crank not a no start
lights flash as in dim when in crank?

[04DetroitLS]

you check the starter relays etc?
check for voltage @ starter etc?

[97rs4life]

battery terminals tight? crank and cam position sensors reading properly?

[Fbomb]

Sounds like they didn't ground the starter relay when they bypassed vats.

[Doug96CamaroRS]

he says the lights flicker when in crank.... and he says the battery connections are good... still doesn't know what to do. Why does it work perfectly sometimes, and then just stops???

[Fbomb]

Does it crank?

[Doug96CamaroRS]

not when it does this... like he said: sometimes it will run/start with absolutely no problem and then out of nowhere, it won't crank and the lights will flicker and sometimes he can push start it, but idk...

[Fbomb]

I still say ground out the starter relay.

[Doug96CamaroRS]

how do you do that???

[Fbomb]

Find the starter relay, then with a voltmeter determine which skinny wire going into it is - charge (determined while trying to crank) then take that wire and ground it.