I have a 1990 Grand Am and this problem started a little over a year ago and has been progressively slowly been getting worse.

First off, when I turn the key, the fuel pump always comes on (I hear the noise it makes for the first few seconds) so I know that's not the problem.

Then, when I turn the key the rest of the way forward, one of three things happens:

1) Car starts fine
2) The engine turns over repeatedly but won't start
3) I get absolutely nothing - the engine doesn't turn over at all, all I get is the lights in my dashboard go somewhat dim

Now when it turns over but won't start ( #2 above ), this most commonly happens after I've driven the car some distance (at least 5+ miles) and then let it sit for at least an hour. If I let it sit less than an hour it will almost always start within that time frame, and after about 2 hours, it will usually start, but its between the first and second hour after sitting that it won't start. When #3 above happens (absolutely nothing when I try starting it) that seems to happen totally at random.

The car almost always starts after is has been sitting overnight, except for the past few weeks even that is no longer a guarantee.

Also worth noting is that once the car is started, it runs fine, I've never had any problems with it stalling.

Any help or pointing me in the right direction would be appreciated. I'm not very car literate and will probably have a mechanic take a look at this soon, I just want some preliminary ideas before I do that.

Steps I would take:

. Check the ignition switch for wear, pitting, or melting.

. Replace the Ignition Control Module. They are very easy to install in several minutes. Heat frequently causes the microchip inside to go bad. I recommend replacing them every 120,000 miles or 10 years, whichever come first.

I lean toward the ignition switch being bad. Be sure to disconnect the negative battery cable, prior to checking the switch.

Ok thanks for the advice. It may be a few days or even a week before I get to looking at it or having it looked at but I'll post the results. It looks like after some quick eBay searching that the ignition switch and control module for my car are both relatively cheap, I may end up just ordering both and having them both replaced.

Well in the time since asking this question I found out that the starter was on its way out so got that replaced.

However I still need to replace the Ignition Control Module - I ordered one and it showed up today - so now my question is, where exactly is this thing located in my 1990 Grand Am?

It's located under the coil packs. The coil packs plug into the 4 pins on the Ignition Control Module. Easy job to replace. Disconnect the negative battery cable first, after recording any radio codes (if necessary).

If it solves your problem, let me know if you think it's worth a tip.

ICM replaced and same problem. Car won't start when its hot (fuel pump comes on and engine repeatedly turns over but it just won't start) and now I just had a brake line go out on it.

Honestly I think its about time to drive this old clunker off to the junkyard before I put any more money into it.

Since the original recommendation was to focus on the ignition switch, not the ICM, did you check it out?