Starter Issues
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
From: Columbus Ohio
Starter Issues
Came out of the grocery store and my baby wouldn't start. It has not given me any hint of trouble. Barely turn the key and she would start right up.
Now when I turn the key, I hear the solenoid click once and it does not turn over.
98 Automatic
Battery is good. Ground wire was slightly loose but did not fix issue.
Starter is getting juice, connections nice and tight.
Block ground is nice and tight.
No codes.
I've read other posts about ground wires not being tight, but mine are all nice and tight.
Its leading me to believe it's the starter, but thats a $200 guess. Does anyone else have any ideas?
Now when I turn the key, I hear the solenoid click once and it does not turn over.
98 Automatic
Battery is good. Ground wire was slightly loose but did not fix issue.
Starter is getting juice, connections nice and tight.
Block ground is nice and tight.
No codes.
I've read other posts about ground wires not being tight, but mine are all nice and tight.
Its leading me to believe it's the starter, but thats a $200 guess. Does anyone else have any ideas?
Racer
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 274
Likes: 0
From: tarentum pa
before you replace the starter check out bill curlees ignition repair first. mine started doing just what yours is. clicks like the starters bad then sometimes it just starts right up. after a few months it escalated into dash dic flickering and weird stuff. all because of a few burnt contacts in the switch. its a cheap, easy 2 hour fix that would be worth looking into before replacing a starter. http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1951626
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
From: Columbus Ohio
The TDR seems to be functioning like it's supposed to be. I'll try cleaning the switch tonight. If that doesn't do anything, then I'll have to remove the starter and have it tested. Not looking forward to laying on my back taking rusty exhaust bolts off, but I need my baby back.
Pro
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 735
Likes: 7
From: Bucks County Pa
Is it battery
How do you know the battery is good, was it load tested? did you try to jump start it?.If it starts with a jump, the battery is probably bad. If the ground wire was slightlt loose, the battery may not have been charging properly and may be very discharged, and or bad at this point even if relatively new.
Good Luck
Good Luck
Last edited by bestvettever; Apr 27, 2008 at 05:47 PM.
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
From: Columbus Ohio
We tried jumping with no luck. That was the first thing that came to mind when the car didn't start. Even the tow truck guy that it was the battery and put a jump pack on it. When i got it home, we put a volt meter on it and turned the key and when the starter clicked, there was no significant drop in voltage. I moved down to the starter and its reading that its getting juice also.
Pro
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 735
Likes: 7
From: Bucks County Pa
What next
We tried jumping with no luck. That was the first thing that came to mind when the car didn't start. Even the tow truck guy that it was the battery and put a jump pack on it. When i got it home, we put a volt meter on it and turned the key and when the starter clicked, there was no significant drop in voltage. I moved down to the starter and its reading that its getting juice also.
Good Luck
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
From: Columbus Ohio
Hi, what did the volt meter read at the battery, and at the starter. Do the lights, horn, interior lights, underhood lights work properly, and if so when you have the lights on and turn the key to start, do they not dim. If all the above work properly and the car does not crank, it could be ig switch, neutral safety switch, tdr, starter solenoid, most times if the starter solenoid is good, and the starter is bad the lights will dim when the solenoid kicks in even if the starter does not spin. A charged battery should read no less than 12.2 volts to start the car. Sometimes a neutral safety switch can go bad or be out of position, if out of position, try shaking the gear selector back and forth in park and neutral while turning the key to start. If a bad solenoid is suspected you can jump the solenoid at the terminals to spin the starter to test it. Ig switch can be tested with a continuity tester, if you can back probe it. I may be wrong, but todays starters rarely go bad before mucho miles are driven, and mucho starts.
Good Luck
Good Luck
I can hear the solenoid kicking the gear out, just seems the motor is not spinning. I gave it a few love taps and no luck. Guess i'm just gonna have to take it off and test it. Least that way I know if its mechanical issue or electrical issue for sure.
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Pro
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 735
Likes: 7
From: Bucks County Pa
Test starter
Battery and starter was reading 12.4. I took the battery to the local parts store today and it tested good. Moving the gear selector also did not work.
I can hear the solenoid kicking the gear out, just seems the motor is not spinning. I gave it a few love taps and no luck. Guess i'm just gonna have to take it off and test it. Least that way I know if its mechanical issue or electrical issue for sure.
I can hear the solenoid kicking the gear out, just seems the motor is not spinning. I gave it a few love taps and no luck. Guess i'm just gonna have to take it off and test it. Least that way I know if its mechanical issue or electrical issue for sure.
Also, not sure about the vette, but I remember on older cars with automatic, there was a shim or shims between the starter and the mounting plate. It is very important to put them back in or the starter gear and the flywheel won't mesh properly and excess wear will occur, we use to use a large paper clip to measure the amount of shims needed.
Good Luck
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
When checking out a starter motor it is a good idea to remove it from the car and lock it firmly in a vice. If you don't hold it down securely, like in the jaws of a vice, and it turns out to be good, it will twist rather violently when it spins and possibly fall off the bench onto your big toe - could really ruin your weekend. You can do the following test with the starter in the car but it makes it a bit more difficult and there is a chance of shorting out the test jumper cables to ground.
Referring to the above diagram, the "big terminal" on the starter solenoid is where the battery + cable goes. There are one or two smaller terminals on the solenoid, one going to the "start" position on the ign switch.
On a bench test, the negative battery jumper cable goes to the vice that is holding the starter by the frame. The Positive goes to the "big terminal" on the solenoid. Jump from the big terminal to one of the smaller ones with a jumper wire or a screwdriver blade to actuate the solenoid. It should click and the starter should whirrrrr. If it does, don't get carried away and let it spin freely for a long time - it's not good to run a starter with no load for extended periods of time, especially an old and tired one.
If it doesn't spin, look for another "big" wire going into the starter. On GMs you can usually see it at the other end of the solenoid - it goes into the body of the starter. I'm not sure about other makes and models. Look around. Carefully touch the + jumper cable to it and the starter should immediately whirrrr and you should get a good sized spark - that is normal - the starter is a heavy current eater.
If you get no whir from that test then the starter motor is fried inside. You can take it apart and see if it is fixable (new brushes, a clean-up of the commutator and possibly new windings, but at that point I would suggest a rebuilt starter/solenoid assy.
If the starter did whir on the last test then you can remove the solenoid and either rebuild it or replace it, the later being a good idea. The new starter will come with a new or rebuilt Bendix drive which is probably next in line for failure.
When going for a new starter make sure to bring the old one along with you. First, you can match it up to make sure the computer picked the right one for your vehicle and second, they charge a "core charge" for the old one - they want it back to be rebuilt and sold again. Just to make sure you got a good one you should bench test the new starter - it wouldn't be the first time a bad rebuilt was shipped.
Heel & Toe
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 18
Likes: 0
From: Espanola New Mexico
Starter
Its either your solenoid, or you have a bad starter, you indicated that the gear to engage the flywheel is working, use a voltmeter to measure if voltage is present on conductor from solenoied to starter. If no voltage present then its your solenoid, if present then your starter will need to be replaced.