Hi everybody...my 89, well she wont start. It wont turn over at all. I've checked my battery cable conn, thats cool...made sure the car was in park, yep... checked my fuse panel, cool...so now Im just wiggling random wires under the hood hoping something'll happen. I went to the store around 8pm, and it started fine then. But now I have to go to work and nada. I work nights, I'm on a budget and I'm a girl, but I've fixed other stuff myself on this car so if someone could maybe just walk me through troubleshooting...that'd be hot.
Oh yes, I have headlights and hazards but thats about it as far as power. I tried jumping it with no success. And when I turn the key it doesn't even like "click".
Thank you in advance.

 

check the fuses near the drivers side strut tower (near the battery)

 

k, one sec

 

make sure you are getting fuel/spark if everything is koo! it could be floded!
remove the plugs (top)trailing....remove the EFI or EGI? fuses then crank it 4 while
let it sit a coule hours ...Put everything back ....And try to start it again
Make sure the battery is FULLY CHARGED!

 

they look good, i had to pop the top off 2 of them cuz they were cloudy, but the fuses were intact

 

its an automatic, can you flood an automatic? i didnt depress the accel at all, its been sitting a while...about the plugs where are the plugs (spark im assuming, right?), and im not sure what a efi or egi is...but i can learn quick!

 

the black 80 amp was good

 

To me it sounds like you still have power, however the power is not causing the starter to turn the engine over.

Heres a little check list for you to go over, since you said you have power to main things but the engine doesn't even begin to crank over I think this is where your search should focus on, chances are the starter is toast but go over this first just in case.

 

checked them all, all good

 

and to check the starter i should...dismantle the steering column right?

 

actually its under the car attached to the transmission, i believe with the key on, it should read 11 volts, you will need a multimeter and have the red test pin on the positive terminal of the starter and the black test pin on ground

 

awesome thanks... i think i'll try taking off the starter...i've got my chilton manual so if i take it apart ill figure out how to put it back...
hahaha
your jpg was a little unclear at the end... would u repost it please thanks

 

oh...its under the car? testpins? oh u cant just look at it and tell then, right its electrical and i need an instrument to determin...ahhh. i see.Does walmart sell testpins do you know?

 

i mean a multimeter, does walmart sell...

 

the multimeter will come it them, its just the red and black wires with pointy tips that come with it. heres a picture of how to test it. I was wrong on the voltage too, read the little description of how to do it on this picture

 

yea, you can buy a multimeter at wal-mart, probably pretty cheap there too.

 

k thanks ImportFanatic...guess i better get on of those roller thingys you lay on to get under the car too, and a strapon forehead light huh? this is gonna be sexy

 

ignition or starter? are they the same thing

 

no they aren't, ignition is where you put your key in to start the car, the starter is what turns the engine in order to make the car start.

 

k

 

Any luck??? Sometimes the starter just quits. You can sometimes emergency start it by hitting the little round cyclinder on the starter on the side with a hammer. If you have a spare starter you could swap it out. Don't forget to disconnect the battery leads before doing any electrical work. I always disconnect the black/earth lead first.

Michael Smith

 

the starters gonna be located under the engine on driver'sside, right?

 

heres the starter

 

there is a wire connection right below the main fuses under the hood that gave me the same problem. it's a of black medium guage wire... about 10 guage... interrupted by a black connector. check the connection.