so recently ive changed out the start alternator and battery. i have 1987 gxl. my car started fine then while drving just died out. now when you try to start it, it wont even turn over. you can hear the starter work but nothing happens. something happens tho because when you take the fan shroud off the fan rotates once

i was told that the battery i got from my friend isn't the right one. it has on the label 540 cranking amps.

i dont know if this is the problem can anyone help asap its my daily driver

 

what do you mean by you can hear the starter work but it wont turn over

you hear it clicking or do you hear it spinning

 

its definitely a spinning noise

 

it sounds like the bendix isnt throwing out. Did you say you recently changed out the starter? If so has it worked since then? Also maybe the starter you put in needs to be shimmed.

 

yes it was changed today actually so its band spanking new

 

You should check the connections to your starter. From the sounds of it, your relay is only activating intermittently. Make sure everything in secured and fastened correctly down there and retry for normal starting operation. If that fails, put your old starter solenoid on your new starter and retest.

Josh

 

k ill try that is there anything else that could be the problem?

 

if you got the new starter from advance auto there elec. parts are crap. i know, i worked there for 2 years and returned LOTS of elec. parts. sometimes 4-5 in a row b4 the customer finally got a part that worked.

 

so i swapped the solenoids on my starters and still no start up can someone help?

 

First off, do you have the FSM? Or at least the Haynes manual. Helps a great deal when tracing out the circuits.

Take your starter/solenoid some place (e.g. Kragen, PepBoys) to get it bench tested. Make sure the combo works.

If it checks out, then make sure ALL the connections/surfaces are clean. Things get pretty dirty and corroded down there over the years. Clean all electrical connections. Clean the mating surfaces between the starter housing and the engine. Use fine emery cloth if necessary. The latter is the ground circuit for the starter.

Make sure the battery is good.

Make sure the start signal is getting through the ignition switch. I had to trace all this out.


I went through a similar problem with my 1988 GTU. I had a bad battery and dirty connections. I swore that the problem was starter/solenoid related. Not so. Had starter/solenoid tested three places. (Thought they were the fools; not so.) Bought a new battery (least expensive from Sears), cleaned all connections and surfaces.

Works great now!


Later,
John

 

thanks man that sounds a lot better!