so yea all of a sudden my starter doesn't even click it just does nothing, but once i disconnect the batter, go under the car and mess with the terminals (completely d/c everything then re-connect) it starts right up like normal. but then i drive it around the block, come back, turn it off, and once again it wont start. is my starter just plain dead? ive never had any problems with it until NOW.

 

Probably a bad actuator.

 

Make that definitely an actuator.

It's a pretty simple fix though.

 

never heard of such a thing. where is the actuator/how do i fix? this was the reason why i posted in the 2nd gen section

 

It is the starter solinoid (actuator). It is probably gummed up with old grease and crap. The solinoid is the little cyclinder attached to the side of the starter motor with 3 wires on it (main power in, main power out, and the trigger). Take the starter off and dis-assemble the solinoid. Clean everything and put it back together. Will probably take less than an hour start to finish.

 

wow that does sound easy, time to go get it done then. thanks for the help

 

There's not really any grease in the starter solenoid... it's a pretty simple mechanism. It might just be worn out, like mine, but I'd suggest cleaning up all the terminals anyway, and hit them with a wire brush to knock off any corrosion.

OTOH, if it starts when you hit the middle wire on it with electricity, then you might have a wiring problem, OR a clutch switch problem.

If it works when you hit the middle terminal sometimes, and sometimes doesn't, it's definitely an intermittent solenoid.

 

That could be a bad keyswitch too, which is what I had. It got so bad that I got stranded in upstate NY, and the only way I could start was by hooking up a jumper cable to my battery and reaching under and tapping the solenoid wire with the jumper cable. Big sparks and the car would start perfectly. Found a NAPA and bought some wire, a fuse, terminal kit and a pushbutton, and just rigged a start button in the cockpit. Starts perfectly that way. I'll fix it the right way sooner or later.

 

TBH my diagnosis before posting here was that the starter wasn't getting power, and that the switch worked fine. but meh, i dont know much about starters. tomarrow im just going to take it out, clean it up, and pray.

 

Get a 12v battery (the cars battery will work), use a pair of wires or jumper cables, and touch the middle terminal (the blade) to the positive terminal of the battery (you have to ground it and use two wires if you're not using the car's battery). If the starter spins, the solenoid is OK.

 

Hit the starter with a hammer a few times, then see if the car starts. If it does, you know what to do.