Battery is like 3 months old, Starter brand new. Starter clicks. I posted another thread about my car not running good. Tach jumping around, car dying while driving ect... Seems as though no one wanted to help me. I went and spent money i do not have on a new starter cuz i was clueless on how to fix it. Still doesnt Start. Someone please help me. I have no way to go to college or my new job. Would a bad trailing coil cause my starter to click and the engine not to budge?

 

when you took the starter off,the Top Bolt is Used as a Ground.
The Harness attaches to that LONG top bolt and then the bolt goes through the engine and Bellhousing so you can attach the starter.
I am Betting that you didn't Hook up that Ground.
(Look under by the Oil Filter Pedestal area or the Starter bell housing Area with a Flashlight,if you see a Metal piece hanging off the Harness down there,then I am right!).

 

You could also have a shitty start position on your keyswitch. Crawl under the car and jumper the solenoid power connector to the battery and see if it kicks then. Make sure it's out of gear and the handbrake is set!

 

Ground on the starter is on, i also cleaned it while i installed the new starter. Also i have jumpered my old starter. Same problem witht his starter so i didnt bother but i will try again tommorrow as i ran out of time today. What i am leaning towards its not the starter and its not the battery what else could it be.

 

The tach jumping around and the dyeing while driving tells me the alternator is shot. Pull it out and go get it tested. Takes about 5 mins to remove it.

 

yes i know the alternator isnt on its best leg, however that should play no part in my car not starting for right now, battery was charged and new starter was put in, the alternator plays no part in starting the car as long as my battery is fully charged

 

Park on a hill. when you need to leave Compression start it.

 

Does the engine even turn over? Get a 19mm socket on the main pulley bolt, and see if you can even turn it. If it turns, then you've either got a lack of available amperage, inability to get enough amperage (wiring is bad/bad grounds), or the starter is screwed.

 

yes the engine is able to turn over when i push start it. but when i try and start with the key i get clicks. i have wired it dircetly to the battery and i got a buzz noise from the starter like it was spinning really fast but nothing was happening with the engine

 

Are you sure it's the right starter? Unless your ring gear is missing, the starters gear isn't popping out when it spins (i guess you could always disconnect it and try it out of the car?), or it's the wrong one for the tranny/flywheel type.

 

the starter looks right i just took it out seems fine, also i do not think my old starter was bad now, i wonder if carquest will take back this new starter

i tried my new and old one out of the car they both spin, but ther gear doesnt retract out of them, must be magnetic?

 

I've tested about 4 or 5 over the years out of the car to make sure they were good before I sold them/whatever, and all of them have shot the little gear outwards as it began spinning, then it retracts when it stops. Perhaps there's something getting caught in there on both of them?

 

took car to shop will update you guys when i get it back

 

indeed

also when you bypass the ignition switch (B-to-S terminals) if you can hear the solenoid CLICK, but the starter motor does not turn, then that means the contact disk inside the solenoid is burned up.
if the solenoid does not click, but actually "buzzes" as you describe, then the only possibility is a bad connection or a bad battery.

Unless, you actually mean the starter motor itself "buzzes," that's not good..... That means that the starter is drawing maximum amperage and doing nothing, this will in a very, very short time kill a starter, battery, and/or generator.

Yes, I know you said the battery is new, but one thing that most people neglect to mention is the quality of their battery. Did you buy mid to high range battery, or did you cheap out and buy the "value" no name? This plays a HUGE part.

One last point to make,
you are almost right in saying the generator has no effect in starting the vehicle. But did you ever think about that big, red, power wire on top of the generator that runs to the battery? if there is a short (even a slight one) on the connection, through the voltage regulator, or in the wire itself then the starter will have to share current with this other "high draw load"

I don't mean to criticize, sorry if it came off that way. Just trying to help.
-Pat

 

Thanks Pat for the detailed responce and feedback.

The new starter tested fine via being jumpered, as well as the old starter thus i returned the new one to Carquest.

As for the battery I didnt completely cheap out. I got the duralast gold battery as it had an 8 year warrant vs the optima 4 year warranty.

Like i said the alternator should have no effect on the car starting as long as the battery is full and the starter is good, you are right this only depends on the connection on the alternator as it plays a part in the entire system and how it functions.

This is why I gave up and took it to a local specialty shop. The owner is a knowledgable gentleman, He has some experience in rotaries but mostly 12a's. I still trust him and do not mind paying the premium for getting the job done right.


I cannot tell you how hard it is to find a decent mechanic who I feel comfortable leaving the car in his hands and me having no part of the fix. I have had pretty bad experience in the past with other guys. Anyways i'll let you know when he diagnoses the problem on monday. I am looking at this thinking its grounding issue, connection somewhere, ignition switch ect...

 

I hear you about the mechanics.... That's why I do all my work myself (regrettably sometimes.... I'm still learning how to be a mechanic, lol.)

This sounds somewhat similar to a problem that my friend had a month back.... he went through two starters, an ignition switch and two batteries before we found out that it was bad wiring. Do yourself a favor and re-do the main battery cables.... run a new one from the pos. terminal to a switch (push button), then to the solenoid and a new ground. Solved his problem instantly.... hope that helps!

 

I'm in the same boat, and I should run new +/- cables. Anyone have a suggestion for the best price/location?

 

I'm in that boat as well. I was thinking of replacing the main cables anyway. Anyone know from the top of their heads how long the cables need to be?

 

Start problems, tach jumping, dying = ground problems. Clean your ground points.

 

Yup grounds seem to be the most common problem among electrical issueds. Might end up being a larger project than expected. I'll post updates when I get it done.