anton!o

when i try to start it, it makes that noise as if the battery is dead... i replaced the battery and still the same thing. i know its not the alternator cuz we tested that and its good... ive been jumpin it everytime i need to go somewhere for the past few days but thats irritating... im thinkin maybe a loose connection with the starter, or a new starter? ive put this starter through hell when the idiot at the station filled her up with deisel... also, not the crank sensor, i know this is a popular part to replace on this model

ctesla

so wait tony, back up...
you ran diesel thru your Grand Am recently? or now???
it is probably more than the starter...
if that was a different incident, then it sounds like there is a dead spot in the solenoid, and the extra juice from the battery when jumping "pushes" it over to fire.
check battery terminals and battery cables before changing the starter.

ctesla

well approximately 2 months ago i ran deisel through it, dropped the tank, rinsed it out with gas, of course, put the tank back on, filled it up with high octance gas and octane booster, changed the plugs ( completely fowled ) , and just mickey moused with little things for 3 days then eventually we had it running smoothly...you can imagine the stress i put my starter and battery through, just puttin them through alot of abuse for 3 days straight constantly .... 2 days ago i was punchin it off the line and beating on it a little and i parked it for a minute and when i went to turn it over again the battery gauge almost completely dropped before it started... drove it for a little, parked it and knew that it wouldnt start... seemed as if the battery couldnt hold a charge... got a jump to walmart and bought a 159$ battery and when i came out for a jump with the old battery.. no luck.. i figured the battery was completely done... so i came back later, and jumped the same battery, and success, it ran... i noticed it would only jump when it was cold... i switched the batteries and the same symtoms occured when i tried to start, or even jump it... i figure now its the starter because i did put that starter through hell and i know the starter will work much more likely when it is cold, and it only starts when its cold with a jump.....the negative battery terminal is striped but i hooked it up to a ground on the engine which i figured would still fire the engine....again, only when its cold... so, do u have any suggestions?

xeroinfinity

was this deisel pumped from a station? How did the gas/deisel nossle fit in the fill tube? Sounds like the starter solenoid , and or some bad grounding pionts. If you've gotten a new starter then it could be the grounds on the engine block and or starter. If theres lots of greese and oil on the starter and or on the grounding piont, they can cause a short esspecially when hot. I dont know why this happens. hope this helps somewhat. \,,/

anton!o

well the diesel problem has nothin to do with this problem i was just sayin that to give backround information on the condition of the parts of the car such as the starter.....i bought a brand new starter and still, nothin...... tomorrow i will be fiddlin with the neg ground wires....

ctesla

well, you've pretty much replaced and/or checked everything in the starting circuit.
that negative cable you said was stripped out, if the good ground doesn't do it,---
did the '87 G.A. have a cold start valve for fuel?
the only thing is, you say it acts like a dead starter, so just a click, but a second battery hooked to your vehicle, and it jumps.
is this auto or manual.
if auto- maybe a neutral safety switch
if man- if your clutch switch went bad???
if it is manual, up under the clutch pedal is a push button switch the clutch pedal collides with prior to start;
the '88s had a purple & yellow wire (I think), so take a paperclip, and jumper the two and see if your car kicks.
if it is auto, I do not have color codings of the wires here, but bypassing that switch (or buying, as it is only like $8-15. USD) may allow the vehicle to start.
but start with the negative cable, as it will only be $5-6.

anton!o

it turns out it was the starter... when i hooked it up yesterday i forgot a major positive wire... lol then when i tried to start it, absolutely nothin, not even an interior light haha... i reconnected the positive wire and it fired, the only thing that was odd was the faint screachin noise from the starter...anyways thanks for ur help everyone especially ctesla

ctesla

KUDOS.
...and glad to here your up and running.