car won't start

[curtybigguy]

this is kinda a rush thing. my 97 noen SOHC has been starting really slow for quite some time. it will slowly do the "rrr...rrrr....rrrr" then fire and go and no problems. BUT it has finally not fired and i just got it towed back to my girlfriends house were i have no tools or anything. the towtruck driver and i tryed to boost it, and nothing. the lights are strong. the only aftermarket thing on the car is a deck. i was hoping that it would just be a week battary or at worst an altenator but it doesnt seem like it, so i was wondering if anyone had any ideas to get me going so i could at least get it back home to my shop which is 3 hours away.

[ikeyballz]

you say this has been happening for a while? first of all theres prolly one of three things wrong

1) broken alternator
2) busted battery
3) crappy connection

if the alternator is busted, theres nothing you can do about it, gotta ge ta new one.
2- you say you guys tried to jump it.. did you leave the old battery in? if you did and the old battery is shorting out internally, it still will NOT jump. i ahve a feeling its this and a combo w. #3..
3- bad ground/power connections. check for corrosions, etc.. make sure its all okay.

if i had to guess, id say a combination of 2 and 3, but thats just me..

[denisond3]

We have a 97 Neon, SOHC with automatic tranny. I had removed the engine to replace the leaking rear main crankshaft seal. When it was back together I noticed the engine would turn over -very- slowly the first thing in the mornings - as if the battery was weak. But after a second or two the engine would spin faster and would finally start. This happened during the day; when I first turned the ign. key to 'start' the engine would crank slowly, but then crank faster if I kept the key turned at 'start'. I knew the battery was okay, and had recently cleaned the battery posts, cable terminals, and all ground connections. I figured it was a dirty/greasy commutator in the starter, so I removed it & opened it up to clean it. Not only was the commutator greasy, but the brushes were worn down to tiny little 'nubs', not much thicker than a dime is thick. A new starter was the fix - now it cranks fast like it should.
If your problem is the starter, the only thing I know that might make it work one more time, would be to give the side of it a whack with a hammer.
To reach the starter I removed the battery and battery tray, the little brace to the radiator frame, then the two cooling fans. After that the stater wasnt too hard to reach.