95 Sable won't crank

bd2988 · #1 10-30-2005, 02:15 PM

I have a 95 Sable with the 3.8l engine, and I am currently having trouble getting it to turn over. The starter was tested at autozone, it spun and they said it was good. When you turn the key, the starter engages but the engine doesn't turn. The negative terminal (not the post on the battery but the actual terminal on the ground wires) gets hot. I've cleaned all connections, and still it does the same thing. There is no metal in the oil either. Is it possible that the starter couldn't have enough juice to turn the engine even though it engages (i.e, it's worn out)? Also I noticed the flywheel has rust on it. Is it possible that some penitrating oil on that would get her to crank?... ANY suggestions are welcome!

KimMG · #2 11-01-2005, 03:11 AM

Can you turn the motor by hand? Are you sure the motor is not locked up?
It is possible the starter is bad. If the bushings are worn, the starter may bind and not turn while under load.
Check all the electrical connections, make sure they are clean, secure, and connected properly.
Is your battery good? Are the connections to the battery good?

bd2988 · #3 11-01-2005, 12:57 PM

I tried to turn the crank by hand, but no results. All connections to starter are clean. The battery was out of a running car (same cranking amps, etc). Everything is tight. I just don't see how it could've seized, the engine has 76,000 miles on it, and adiquate oil. A friend of mine said that his friend had the same problem (he also couldn't turn the crank by hand), sold the car, and another guy put a new starter in it and it fired right up.

If your wondering, I got this car off of my girlfriends mom. It was having some problems (it was getting hot) and they ended up getting a different car. She said it turned over before I got it. What I think is that they kept trying to turn it over and messed up the starter.

KimMG · #4 11-07-2005, 03:29 AM

With the starter out, can you turn the motor by hand? Have you tried starting the car in neutral? Have you checked to make sure you are getting power to the starter? Have you hit the starter with a hammer while trying to start? autozone.com has a wiring diagram for the starting circuit. If the wiring is getting hot, then there is a short or an overload.

bd2988 · #5 11-07-2005, 08:03 AM

I got the car to turn over. First, I sprayed penitrating oil in all cylinders. Then I bought a new starter on ebay for like 20 bucks. I put the new starter on and tried to turn it over... No results. I then kept trying and trying and trying to turn it by hand on the crank, got back in the car, turned the key and it turned over.

Unfortunatly, now it wont start lol. I replaced all the plugs (gapped at .054), dist. cap and rotor. It's in proper firing order too. The plugs have gas on them when I take them out. I've checked for spark too, the dist. is getting juice as so are the wires. Any suggestions?

nyc tech · #6 12-15-2005, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bd2988

I got the car to turn over. First, I sprayed penitrating oil in all cylinders. Then I bought a new starter on ebay for like 20 bucks. I put the new starter on and tried to turn it over... No results. I then kept trying and trying and trying to turn it by hand on the crank, got back in the car, turned the key and it turned over.

Unfortunatly, now it wont start lol. I replaced all the plugs (gapped at .054), dist. cap and rotor. It's in proper firing order too. The plugs have gas on them when I take them out. I've checked for spark too, the dist. is getting juice as so are the wires. Any suggestions?

What about the ignition coil???

bd2988 · #7 12-15-2005, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nyc tech

What about the ignition coil???

Turns out the heads were warped twenty thousandths, making both gaskets fail. I am currently putting it back together (had the heads milled, gonna use fel-pro head saver shims).

nyc tech · #8 12-15-2005, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bd2988

Turns out the heads were warped twenty thousandths, making both gaskets fail. I am currently putting it back together (had the heads milled, gonna use fel-pro head saver shims).

I hope this will solve your problem but usually warp heads cause overheating let us know the outcome of your repair.

bd2988 · #9 05-12-2006, 12:37 AM

I replaced heads... Engine would only run when I held the gas down a little to start it. When I let off the gas, SOMETIMES the engine would stall right away. Other times it would run for about 10 minutes and then stall. Also, after it had been running for a few minutes, I would cut the engine, try to start it again, and it would only crank. If I let it sit for about 15 mins, I could start it up again. Now, after running it a couple of times, it's starting to put steam through the coolant res. again. Hopefully this is not another blown head-gasket, but I doubt it. The car ran smoothly (while i held the gas down a little), and didn't make any funny noises. Now, the car only turns over and doesn't fire up. I am almost certain that its non-running condition is related to sensors. The previous owners overheated it badly (this is why the head-gaskets blew in the first place), damaging sensors for sure... I'm not sure where to start lol.

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