1989 Bronco II wont turn over HELP!!!

[djhoppa]

Won't Start

1989 Bronco II wouldnt turn over, but would crank. Put gas in car, and it started, with slight hesitation. The next day, car started in the morning, but during my break, would not start. battery seemed a little drained while trying to start, with no more cranking from the starter, only one click. This happened 2 months ago, but Triple A came, put gas in the car, played with the battery terminal a bit, and the car started fine. Please help! is this a starter issue, an alternator issue, or a battery issue?

Im not a car person, what should i do next? please help!

[Tractor 68 Boy]

Sounds like a starter to me, you might want to check you battery leads also though, make sure they are tightly connected to the battery and starter. Have your battery tested as well and have a current flow and alternator test done at the same time.

[djhoppa]

thanks for the advice... its really strange though, because this happened before and the car was completely normal for a long time... i hope this is only a battery issue! if not, any idea of the cost for this repair?

[Tractor 68 Boy]

Starters are not cheap, yours will run you at least $130 (non-remanufactured, get a new one), batteries can run about $120 (if you get a good one) alternators can be $160 (also get a new, non-remanufactured) battery cables can be about $60 for both. $400 for all of those + labor= $700-$1200. Clean the terminals on the battery first, tighten the cables at the battery and starter and ground connections. Then if still nothing gets better, get it all tested. The tests will run about $60-$80. But if the test fails you will have to spend some money to get the part that failed replaced. Good Luck and if you need any more help let me know.