Starter?

[bmorebuick88]

Well i finally got around to changing my spark plugs because my car would always take forever to start in cold weather. now that, that is finished i went to turn on the car and when i turn the ignition all i hear is "click, click,click, click, click". sometimes it will sound like my car is making a slow churning sound like the battery doesn't have enough power.


could this problem be the starter?

[brcidd]

Charge the battery- and check battery connections for corrosiont, then see if problem persists.....

[bmorebuick88]

Originally Posted by brcidd

Charge the battery- and check battery connections for corrosiont, then see if problem persists.....

for some reason i suggested that but everybody kept saying the starter. as a matter of fact i noticed a small bit of corrosion on the positive terminal(side post battery). the rubber boot on it was melted so i removed a good bit of it not too long ago.

also i noticed that my interior lights are way dimmer than they used to be. i tried taking the battery to pepboys like a month ago to see how much juice was left, but it is held in place by a bolt that won't budge for any reason. i will have to borrow my friend's battery charger if i can. thanks.

[bmorebuick88]

does anyone know the exact location of the starter on an 88 park ave? i want to see if i can get under the car and possibly change it myselt before it gets dark tonight. tomorrow i was just going to pay a mechanic to do it.

also, how big is the starter? i looked to see how much they cost on the internet, but i couldn't get a good judgement on how big a starter is. a friend said my starter solenoid is bad, and that i might as well change the whole starter.

[usedranger]

How did you come out on cleaning the battery connections? Were you able to get the battery out and tested? That would be an easier and less expensive task...

[bmorebuick88]

Originally Posted by usedranger

How did you come out on cleaning the battery connections? Were you able to get the battery out and tested? That would be an easier and less expensive task...

i bought a new batter like an hour ago and put it in, and i could tell the old battery was weak because the new battery gave enough power to at least keep cranking while the old one would crank for like two seconds and die, but the car still doesn't start. as i turn the ignition it just keeps trying to turn, but it won't.


i don't know if its the starter or something else. another person told me to check the carburator because maybe its not getting gas, or something like that.


thanks for the feedback

[usedranger]

do you know for sure the new battery was fully charged?

[usedranger]

Did you have the battery tested before you bought the new one?
When you say it "the new battery gave enough power to at least keep cranking ..." does that mean it turns over fully for 5-10 seconds? Its confusing because you say as well "as i turn the ignition it just keeps trying to turn, but it won't." If you keep turning the key to start, say 5 or 6 times will it finally catch and really crank? There may be a dead spot in the starter. But make sure the battery is fully charged just to eliminate that as a possibility. Next check the cables connecting to the starter. Be sure those are clean and making a good contact.

[C man]

How many miles do you have on the car. I all honesty you really probably need to put a new starter on. Not hard at all. Eventually the starter will drain the the new battery to nothing which will futher wear out the starter until your stranded somewhere. Mine was ok and just started to mess up out off the blue. I chased everything but the starter when mine was going bad since it just stop working out the blue. Save yourself futher head scratching and just change it. It cost $80.

Wasn't the 3.8 fuel injected by 88'?

Hope it helps cuz I felt like an idoit for chasing a problem that was right in my face.

[The00Dustin]

On the other side of CMan's token, I have replaced a starter, and had to replace it 4 more times because they were all bad. This was on a 66 El Camino, and they were refurbished starters bought from Big A auto parts, so knowing where to buy what starter to get a good one might prevent that, but I'd just as soon buy a battery until I know the starter is bad, because I am leery of replacing parts when I don't know they are bad and it could just be a power issue, and starters will definitely do that when it's just a low battery or a bad power/ground connection to the starter.

[bmorebuick88]

Originally Posted by C man

How many miles do you have on the car. I all honesty you really probably need to put a new starter on. Not hard at all. Eventually the starter will drain the the new battery to nothing which will futher wear out the starter until your stranded somewhere. Mine was ok and just started to mess up out off the blue. I chased everything but the starter when mine was going bad since it just stop working out the blue. Save yourself futher head scratching and just change it. It cost $80.

Wasn't the 3.8 fuel injected by 88'?

Hope it helps cuz I felt like an idoit for chasing a problem that was right in my face.

it has just recently hit 100k miles and yeah most of the parts on here are the original ones. when i changed the spark plugs you could tell they were the original factory ones installed. i bought a new battery from pep boys so im guessing it was charged all the way(if not, im getting my money back), and the starter is just probably old and worn out like you said. eventually i wanted to put new aftermarket parts on virtually everything since i don't plan on selling this car for a while(interior and exterior is really good shape) so even if the problem isn't the starter, its good for me to get a new one anyways.

thanks everybody for your repsonses. i really appreciate them because before i had a car i knew nothing about them, and now with all the small things im starting to learn.

Also, if the problem persists after the starter i will just videotape when im trying to start the car and put it on youtube so you all can get a better idea of what i mean.

[bmorebuick88]

i basically wasted a bunch of money on things that didn't neccesarily need being repaired at the moment(new starter, new battery, but both were fine before and wasn't the problem). now someone is saying the car not starting has something to do with an ignition module, and another person saying the car might not be getting fuel, but the fuel pump is working. changing the fuel filter should be least expensive so i guess i will do that next.

and for anyone that was confused at my terminology used in earlier post, i apologize. the engine just won't turn over.

[usedranger]

well I would not kick yourself too hard. The number of folks who have not replaced a part unnecessarily is probably a small minority. But the lesson learned is test the basics and do the simple things first;in example cleaning the cables. Not the problem?so what, its out of the way and did not cost you anything! And when someone suggests the battery connections you can say you did that already.
Now, so the more experienced folks on the forum can help you, try to clearly describe what happens when you try to start the car. Such as, When the key is inserted and turned, to start, does the starter engage?, and turn over, fast enough to start the car? If it does, and still does not start, open the hood. Do you smell gas? Have you tried to just push the peddle to the floor hold it and crank the engine? Does this start the car?
There is more than enough experience on this forum to walk you through the problem, just be patient . Also,There are sometimes transient problems for which an obvious answer is just not there. I have a "once in a great while" starting issue with my '95 LeSabre. I took it to a trusted mechanic who could not find the problem. Drives us both a little crazy!
In your case it may be a sensor( camshaft or crankshaft for instance) that is failing or has failed. Tricky to pinpoint these without proper testing. Good luck. I'll let the more wise among the forum help you out. Good luck.

[bmorebuick88]

Originally Posted by usedranger

well I would not kick yourself too hard. The number of folks who have not replaced a part unnecessarily is probably a small minority. But the lesson learned is test the basics and do the simple things first;in example cleaning the cables. Not the problem?so what, its out of the way and did not cost you anything! And when someone suggests the battery connections you can say you did that already.
Now, so the more experienced folks on the forum can help you, try to clearly describe what happens when you try to start the car. Such as, When the key is inserted and turned, to start, does the starter engage?, and turn over, fast enough to start the car? If it does, and still does not start, open the hood. Do you smell gas? Have you tried to just push the peddle to the floor hold it and crank the engine? Does this start the car?
There is more than enough experience on this forum to walk you through the problem, just be patient . Also,There are sometimes transient problems for which an obvious answer is just not there. I have a "once in a great while" starting issue with my '95 LeSabre. I took it to a trusted mechanic who could not find the problem. Drives us both a little crazy!
In your case it may be a sensor( camshaft or crankshaft for instance) that is failing or has failed. Tricky to pinpoint these without proper testing. Good luck. I'll let the more wise among the forum help you out. Good luck.

the one mechanic who said it might be because the car isn't getting fuel had listened to when i try to start the car over the phone, and he he said the starter was moving fast enough to start the car.

sometimes before i put the key in the ignition i push the gas pedal a few times to circulate some of it since my car hasn't been driven in about a week and a half, and when i try to start the car i smell lots of gas.


normally when it was cold oustide i would hold the pedal to the floor and after a few tries of me turning the ignition the car would start(it would cut off if i took my foot off the pedal), but now when i do that, the car just continues to crank, but doesn't turn over. once again sorry if i use the wrong terminology. when the key is in the ignition and i am turning it so the car starts and i hear the fast repetitive sound from the engine i consider that cranking.

[HotZ28]

Have you checked for spark? Basic troubleshooting-101!