schnellfahrer

I took the starter to a shop today. He has a bench for testing starters. Everything checked out fine unfortunately. I told him to rebuild the starter anyway as it was less than $100.
If I'm lucky, there is something wrong with the starter that causes intermittant failure, but I doubt it.
I'll clean all the connectors to the starter, reinstall it and see.

Next is ignition switch, right?
Is this a DIY? What parts would I need?

IceShark

The starter is a pretty simple operation. You have a positive cable from the battery and the negatives to inner firewall as well as the bellhousing. Those cables may be very bad, especially if you have been driving in the winter with salt on the road. Your car is 19 years old. That is like 100 in human years. Search under my name and battery cables and you can read up on what you need to do.

Could be the ignition switch. But that has verry little current going through it as it only triggers the starter solenoid. My bet would be on the main battery cables if the starter rebuild doesn't solve your problem.

schnellfahrer

Thanks Dan. I'll get the starter back on wednesday.

The wires going to the starter, are they live?
I need to move the car (drive it) without the starter installed (I just borrowed a place to wrench for a day). Do I have to connect any of the wires? Do I have to make sure they do not touch eachother?

IceShark

Oh, boy! The battery to starter positive is live and unfused. You will arc weld if you ground it to anything body related. Heat shield, torque tube, bellhousing, you name it. We are talking start the car on fire in no time! The alternator to starter will be live and unfused once you get the motor running. Bolt the two of them together and cover with insulation. The little soleniod wire only goes live when you turn the key to start so is not such a big threat. May as well cover that terminal too, just in case you do something stupid.

If you bolt up the main battery cable to the alternator cable, the alternator will work as per normal. If you don't connect them you are living off just the battery and that won't last very long, especially if the radiator fans kick on. Life could be as short as 30 or 40 minutes so plan this trip out.

If you are going to pull the car to get it running make sure you don't run over the rope with your front wheels. Had a friend do that and it damn near tore his whole front end off!

schnellfahrer

Thanks Dan.
I'm ignorant. I know. :-)

schnellfahrer

I picked up the starter at the shop today. They say they found nothing wrong with it. I'll put it back in later today and see if it the car will start.
Maybe this is a grounding issue. Can I like hook up a wire between the battery and chassis or something to confirm that this is a problem? Connect a wire between the battery neg and the chassis maybe?

IceShark

Sure, but I wouldn't connect to the chassis as the chassis isn't the greatest conductor after all these years. Clamp onto the engine block.

KuHL 951

I ran a separate ground from the standard battery ground at the block to one of the starter bolts. This assumes an upgraded positive starter cable has also be installed. I had plenty of oil-proof welding cable to play with. I suspect many cars have considerable voltage drop through bad ground connections in dire need of cleaning. When in doubt clean the grounds.

schnellfahrer

Thanks

DHC8FO

I'll lay you money that the ground has extensive corrosion in the wire when you remove it. I've went through this exact scenario, replaced starter, alternator, battery. It seems too simple, but the new ground wire solved my problems

schnellfahrer

I don't even know where the main ground cable goes. I will get a new cable, but I'll have to wait for my next paycheck (1 week).
The main ground cable goes from the battery to the bellhousing, right?

IceShark

Assuming you have a LHD car, you have 2 main grounds. A short one from battery to inner firewall next to battery. And a long one from battery, through the firewall and down to the bellhousing at the top left side. Sort of hard to see the bellhousing attachment with the wiring, hose and such in the way.

I have upgraded cables and clamp for $54 if you are interested. Shouldn't cost too much to ship.

schnellfahrer

OK Dan. I'll get in touch with you about the cables.

So I put the starter in and the car started. I'll wait a week or two before I crack the champagne.

Thanks for the help.

ehall

"I'm ignorant. I know. :-)"

Whose not, at some point. You'll get this fixed. If I can anyone can. Just wish I drove a truck, so I could just STAND under the damn car. LOL Good luck brother.