PDubs

Can anyone tell me the difference between needing a starter and needing just the starter solenoid? I think one of them is bad, but I'm not sure if I just need to replace the solenoid or the whole system.

For details on issue, please ref this thread:
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....hreadid=195009

wyskibumm

I recently got a new starter in my car. The guy at the shop picked it up and right away knew that the clutch in the starter was bad just by spinning it. So i'm assuming theres an easy way to tell by spinning the gear. My broken starter would only engage after the car was warmed up, so i'd have to pop the clutch on a hill at the beginning of the day. Another thing was, that when i turned the key, i heard the starter spinning very fast, but wasn't engaging into the flywheel, but the mechanic at the starter shop still said it was the clutch in the starter itself. Hope this helps a little.