So for the last 4-5 days I have noticed that my car was giving me weak starts. Not hard or long starts, but the kinda start where is sounds like the battery is weak, but the car starts right up. I am away in PA this weekend but the weak starts had me worried a little, so I had the battery tested along with the alternator at Strauss an hour before I set off for the the highway, just to be safe. The battery and alternator passed, we did the ripple test, cold crak test etc. All passed. The guy looked at me like I was crazy.


I go home pack up the car, ready to hit the road and what do you know- I go to start the car and its dead, it was giving me weak cranks. There were no fast clicks to acompany the weak cranks. I have a little hissy fit and let the car sit for a few min. I tried again, and after one pathetic sounding crank, by the hand of god, the car started. We made it to PA.

The car had no drivability issues on the way up. When I get to PA I show my father in law. We go outside after about 5 min after our arrival to check it out and the does not start....No clicks, no week crankikng- NOTHING. All the dash lights are nice and bright as well as te dome light etc. The headlights also are shining bright. Hmmm. So Now it dawns on me that my radar that my radar detector has a volt meter readout through the cigarette lighter ( Thought it was a useless feature but it came in handy!) The car is in the on positition and the radar tells me 12.3 volts. Looks good to me. I let the car sit for 5 min and try again. I go to start, i get one pathetic sounding crank (kinda like the sound a honda starter makes) and the car starts by the hand of god again.

This morning i went out and had a pathetic crank and the car started.


What are the signs of a bad starter? I was thinking about the ECTS, but I was under the assumption that that was only a culprit when the car has been driven throughout the day and the engine is already warm-is this true? Is the starter easy to change myself should i need to? What else should I be looking at? batter connections look fine. Car has 83K.

 

okay- well I decided to have a go at the regreasing of the starter. Was worth a try as there is not much to do out here in PA. I got the thing out, but I could not for the life of me get the electronic connector disconnected .(thin wire) After trying for a while, i decided to give up. I wound up forgeting the correct orientation of the starter tried for 30 min to get it back in the little clip and rubber piece gave me some issues. LOL. At any rate, I decided that I got myeslef into some trouble and get scared that I might be stranded here in PA. The metal piece, clip, and spring fell out and then I could not get the thing to slide in easily. I finaly got it back in, never regreased it. And the car started perfectly. I DID lose the washer that goes on one of the screws. Do you think that It is gonna be a problem? I made it nice and tight. What do you guys think was the problem?

 

i think you need a new starter. it may be work and when it heats up it seizes but as it cools down the metal contracts and frees itself. im in pa if you need any help.

 

joe- thanks for the offer, but im gonna leave it alone until i get home to NY. I just realized after lookking up info on starters, that I never took the starter out! I only took that little upper motor that has the rubber spacer under it. Eh, when I get a chance, when i clean my TB, i will put fresh washers on both terminals and be done with it.