so ever since i got my max in april, it has taken its time starting. likt instead of starting right up, you have to hold the key. its been getting worse in the past week. sometimes it will stop turning over (i always thought it was my foot slipping off the clutch and the button not being pressed in)

today is the first day it had the major problem of not turning over. it DOESNT make the clicking sound like when you have a bad starter (i know, ive owned a 95 and had the starter go out). it acts as if the battery is dead.

which i know isnt. so today i have pushed the car and popped the clutch to start it. and it runs fine and everything. it just wont turn over. and today ive been running it with the radio off so it would have less to power.

last night i noticed when i had the car running, i would press multiple window switch buttons and my headlights would dim. also, ever since may ive had 2 10" subs wired to the stock bose amp. (i found a way to get it to work with 2ohm vs. 4ohm). it also has a new duralast battery, so i know its not anything to do with that.

so my theory is either the alternator has been "killed" because of the power im requesting from it. or, i need to rebuild/replace my starter.


i know what i wrote is long, but i would like some help tonight so i can have my car for work tomorrow

I would start with the alternator. Can you get it to start back up? You need to check the difference in voltage when off and when running. If that checks out, then I would check the starter.

done. checks out good. battery with car off (12 volts. a little more than 12) battery with car on (14 volts)

i know its not good to do, but the starter dones crank over when the car is running. obviously because it doesnt need all the torque to start the engine.

so id say starter. ill check it out tomorrow morning when i have the time and patience.

i had this same problem , it ended up being both the starter and alt

i have a similar situation, do you have a check engine light? it might help to put a ground kit on it or even an extra ground wire from the - side of the battery to the engine side bell housing, our 4th gens are notorious for starting like hell if the ground is weak.
you might also want to clean your crankshaft position sensor( if you lift the car its on the bottom side of your crankshaft pulley.. take it off and clean it well and put it back on the car and see if that helps. I know that i need that sensor so mine is a biotch to start but if i put the car in neutral, it helps and if that doesnt work try rolling the car forward or backwards about 6 inches. lemme know what happens and if that resolves the issue. if you have anymore suggestions pm me your number and ill text you when i get a chance

no check engine light. and id really hate to remove the main pulley if i dont have a replacement one. ive had to remove it and replace it on my 95. talk about a pain in the ****. and its easier if the car will crank over. thats how i got the bolt loose. put a breaker bar and socket on it and cranked the motor over. not the best way, but it worked.

no to remove the crankshaft position sensor you dont have to remove anything but the sensor itself jack the car up slide up under th car and youll see the sensor right on the bottom side of where the crankshaft pulley is at. IIRC its just 2 bolts and unplugging the sensor it may be just the one bolt i cant remember to be honest

i removed it, cleaned it and put it back on. (it was 2 bolts) and nothing changed. so i went ahead and removed the starter. was fairly easy since ive done it before. but last time i used air tools which made it so much easier.

just waiting on a ride to get ti tested at oreillys

i would seriously add a ground wire from the engine side of the bell housing to the negetive side on the battery.. make sure to take a wire brush to both wire ends and wherever you put them

okay.

so i have 2 options.

1. buy a starter from oreillys for $120 with lifetime warranty

or 2. wait til tomorrow and go to pick n pull and get one for $30 and hope it works. with 30 day warranty

so im guessing that they checked your starter and it was bad?

check your grounds. I had the same symptoms (dimming lights when using accessories etc). Turns out battery terminals were corroded and grounds were not good. I would clean everything up first before you start replacing parts. It's worth a shot! Good luck.

yup, bad starter. tested and failed. so ill be hitting up the junk yard tomorrow. saves me $100

yes, i definately will look into a grounding kit. i know a member here sells them. but im sure i could make my own

You know there are two crankshaft sensors, right? The one you found near the pulley and a second one at the junction of the engine and transmission near the bottom front of the engine compatment. Replacing the second one cured my long terrm starting issue.

i remember reading somewhere that there was one by the trans.


but anyways, i did get it fixed. went up to pick-n-pull and got one. cut my hand open because the cheap socket i used cracked and slipped trying on one of the cars up there.

but i forgot to plug in my maf sensor before connecting the battery so now i have a cel. gonna go to the garage and have them clear it for me.