Car not starting..I think its starter

[xexitenglishx]

Well lately my car has been randomly not starting on me. Last weekend i started my car and it cranked over very slowly then started up. I drove to teh store about 15 minutes away and turned the car off. When i came out5 minutes later the car wouldnt start i would hear teh starter spining but not engaging. I had a friend come and just me and it started up just fine. I drove the car and started in no prob for a few more times then it just wouldd crank and die. I kept trying to start it and the small ground wire connected to my bad began to smoke. I am figuring the starter doesnt have what it takes to crank the car over anymore. I bought a new battery and it started fine for teh whole next day. Then i tryed to start the car yesterday and it doesnt crank over but its trying to. Meaning it revs alittle then dies.

I have a new starter to go in but i jsut installed long tubes and its going to be a bitch to put it in. I have bbk long tubes does anyone know if i have to take the header off to install teh starter or is it jsut really hard to install. I got a quote from laroccas for just labor of 350 to install it. Thanks

 

[5.0LOfFun]

the starter gear may not be retracting. it pop's out to spin the fly-wheel then retracts. Yours may not be retracting or fully deploying. Thats what happened to me when my starter went.

 

[86StangLX]

Yup, your starter is bad man. I just replaced mine last week. $350 for labor is ridiculous! I would definitely get another estimate. I don't know about doing the repair with long tubes in there. I did mine (with shorties) in no time at all. The bottom bolt is a piece of cake, it's the top one that can present quite the problem. I used a standard ratchet wrench, with a 3" extension and U-Joint attaching the socket to the extension. That's the only way to get at the bolt. You have to get under the car near the passenger side tire, under the passenger side door. That's the best angle to see the bolt from. You have to look up and around the A-arm and all that other crap up there. I would definitely try to do it yourself before taking it to a shop.

 

[seijirou]

I kept trying to start it and the small ground wire connected to my bad began to smoke. I am figuring the starter doesnt have what it takes to crank the car over anymore.

No this means that too much of the juice used for the starter is going through the small ground wire from the battery to the chassy, and therefore from the chassy through the ground strap to the motor. In short, you have a bad ground from your battery to your motor. You may also have a bad starter, but I always suggest fixing one thing at a time. So check your negative battery cable, make sure it's cleanly and tightly bolted to the block, and not cracked frayed and whatnot.

 

[crazypete]

2 times have I thought my starter is going and it turned out to be a bad connection both times. The smoking wire gives it all away. Disconnect the wires at the terminals at the starter and clean them with fast orange. Then sand both the terminal and the wire's clip then reattach. You might be surprised. If it is still free spinning, give it a sharp rap near the top with a hammer. The plunger is not engaging. The dust shield on top does come off. Then you could jiggle the plunger and maybe give it some friendly taps with the hammer.

That top bolt is the bane of my existence. Dont even waste your time trying to put it in. Get a really small bolt that will slide through the two holes and just tighten a nut to the end. 2 years like that and it held just fine. Hey, it will save you $300.

Plus, you could always unbolt the LT header and push it up out of the way. You cant remove it but there is some freedom of motion in there.

 

[Paully's5.0]

Starter Top Bolt

I have found the easiest way to get at the top bolt is through the front of the motor. You need a couple of long extensions, and a wobble. You can get pretty much a straight shot from the front of the motor, and using the wobble will help take care of any small angle you may have. Easy as cake.

I have even done this from underneth and from the top of the car...of course that car didn't have any smog or ac lines!

 

[xexitenglishx]

awsome thanks for all the replies. I will be going home thursday to look at it. I will first check the ground and the connections to teh starter. I have a high tourque mini starter just laying around so i might as well install it because the starter itself has a hard time starting the car on a good day. But thanks for teh help and if anyone has anything else feel free to post it here