OT: I need help with my winter beater...

[nmcgrawj]

Its a 91 saturn coupe 5-speed. Its having trouble starting. Before...i would have the turn the key allll the way and it would hesitate then start. Now, as of yesterday morning all it does when u turn the key is click once(sounds like the click is coming from the starter area in the engine bay...i think) then i got frustrated and started trying to start it over and over and then BAM it started. So i shut it off and tried again...no luck. Just the one click.

Is the starter shot? Thats the only thing i can think of. Im still at college so i cant get out there and try to fix it myself. I dont want to pay to get it towed but i might have to. I thought about getting it rolling and using the clutch to start it but i dont have any roads the decline to do that...and i dont have enough friends up here still to push me lol

What do you guys think? I need to figure this out

 

[Soupy]

Check the battery terminals!

 

[nmcgrawj]

Check the battery terminals!

I will have to do that...same thing happened on my stang. BUT i just replaced the battery...and im pretty sure i tightened them down all the way. But i will check back over all electrical connections.

 

[Joes95GT]

Well you can rule out the ignition switch because it's hitting. The next thing from the ignition switch (relatively) is the starter . I'd bet it was the starter causing the problem - it doesn't have enough juice to zing the flywheel.

I just replaced one on some kind of Satty on Friday. It took about 20 minutes once the car was up in the air....

Joe

 

[Grn92LX]

Well you can rule out the ignition switch because it's hitting. The next thing from the ignition switch (relatively) is the starter . I'd bet it was the starter causing the problem - it doesn't have enough juice to zing the flywheel.

I just replaced one on some kind of Satty on Friday. It took about 20 minutes once the car was up in the air....

Joe

Yeah. He said he got it to start today. My suggestion to him was that it sounds like his starter has a hot spot, so I said to try banging it with a hammer as someone cranks it for him. 88hp 5 spd saturns rule I love mine

 

[Joes95GT]

I just read the post again...

Nate - you've got to have enough people to push the car. It's only a tupperware container with seatbelts...

Joe

 

[nmcgrawj]

I just read the post again...

Nate - you've got to have enough people to push the car. It's only a tupperware container with seatbelts...

Joe

lol yea thats VERY true. But all the guys went home for christmas already...just me and a couple other girls still around here.

It started up last night and i turned it off and restarted it about 3 or 4 times....so WHO KNOWS. I checked the battery and cables out...everything seemed good. I snugged everything down to make sure. Does the starter slowly burn out? You think it being like close to 0* out the last couple days out brought this on?

 

[MysteryMachine]

not only checking the battery terminlas for being tight make sure they are clean.

had the same problem with old toyota truck thing used to really piss me off one day it would start next day it wouldn't move the terminals a little it would start come to think of it my car and my old bronco used to do that too battery's love me lol

 

[mytight95]

very possible that it is your starter solenoid...........some saturns have some that you can replace without replacing the entire starter.......so that is what i would check.....

try jumping the connection between the two posts on the starter...the solenoid is bad if it it will jump every time by jumping the solenoid......


jason

 

[MysteryMachine]

lol starter solenoid went in my old bronco and the SOB kept trying to start with the key out I had to disconnect the battery to get it to stop trying to start. What a way to start your morning eh