all right guys ive found some of the best answers to problems here so im gonna take the shot and see if anyone here can help me with my delimma.ok car specs are its a 1989 style camaro body with an 87 engine in it, 305 FI ...problem is this-car died last week and hasnt started since. After having it towed back to my house by a friend i started with the ususal problems....checked battery although it wasnt bad i noticed that the positive terminal was a bit worn and wouldnt be a bad idea to replace...starter is brand new, negative battery cable is brand new, took a dremel and cleaned the positive battery connection and all of the connections to the starter. Have replaced the ignition switch (and in the process found that the VATS is disable via a simple push button start). Traced as many wires as can see and there is no obvious corrosion or wear. Still when i try to turn it over by pressing the start (which to put it simply is basically jumping the starter posts) i can hear a fast clicking sound and the lights dim. Cant pull any codes since i have removed the battery there arent any stored-CANT START THE CAR TO GET A CODE-and im running low on my wits at this point. After many hours under the hood and the car im stumped. where do i go from here?

If you are shorting the terminals on the starter solenoid and all you here is a click and the lights dim then you have a bad starter motor (regardless of how new it is) take it back. It should spin over the motor if the it engages the solenoid. (This assumes motor turns freely and you don't need a new motor due to broken crank or rods through block keeping engine from spinning).


Larger Dave

okay i know i can check to see if the engine will move by using a breaker bar et al but im unsure which is the correct wheel to turn my haynes isnt really specific....

It should spin over the motor if the it engages the solenoid. (This assumes motor turns freely and you don't need a new motor due to broken crank or rods through block keeping engine from spinning).
Only if the battery can supply enough current to turn the starter under load, I would believe.

Monitor the battery voltage while starting, if below 8-9 volts while starting, either battery needs a good charge or replacement is in order. Hopefully, the starter pinion is not jammed into the ring gear. By tuning the crankshaft manually, this may unstick the pinion, you'll hear it.

The bolt in the end of the balancer is the one to turn. Try to go two complete revolutions. Removing spark plugs helps.

okay then im going to first see if the engine is actually still capable of moving before i jerk the starter out again- im not leaning towards it being a starter problem because when i replaced it i made sure to have the new one tested before i left the store with it-Im hoping it boils down to something as easy as my inept other half just installed the new starter poorly, but with my luck its not going to be that simple. thanks for the advice and ill let you know what happens.

ok i bought the longest breaker bar i could find to make sure i was getting enough umph for my pull , but i couldnt move it not even an inch. so i decided to drop the starter out to see if this was hanging it up noticed one thing, the gear on the starter was engaged to the gear on the flywheel.Tried to move the pully again still nothing, so i decided to give up on it and put the bolts back into the starter just to make sure i didnt leave it hanging and mess it up even more (which is when i noticed that the flywheel no longer was engaged to the starter) . i got the hmmm moment going on and on a whim tried to turn it over again. first time it sounded like the engine rotated just a bit, then i was getting the clicking sound again...and the stater is engaged again in the flywheel...what does that mean?

...and the stater is engaged again in the flywheel...what does that mean?
It means the starter needs to be shimmed away from ring gear. Go to your local Help aisle at your favorite auto parts store and get a pack of shims.

I'd start with the thinnest and work up to the max thickness. Place a shim under both bolts.

the starter came with three shims but the dork i love that replaced it didnt make sure of the correct clearance when he replaced the starter...he gets an earful about that when he comes home in a week...but i figured that was the problem with the starter i just needed to make sure. im just hoping that im a weakling that couldnt turn my crank though otherwise its a bigger problem than an incorrectly shimmed starter...

Keep us informed as to the progress, of the car.

Be nice to us men, we lift your heavy stuff when you demand it.......LOL.

Normally you do not need to use the shims . . . so don't give him too hard of a time.

I put money on your engine being toast. What happened when it quit running??
good luck.

well he was driving when it quit running. he was on his way to work and was at a stop and the car just died. It does that on occasion in the morning when its real cold. He said he tried to start it and nothing.....which is why i first thought battery or starter. No out of the ordinary noises or anything to indicate a problem with anything else. Im headed out right now to shim up the starter and charge the battery back up (ran it down trying to figure out what was wrong no start means no alt charge), ill let ya know what happens..i wont be giving him too hard of a time just a bit of i told you so's about the shims i thought it needed them and he assured me it didnt...and thanks for the encouragement about the engine being toast its just what i needed to hear hahaha.

ok so i shimmed it all up and guess what nada. still having the same problem its not turning over. I even marked some spots on the belt with a sharpie to see if it moved even a little bit. What this says to me is that a) i have far too much time on my hands and b) it must be the engine. I mean correct me if im wrong but what else would make it just not turn over?

what else would make it just not turn over?
Broken parts inside, ie, rod against crankshaft, broken valve stem or broken valve spring causing valve to wedge between the piston and cylinder head, cracked cylinder head to hydrolock the engine, or engine is seized. Suggestions you don't want to read about and "This doesn't happen to me....."

I suspect the engine to be okay, there is no mention of "knocks" from the engine just before it quit. Battery could be in such a discharged state, it still doesn't have enough juice to turn over the engine. Keep the battery charger on the battery till you go to bed. Try in thre morning, or till you have "time on your hands."

Make sure the cable connections are clean and the cables are of sufficient gauge to handle the heavy current load.

Is the starter new or a rebuilt? Sometimes the rebuilts are bad, depending on if it was rebuilt on a Friday or not. Also, did you get a new solenoid with the starter or did you swap it with your old one? Your starter is the problem.....the shims are just so it engages properly on the ring gear. You should still hear a "Zing" if the starter is working. The battery sounds like it is capable of spinning the starter. A freshly charged battery doesn't hurt though. Perhaps the starter motor is stuck. Try this.....grab a hammer and tap the side of the body of the starter( If it were my car I would beat it pretty hard) but not too hard. This will free up the starter motor if it is stuck.

I think the bottom line is that you bought a bad starter. Take it back and get a different one.

When your Hubby gets home , he'll be one happy man that you got the car running again :D