my 1991 GS had an alarm with a starter cut relay, the car ran perfect before i headed to work to one day, started fine to go to lunch but when i tried to go home, the car wouldnt start.
so i went ahead and replaced the starter relay since it was only 30 bucks and the previous one got wet from the notorious passenger cowl leak.
ive also tested the clutch interlock by jumping the two pins in the harness.
i tested the starter leads with a mulitmeter and it still showed no electricity going to the starter.
the shop manual offers no other insight since these are supposed to be the only things that would prevent starting.
[QUOTE=sick_DA;2077459]Check all your connections.
I would start with the ignition and work your way back with that muli-meter. Its a long process. But it should work.[/QUOTE]
damn, the previous owner (or thier mechanic) has filled most of the underhood harnesses with some sort of putty, probably to avoid corrosion living in coastal areas.
looks like i have a long weekend ahead of me.
thanks sick_DA, you just made my plans ahha
if anyone else has any other ideas, please chime in as well.
the car wouldnt start.
I will assume engine will not turn over, starter motor issue rather then engine cranks but does not fire, correct?
You said,
i tested the starter leads
what leads and where?
Do a bypass jump, using at least 12ga wire, connect one end to the batt. pos.(+) post, touch the other end to terminal, on starter motor/solenoid, that has the black/white lead plugged into it, [thinner of the two leads going to starter motor/solenoid].
BE CAREFULL, make sure car is not in gear, [set hand brake] if starter motor and solenoid are good, engine will crank, even if ign. switch is not on.
If engine fails to crank, check batt. cable connection to starter motor/solenoid, check both the chassis ground, [under batt.] and engine ground, don’t forget both the batt. terminals.
The above should not just be eyeballed, all connections should be removed, both contact surfaces cleaned to bare metal then reconnected.
If engine does crank, [starts if ign. switched is turned on] test for power on the black/white lead when ign. switch is turned to start and clutch peddle depressed, or is that what you mean by,
ive been last minute moving residence these last few days my car has taken a backseat to that, but thanks for being interested sick_. i just havent had the time to get to something so tedious yet.
thanks fcm. i know its the starter system since i can hill start it everytime. the starter relay is the only thing that clicks when you turn the key. no other sound or click is heard or felt. ill try your ideas in the morning. hopefully its just a ground. i wont have time to go check all the misc starter system crap till wednesday… i wish there were more people in my area that knew shit about DAs.
also i shouldnt say “i” in this instance, my neighbor knows how to use the multimeter, he put the multimeter on the black/white lead and grounded it to the chassis.
i will admit i havent a CLUE about electricity, and hes an electrician not a car mechanic so we could have been doing that all wrong, who knows.
its things like this that really make me realize how car-dumb i am about things give me a welder and some power tools and im your man, relays and resistors and solenoids… you might as well be speaking chinese to me. thanks for the help. ill report back after i try this shit.
finally got the starter out, bought a new one and it looks like the gear that engages the flywheel is stuck out farther than the replacement one, the pepboys starter test said that was the reason it didnt work… was it binding on the flywheel? should i be worried about that? could it have broken teeth off of the flywheel ring by not going back in correctly?
also, any tips on getting the bottom bolt of the starter back on? i literally had to take the old starter apart to get to it, and i dont want to take the new one apart and compromise the o-rings/gear grease. i also dont see how im going to get a torque wrench in there to correctly tighten the bolts if the starter motor is still attached, since the passenger side engine/tranny mount is in the way. im willing to buy whatever shnazy socket extension i have to so that i can finally drive my own car.
huge thanks for all the help guys, this thread and the people in it have saved me over 150 bucks, so i think ill donate about half that to the site. :rockon:
Sounds like your starter problem was a starter solenoid problem, possible jammed solenoid, coil or mechanical
Either way, no damage could have been done to the flywheel without you knowing it, it makes an ugly sound when flywheel teeth, [or starter pinion gear teeth] get broken off.
As for bottom bolt, by hand to start the bolts, once bolts are finger tight the proper length extension will work, a “wiggle head” extension may make it easier. 94
[QUOTE=fcm;2085964]Sounds like your starter problem was a starter solenoid problem, possible jammed solenoid, coil or mechanical
Either way, no damage could have been done to the flywheel without you knowing it, it makes an ugly sound when flywheel teeth, [or starter pinion gear teeth] get broken off.
As for bottom bolt, by hand to start the bolts, once bolts are finger tight the proper length extension will work, a “wiggle head” extension may make it easier. 94[/QUOTE]
cant you put 45 ft lbs of torque on one of those extensions? i broke one trying to get the bolt off (craftsman so i replaced it, and will keep replacing them as they break but…)
either way ive got a new (reman) Bosch unit so well see how that goes.
If its that much of pain in the ass for you to get to, i wouldnt worry about getting the perfect torque. A quarter turn past tight should work. I did mine about 2 months ago when i was replacing me rear mount. I had mine out in about 25 mins. Just get a 4 inch long extenstion and you should be golden. One lose just take the ratchet off and spin it by hand. Im glad we could help.
