Hey guys

Parked the car last night, came out and it won;t start. Clutch saftey switch is fine. Starter is not turning at all. Plenty of juice. Is the starter my problem? Please help ASAP.


Thanks

Sean

 

How many miles are on it? It might be that your opti-spark has gone out.

 

I was thinking that too, but wouldn't the starter turn at least?


It has 122,xxx miles right now. And I really can't afford to drop $400 on an opti at the dealer since I need it ASAP.

 

Everybody blames it all on the opti, and it gets on my last nerve. A starter not turning is completely unrelated to the opti, period. Last time this happened to me it was just a wire on the starter had came loose, atleast look at that first before you do much else.

Carson

 

Plenty of juice? If your battery is good and charged up and your connections are good all the way to the starter, try tapping your starter. Just make sure you are in neutral and the tires are blocked and your coil wire is off.

Just because you have lights doesn't mean you have enough "juice" to start. JMHO

 

I have juice, Guage has always been right and doen't go dow to nothing when I crank. It is also a newer Optima. Problem is I don't have a jack right now, cause I am stuck in the middle of BFE. I am just trying to figure it out since I can't crawl under there.

 

Tapping the starter is a bad idea. There are magnets inside of the starter and if you hit the starter case you could crack one of the magnets then it is junk for sure. When you try to start the car does the volt gauge go down at all? If it doesn't then you are not getting power ot the starter. Check the NSS and all of the conections on the starter. If the voltage does drop down a little your starter probably went out. One more thing to think about is VATS. Good luck.

 

Try a newer key if you have one, or clean your old key. Also check for cable tightness.

 

Any security light?

Short between the purple wire and the battery cable on the starter and see if it cranks (make sure the car is in neutral and won't go anywhere). If so, the starter is ok. Could be the theft deterrent relay.

schematic

 

could be the vats like shoe said but don't be so sure it's not the battery. clean and double check the terminals. do you hear a clicking noise when you try to turn it over?

 

I suggested the opti problem from personal experience, so please don't get all worked up! I just had to change the opti in my 94 Z for the same problem and it had 120,000 miles... so your case seems the same as mine. So, as I suggested, make sure your opti-spark hasn't gone bad due to your mileage

 

...but if the starter won't turn, how does that have anything to do with the opti?

 

Thank you for confirming the obvious here that I stated at the top of the page

Carson

 

Twas the starter. Picked up an LT4 starter last week for $152.



Thanks for the help guys.

 

Good stuff...told ya so, kinda