How do you tell if the starter is dead? When the starter is in the car it wont start. I took the starter out of the car and hooked the battery up to it and it spun,so i put it back in and nothing. The purple wire also has power to it when the key is on.
Chad

 

If the starter cranks slow and the car doesnt seem to lose much power. disable the ignition and crank the engine for 15 seconds Hook a volt meter up to the battery and see if the battery stays about 9.6 volts in the 15 seconds of cranking. if it drops below its your battery, if it stays about like high 10's to low 11's its your starter. Hope this helps
-Paul

 

I cant crank the engine , because the starter wont engage. What do you mean by car losing power?

 

If your just hearing a click sound when you try and crank it, you probably have a bad starter silenoid. What I mean by losing power is by all your electrical divices running properly. Your head lights arent dim, and you have good voltage, its more than likely your silenoid. You can also try to clean the terminals on the battery, and clean the terminals on the starter and see if you can minimize voltage drop.
-Paul