If I give it a jump it seems to run fine and reads 14v. When I try to start it by itself the voltage drops to 9 on the guage.

 

Bad starter?

 

What does the starter have to do with a voltage drop?

 

When you try to start it (using the starter) the voltage drops. The starter may be bad.

 

Is this a question a joke? The starter obviously draws voltage and amperage, it is electrical. Also as far as the alternater, what does that have to do with the car not starting? A starter can short which causes a major load on the electrical system. Everytime you go to turn the motor over it causes a drain on the system. If you crank a starter (well most of them anyways) at 9 volts or below it usually causes them to burn up.

 

We'll I'll be damned. I didn't know this. I thought when a starter went out, it would just click or grind and I would maintain voltage in the charging system. Wait sec.... it has been grinding when trying to start it sometimes. I guess it wouldn't hurt to replace it.

 

It depends on how it grinds. A starter can grind like a high pitch whinning noise and this is due to being improperly shimmed, the starter is not tight enough, or some how you have the angle wrong (shimming usually corrects this some). Most vehicles now days are built with good tolerances and do not need to be shimmed, a.k.a. your car. If the starter has ever been removed and replaced with something else who knows what you could have in there from China or Japan that is made for a different application (highly unlikley) but it may be off. A starter only clicks if the solinoid is done for or if the bendix is sticking out and is either stuck out and locked up or the stater motor does not have enough power to turn the drive. The solinoid only pushes the bendix out on a plunger like system, the starter motor is what actually cranks the car.