i have a 96 formula, bone stock, i started my car on a very cold morning, came out 10 minutes later to it almost over heating, so i did the reasonable thing and killed the motor. i had tested coolant the day before to see if it was going to freeze and it was good. well it wasn't steaming or showing any strain, i realized when it cooled down the waterpump and block would contract and leak on opti, but i came home and went to start to move it out of driveway, it tried to start and died, now the starter won't even engage.

i don't have the electrical test equipment necessary in the sticky, my limited knowledge of distributors lead me to believe the car would try to start but not fire if it was failing.

with no garage, sub-freezing temperatures and overtime that doesn't allow me to put any work into it during the week, i'm trying to research as much as i can so when i get time to get under this thing i have a little background to facilitate the diagnosis.

i'm going to try to locate appropriate testing equipment, i checked all fuses in both boxes and they were fine, and i replaced starter 4k miles ago, i was just hoping for a little info, i've had this car for 4 years, and this is the first major issue, thanks for any help you may offer

 

First off......sounds like perhaps multiple problems and here's why:

Unless you fried a major wire somehow, the starter and opti are not really connected to each other besides through the car's computer. So you should get it to where it will turn over, imo. It's been cold, so you may have a dead battery. Any symptoms of that? Run a multimeter across the battery with the key turned on accessory. This would be totally unrelated to the overheating, but your alternator is good right?

As far as over heating, here are a few questions which might help us:
Did the car run smooth? How close was it to overheating? Did you check to see if the radiator fans were on? What about the thermostat? Have you tested it?


Gosh, there are just so many things which, to my limited knowledge of these cars, don't have anything thing to do with each other. Headgasket? lol, I doubt it....

 

the car ran completely fine the day before, the battery is good and the thermostat was fine the day before, it always had smelled like coolant but never dripped. i believe the waterpump failed because when i came home it had dripped down the crank pulley and made a small little orange puddle, but no bigger than 2-3 inches. fans were on when running. i feel bad asking because when i was a member before i know there were multiple posts everyday about this god-forsaken optispark

 

No, that's perfectly fine. A failing water pump would account for the overheating. The opti would account for the starting problem. Have you pulled any codes, and if so, what are they? If the water got on your opti, then yeah....it could have totally killed it.

 

the opti wouldnt account for the starter not even engaging. got to be the battery, starter, ignition, or wiring there. as for the overheating, first thing i would do is make sure it was full and is bled right. that is if the water pump is pumping...

 

Yes, I realize that still. But there is obviously a problem with it staying started. I blame the opti for that. The starter definitely has an issue, too.

Bleeding makes sense, but he didn't do anything to it. How cold did it get? How cold did you test it to? Could have damaged the water pump somehow.

 

Sounds like a bunch of problems. Take them one at a time is what i have seen. Get it turning over first. I wouldn't jump to the worst case scenario and spend a bunch of money without doing research, which appears you are doing. First check starting and charging components: battery, alternator, starter, switch, wiring etc....

My car overheated when I first got it. It blew the water pump and leaked all over unvented opti. I still have the same one in it (i understand how lucky I am by the way ha).

What is your battery potential when the key is set to accessory? Does the starter sound like its clicking when you turn the car over? How hot did you get the car before you realized it was overheating?

 

I am fairly certain my water pump failed causing over heating, it got close to 260, in ten minutes of running at idle, the coolant tested to 5 degrees and it was 20 overnight. I have some time today so I will troubleshoot the no attempting to start. I am goin to replace thermostat to rule that out if I can get started. As you all know you can't see anything in the front of motor so it's all by feel.

I'm sweating just thinking about what may be wrong.

 

So I have decided the bendex isn't comin out or I have gap in flywheel, starter whines and no attempt to turn over. Goin to pull inspection cover off tranny, move flywheel and have someone try to start. My biggest fear is with such a radical heat up and cool down maybe the bottom end froze up, breaking starter when I attempted. Also what tool should I use to turn crank if that's possible in this car. I may go buy scanner today too.

 

I've never seen a bottom end sieze up from overheating. I think that is highly unlikely.

More likely is you just have a bad stater....that happens.

Do a compression test to see if you blew a headgasket when the car overheated.

Replace the waterpump and, at least, the opti cap and rotor. coolant dripping on that usually ruins them. I'd personally replace the entire opti while I was in there.

Good luck!

 

yah i replaced starter in february of 09 but i guess those remans aren't the best quality, just an odd problem to happen the next start of the vehicle after overheating earlier that day. i got a scanner and will be back i'm sure to ask even more questions. where is the best place to buy a decent opti unit online, getting crazy price differences, i know to get a oem one, not a reman. that and the waterpump, because i dont want to get a advance auto one if i can get a decent one online for maybe a little more.

 

just me, but i wouldnt replace the opti unless its bad for sure. if you dont buy an oem then take your chances, i say if you dont buy oem buy autozone so you have a warranty and all you loose is time and labor when it goes out. water pump just buy a used one from here. someone is bound to be selling one cheap. if your going to get a new one id buy an electric and convert.

 

I agree with this post and i would start with that and put in a new thermostat while im there just for the sake of doing to make sure that wasnt part of the problem. As for the starter issue i would take a look at the wiring ive seen some micky mouse **** wiring as they tend to rust and break off. Only reason im saying that is cause you just replaced it not to long ago and your driving it in the winter i assume? The ground on the side of the block tends to break off or become weak which can be part of that problem. Not saying its your issue but i would definetly take a look at that while you have the starter off. If its just the starter being the problem just take it off and go to your local parts store to get them to test it for you to know for sure then assuming its worse.

 

Hmm, yeah my bet is on the starter then. It's just odd since you said you replaced it just under two years ago. Wow!

Ditto! I wasn't so sure about replacing the opti, but BW is right. You have to replace the water pump anyway, so you might as well just take care of the opti rather than try and diagnose.

 

[QUOTE=
Ditto! I wasn't so sure about replacing the opti, but BW is right. You have to replace the water pump anyway, so you might as well just take care of the opti rather than try and diagnose.[/QUOTE]

its worth it to diagnose it if it saves you 500 bucks for a new one. unless you got money and want to have a new one regardless.