98 chevy cavalier trouble starting

[lucerne06]

my niece has a 98 chevy cavalier with 60,000 miles that sometimes cranks and turns over and other times will not do anything...The starter was replaced, but it's still doing this. She says when she turns on the ignition she has lights,radio,windshield wipers and door locks, so far the garage has not been able to figure it out. any help will be appreciated..thanks

 

[Quest]

if the starter is new/presumably functioning normally as it should, and if it sometimes turnover and sometimes not, fault lies in a borderline weak battery (check battery and charging system first).

if it's ignition problem, the starter should turn over the engine consistently all the time, so long as the battery is fresh and fully-charged.

Q.

Remember the fundamentals: air, spark (ignition) and fuel.

 

[lucerne06]

the first stater they put in was bad, they replaced the starter with a different one...I am assuming the starter is ok..I would also assume they checked the battery charge, but I will check.

 

[simple_gifts]

I'm thinking loose or rusted ground is also something to look for.

 

[SrDriver]

With the information you mentioned I would guess that the flywheel has some broken or damaged teeth and when it so happens that things line up it would cause this issue.

Often the flywheel is damaged by attempting to start a car already running.

 

[lucerne06]

i just talked to her and she said the battery is new and has a full charge, that was checked, she also said that sometimes it clicks and sometimes it does not when the ignition switch is turned and sometimes you try 5 or 6 times then all of a sudden it starts up>>??

 

[Quest]

If the starter is not new, suspect to be a faulty/intermittent starter. Check starter and cabling/wiring/grounds first.

don't ignore the importance of properly functioning battery and charging system. When in doubt: always have the entire system tested and battery load-tested.

Q.

 

[Colt45ws]

Did it get the recall done on the ignition. There was a recall for the starter overloading the ignition switch, fix was a new switch and a relay between the ignition switch and the starter.

 

[vssjim]

If you hear a click and the cables are good and tight,I would still say you need another starter as unless the main cable are not connected properly everywhere giving a voltage drop then most likeky is the starter needs a warranty replacement.

 

[NHGUY]

Cheap rebuilt starter.

 

[Warstud]

Could be flooding out. Try holding the gas pedal to the floor when starting.

 

[mechtech2]

Back to basics -
We have to clean BOTH ends of both cable, and where they seat nice and shiny.
It is our base to go from . It may fix the problem, but if not, it is a very good thing to do.
Wiring to the starter is next. Connections have to be clean and tight.

 

[SteveSRT8]

^^^Brilliant advice from the trenches!

Sometimes it's a very simple thing. You would not believe how many times a clean connection has solved a seemingly bizarre issue in my experience.

 

[artificialist]

Follow all the procedures for diagnostics, but be ready to get another starter. Cheap rebuilds don't last.

 

[mechtech2]

Porsche and VW had all sorts of anomalies because of grounds.
Simply cleaning the paint off of the engine and body where the wires went, fixed them.

 

[Cutehumor]

I had a poor starting car this past winter in a 96 sunfire. battery and alternator tested good. I cleaned the cables real good on the battery and the alternator. it started everytime after that. also, I wouldn't use a rebuilt starter. I went with OEM New starter on that 96 sunfire. I got duds from junkyard and autozone.