Follow-up:
My mom-in-law's 1998 Malibu with the 3.1 engine (same as my Monte) stranded her and my son at a gas station.
I determined that the starter was gone, and replaced it the next day. I was stunned when I started the engine because it illustrated how weak the Monte Carlo starter was.
I changed my starter the next day, and it has excellent kick.
Lesson learned: go with your gut. Though the symptoms were subtle, it was really bugging me. I may have been able to wring some more time out of the old starter, but it was a ticking time bomb.
My mom-in-law's 1998 Malibu with the 3.1 engine (same as my Monte) stranded her and my son at a gas station.
I determined that the starter was gone, and replaced it the next day. I was stunned when I started the engine because it illustrated how weak the Monte Carlo starter was.
I changed my starter the next day, and it has excellent kick.
Lesson learned: go with your gut. Though the symptoms were subtle, it was really bugging me. I may have been able to wring some more time out of the old starter, but it was a ticking time bomb.
