starter wouldn't even try to turn over?

If the battery is down, you need to take it off and get it charged. You can't do any testing without a charged battery. Some of the national brand autostores will test it and charge. This guide can help us fix it

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/starter-not-working-repair

Please run down this guide and report back.

Ok but I forgot to mention that all the lights and warning buzzers work fine which makes me think that the battery has a charge...

Use a digital multimeter across your battery posts, key off. 12.6 volts is generic spec for full charge. Take same reading key in the crank position, shouldn't drop below nine volts.

Another thing you can try, turn on your headlamps, watch the lamps when you turn the key to the crank position. If the lites go out or almost, usually the battery or connections. If the lites stay bright, no reaction, key in the crank position, there may be an open circuit to the starter. Some of the national brand autostores will test the starter for you, if you take it to them.

Started car a few days ago and it died while idling. Pulled distributor cap and all the tabs were burnt up. Replaced distributor cap and rotor. Car still wont turn over. Dummy spark plug has no spark when cranking engine. BAT hei cable has no power when key is on / when I crank engine. Big red cable behind alternator has no power. Pretty lost at what to do about this. Electrical issues are not my forte.

I don't know what led you to the generator, but that is a dandy clue. The large bolted-on output wire goes directly to the positive battery cable, but there is going to be a fuse link wire in that circuit. Usually on GM vehicles you'll find those attached to the larger battery cable on the starter solenoid. Most fuse link wires can be tested by tugging on them. If they act like a wire, they're good. If they're bad, they'll act like a rubber band. Usually you can't tell the condition by looking at them. The insulation is designed to not burn or melt.

http://imgur.com/a/51luF

Took some pictures earlier to send to a buddy. Those black cylinders are the fusible links? they all tug fine, no rubber band.

Actually, those black cylinders are encapsulating the splice between the regular wire and the fuse link wire.

There has to be a break in the circuit going to the generator's output terminal if you don't have full battery voltage there. Don't forget to check the negative battery cable too including its smaller wire that bolts to the body.

i have an 85 chevy silverado 6.2 litre diesel and everytime i try to turn the motor over, it just makes one loud clicking noise. i had a bad connection in the starter cable so i retightened the bolt running into the starter and still nothing. i thought maybe i drained the batteries trying to get her started so i hooked up the batteries to a charger and charged both of them for a day each. still nothing... what could be the problem here?????

there could still be several problems, you may have tightened the starter in a bind, did you use any shims? you can not properly install that starter without shims. That starter has a bracket on the back of it, that bolts to the block, did you check that bracket to make sure it is tight? the bracket stops the starter from twisting and is the up-and-down adjustment on the starter cone.

Hi there.

I just bought a Chevy Silverado. It's got a new (less than 2000 miles) 350 in it.

I've had it for a couple of weeks and only recently noticed a problem with the starter. Outside of a small issue with cold-starting, it's had no cranking problems until the other day- not like this anyway. When I turned the key, it made the sound that a car makes when you start it with the engine already on. I waited a few seconds and tried it again and it started fine.

What are the chances that it's just the starter and not the flywheel? Also, I've read a lot of stuff on the net that makes it sound like getting a starter to line up and/or work properly in older vehicles like this can be very problematic. Is that so? What does it generally cost to replace a flywheel and how easy is it for a mechanic to tell if he's installed a new flywheel and starter correctly the first time? Am I looking at the possibility of a regularly recurring problem?

Your help is much appreciated.

Hi there djrusselp and TY for the donation this is what keeps the site going

Starter grinding noise during cranking means the starter drive pinion is too far away from the flexplate have the mechanic inspect for a worned/broken flexplate teeth and also the starter dirve pinion. If both okay-have him shim the starter closer to the flexplate-be advised this is a trial and error till he hits the sweet spot not to grind.

In the event he replaces the flexplate and starter and it continues to grind he didn't do his homework correctly-don't accept the vehicle till he get it right-

Parts and labor varies with location

Okay, I installed a new battery and alternator now 3 days later the truck fired up drove 20 minutes down the road and now it won’t start back up.

That does not sounds like very much fun over the holiday weekend!

Okay, first I need to get some more information from you to help us get to the bottom of this sooner.

From what I read here, you replaced the battery and the alternator. From there you drove for 20 minutes and the car would no longer crank. Is that correct?

Will it start with a jump? Or does it just crank and wont start?

Sorry for the questions but it is important to decide which direction to head.

Regards,
Jon

Yes drove 20 minutes and wouldn’t crank up! Let the truck sit 8 hours and truck fired up drove back home 20 minutes and wouldn’t crank back until I hooked jumper cables to it and fired right off.

It sounds like an ignition problem when the engine wont run. lets check for spark. here is a guide:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-test-an-ignition-system

Please run down these guides and report back.

Thanks for the response, and so sorry I didn't get back to you very fast.

To me it sounds like something is heating up and when warm has a lot of resistance.

Could be:
High resistance in the battery cable or starter cable
Starter motor is weak and has high resistance when hot from the engine running
Poor connection that gets aggravated when warm (because things expand when hot)
etc.

To really find out whats going on. We'd need to do some testing.

Do you have access to a multi-meter (to measure the battery voltage) and a Clamp-on Meter that will measure current?

What we need to do is measure the battery voltage and current while you are cranking the engine over when its cold, and then repeat the same test once you've driven the car for 20 minutes. You may need a friend to help you with that one so you can watch the meters while your friend turns the key.

Would you be able to do that?
Jon

i have an 84 chevy silverado it died one day and wouldnt start back up till about one hour later. replaced the starter battery spark plugs and wires now the starter wont even spin when i try to start it i have power to the radio and lights and everything on the cab just nothing to the starter.

Disable the ignition system, then check for power at the purple wire on the starter motor while trying to crank it over -Do you have it-If not could be the park and neutral switch and ignition switch.Double check battery and connections

i think it may be the starter, but i am not sure. the battery was on a charger over night and the indicator said it was charged the volt meter in the cab also indicated this, what i am hearing or lack there of is the engine trying to turn over. the only sound that is apparent is the ignition when i turn the key. the truck runs fine i have been fixing things here and there, but all the sudden the battery died and now it wont turn over. a friend of mine had put a kill switch on it and i think he messed up either one or both things; the starter or the wiring to the started, he is kind of dumb and ran the switch to the starter instead of the distributer. any thoughts or suggestions would be very helpful.
Thank You,
Patrick

Is it cranking over and refuses to start or just won't crank over at all/nothing?

it wont crank at all, i am taking the battery to checker to have them test it, in hopes that is all that is wrong for the time being.

Problem started with crank but no start. I replaced the coil went to start it again and had no power at all. Changed the coil again got some power back but something is sucking the life out of the battery. Charged it and immediately after I turned the charger off battery started dropping quickly. Battery is close to new so I am lost at what is drawing the power and why it happened.

Was the coil hot? If not I would say the battery is having an issue. Here is a guide to help you test the battery:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-replace-a-car-battery

Please run down this guide and report back.

Cheers, Ken

I have lights now I may get a click or two when I try to start it but other then that nothing.

Does everything go out when you try to crank it over? If so it sounds like you have a bad connection at the battery. Here is guide that can help you fix the problem:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/everything-goes-dead-when-engine-is-cranked

Please run down this guide and report back.

Cheers, Ken

Does everything go out when you try to crank it over? If so it sounds like you have a bad connection at the battery here is guide that can help you fix the problem.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/everything-goes-dead-when-engine-is-cranked

Please run down this guide and report back

Cheers, Ken

I have a 1979 k10 chevy. When I first got it i had to change the starter and the flywheel because it was the wrong starter for the truck an ate the flywheel to shit. I got a new starter from the parts store. I tried Putin shims on it. I've tryed everything. Now here recently when I tryed turning the key over the nothins happening and the batter cables are plugged in. It's a brand new battery. And it's charged because when I went to plug the cables in. It was shooting sparks at me. could anyone help me?

check with a test light at the starter and see if the light is as bright as it is at the battery. you may have a bad cable. there are also fusible links connected to the starter. alot of times those burn up and truck won't start. they are available at auto parts stores. there are a couple and you should be able to see them, they will have to be reconnected to the wire they are connected to.