1998 Chevy Lumina Won't turn over!

Tiny
JANDCHEADY
  • MEMBER
  • 1998 CHEVROLET LUMINA
  • 6 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 160,000 MILES
I just replaced the thermostat in my 1998 Lumina and everything ran great when I put it back together. Until I pulled in my driveway this last time. I pulled in for a minute, turned it off, and then came out a minute later to restart it and it won't turn over. It clicked a couple times when I tried it the first time, but then it stopped clicking and now nothing. Help?
Monday, February 25th, 2008 AT 4:50 PM

3 Replies

Tiny
MASTERTECHTIM
  • MECHANIC
  • 4,750 POSTS
If your battery is charged my guess would be a bad starter motor.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Monday, February 25th, 2008 AT 4:57 PM
Tiny
JANDCHEADY
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
After the earlier incident, I jumped the battery thinking that the alternator hadn't had a chance to charge because the car had been sitting for a while. When I jumped it, it started right up so I decided to drive around for a little bit to charge it up. I drove for about twenty miles when the car just quit at 65 mph. The volt light and the oil light illuminated and when I got to the side of the road, none of my electrical systems worked at all. Since this happened while running, I'm assuming that my battery has a short in it or I have a bad connection. Could I have shorted it out when I changed my thermostat? I neglected to remove the negative cable off the battery when I repaired it. Could any of the connections that I removed during repair be the problem? I know it's one of those two, but the connections were to the air duct and the throttle assembly, so I didn't think they would interrupt the firing circuit, or did they?
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008 AT 5:25 AM
Tiny
MASTERTECHTIM
  • MECHANIC
  • 4,750 POSTS
I doubt you caused the problem. Check the battery connections, remove them and look if you have to.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008 AT 6:10 AM

Please login or register to post a reply.

Related Engine Not Cranking Over Content

Car Not Cranking? Try This | EASY
VIDEO
Car Not Cranking? Try This | EASY
Instructional repair video
Starter Not Working
GUIDE
Starter Not Working
This guide is designed to help you identify whether the issue with your non-working starter motor is due to an electrical problem or a fault within the starter motor itself...
VIEW MORE