I had I problem with my car when the temperature was colder. Car did not start readily and had to be cranked longer and would quit if it was not thoroughly warmed up. This in all likeilhood caused excess gas to be injected along the cylinder walls. Three weeks ago the car would not start after sitting in the driveway a couple of hours from a previous run: the starter did only clik and the engine did not turn.

I changed the starter: the same click but no cranking.

I changed the oil and turned the engine by hand with a breaker bar connected to the crankshaft pulley. it did turn for one sixth of a turn degre without too much resistance with the spark plugs removed. I had the seven year old battery replaced by a new one with 600 cold cranking amps.

Now the starter cranks the engine when there are no spark plugs but not that fast. If I put in the spark plugs it does not crank but only clicks.

I want to know how I could tell if a) the starter is too weak (It is supposedly a reconditionned one and there is some kind of warranty on it)or b) if there is actually something wrong with the engine.

If something has seized in the engine, should not the resistance be the same as the engine goes through one complete revolution ?

Well, here it is early Tues, I am just back in town, and you may have fixed to thing, but anyway.......

If you can turn the engine by turning the p/s pulley, it ain't siezed. End of story. however, your symptoms do sound like the starter is getting less than full power and that you have over-compression due to combustion chamber carbon build-up.

The cable ends at the battery, positive worst, have a tendence to corrode inside the insulation back from the battery terminals. Little may show, but the damage is done. If you can, use a jumper cable to connect the battery to the starter, leaving the existing cable in place. Use the other cable between the battery and the block.

OR, remove the terminal from the battery. Then get a glass jar with cup of water and a tablespoon of bakng soda, and carefully place the terminal in. Leave it for an hour or so. (A drop of that liquid in a bettery cell will kill the battery.) Dry the cable thoroughly, use your wife's hair dryer. Then reassemble and give it a try.

The starter drive and flywheel ring gear are usualy dry. Because of the design of the starter motor, it usually runs OK or is dead. Not much gray area.

Good Luck,

Bob

:>)

The problem is not solved because I have not touched the car since Sunday . What puzzles me is that sometimes the starter will turn the engine and some other times it will only click.

I have used the jumper cables to be sure that there is a good ground between the battery post and the stater itself.it made no difference I will try bypasssin the red positive cable with the jumper cable connected directly between the battery and the starter.

I do not understand why if there is hidden corrosion inside the positive cable, the performance of the starter is so erratic. The performance should be consistently poor .Am I missing something? I feel that I am playing wheel of fortune.

Thanks for all the help and concern.

The problem is not solved because I have not touched the car since Sunday . What puzzles me is that sometimes the starter will turn the engine and some other times it will only click.

I have used the jumper cables to be sure that there is a good ground between the battery post and the stater itself.it made no difference I will try bypasssin the red positive cable with the jumper cable connected directly between the battery and the starter.

I do not understand why if there is hidden corrosion inside the positive cable, the performance of the starter is so erratic. The performance should be consistently poor .Am I missing something? I feel that I am playing wheel of fortune.

Thanks for all the help and concern.

Many of the big chain auto parts stores will do a quickie bench test on starters and alternators for free.
Might as well yank it off and have it tested to either eliminate or condem that variable.

It is very doubtful that your engine is seized, but if your worried just turn it over by hand one turn.
You may not be delivering full voltage to the starter due to a bad cable. They can be corroded inside the insulation. Why not check the voltage at the starter terminal and ground. Better yet see if you can apply a jumper cable to the terminal and other end to the battery as a shunt, and try starting. Also run a jumper cable from battery neg to engine ground.

In order for there to be enough gasoline flowing down the sides of the cylinder walls to sieze the pistons - there would have to be gasoline in your crankcase - if you pull the oil dipstick, and it does not smell strong of gasoline - then the "siezing up" is eliminated.

I live where it gets to -30F and have flooded engines many times - never has it resulted in the engine siezing up.

But - that is not to say that you are not barking in the vicinity of the right tree.

How many miles on the engine?

What year - carburetor or fuel injection/computer?

Has the maintenance - oil changes, been on a regular basis?

Have you done a compression test - a dry piston test, then a wet piston test?
- a wet piston test is done by squirting a few squirts of oil into the cylinder to seal up the rings - if there is a great difference in the compression between the two methods - then the rings are suspect.

What about the ground connection to the battery/block - even a great battery will not perform at tops if there is a faulty ground.

Good luck

The compression is over 180 psi on all four cylinders with no spark plugs and engine cold. If there no plugs the starter will crank the engine.
If I put the plugs back on the starter will crank the engine once out of every attempt; the other times I only get a click, I have to turn the engine by turning the power steering pulley or with a breaker bar on the main crankhaft pulley to reposition the flywheel.

By the way there did not seem to be any lubricant on the big toothed wheel where the starter pinion engages Is that normal if not what kind of lubricant should be there

It is a 1986 with fuel injection has 235000 km oil and filter have been changed on average every 4000 km or three times a year. The engine has never been opened except for the valve cover. I have already changed the oil.This fall I did a compression reading and everythig was fine equal readig for all cylinders .I will check the compression again. Also i have a spare negative cable which has been kept in side for the past even year and should be less corroded than the original.