starter issues, but not starter itself

Okay, my car has been misfiring and sputtering when humid, so I changed plugs, wires and cap. Having said that, here is the horrible dillema I have been having.

Car sputtered and died a week ago, and I knew the wires and cap where shot and I was prepared to change them anyway so I had the items on hand (yes this leads to starter issues) however when I started it up again, it died immediately. I tried to turn it over once more because I can sometimes get it running while pressing the gas (fuel injected not supposed to do this but it does don't ask why cause I don't know), but all I got was ONE CLICK and NOTHING.

So I replaced the plugs, wires, cap, a very very loose positive battery terminal, a broken oil pressure sensor connection and a weird ground that goes to the alternator (a lot of this was just fixing crap as I found it). This was all done after I bench tested the starter and solonoid at Advance Auto which turned out the starter to be peachy keen condition.

Boom, after doing all this and tossing the starter back on the car started right up but at a lumpy idle due to the battery being dissconnected for so long. The few days after the car started running better than it ever has for me. Yay right?

Today I started it up on a hot muggy day and stuck it in reverse to head to the store and it stalled after about 30 seconds. Okay, put it in park, foot on the brake, turn the key, ONE CLICK and then NOTHING. I'm thinking really, you're kidding me. Pop the hood find the negative terminal loose, I assumed it was my bad from working on it prior, tighten it up, visually inspected what I could see, hopped in the car and turned the key. One click from the passenger side and then nothing. The lights come on on the dash, the stereo works find in ON and AUX mode.

I am at wit's end, something is wrong with the starter and it's not the starter, lol. I cannot even begin to imagine that I am up to the task of replacing the ignition switch. But I really have no clue what else to look for.

What else can I do to narrow the problem down? Battery seems fine, starter and solonoid tested. Car was running perfect, and now randomly it's doing the same thing it did before it was fixed. ARGH!

By the way, 1990 ES SOHC auto with serious valve guide damage, but has been the most reliable beast in the two years that I have owned it. Could it be the heat? ECU? If it is the wiring it shouldn't have been running fine for the last week right?

Test the battery just to be sure. Mine would randomly not start once in a while and just do a single click. Sometimes I could run errands all day with np problems. Other times I would drive for a while, park and shut the car off for 10 min and then it wouldnt start. Replaced the battery and have had no problems since.

Also there is a chance that even though the starter tested good, it could have a flat spot which would cause it to fail to start randomly.

Okay, I will pull the battery tomorrow and see what I can find. And what do you mean flat spot? The bendix gear looked perfect from what I could see.

battery is good. which is bad. because it's being narrowed down to lock cylinder or ignition switch. which is more money time and effort than the car is worth.

what would the long term negative effects be if i just jumped the solonoid from here on out? you know the whole screwdriver method between the two solonoid terminals.

If it stalled because of a loose Neg cable check your alternator.

didn't even think to look at anything that's not between the key and the starter. if it's the alternator shouldn't the battery (that has plenty of juice) at least turn the starter over and THEN die?

it's a good idea because right now ANY idea is a good one. I did notice a ground wire came off of the alternator and that was reconnected when I got it running the first time around, I will look for more loose connections involving the alternator now. any good way to test the alt without having to take it out?

Sh*t, alternator connections are all good and secure, mechanic says the ignition switch is fine. We followed the click under the dash (the only thing on the entire car that is making any noise when attempting to start it) and pulled a relay that sounds like it has some loose metallic rattles going on with it. I assumed it was a relay for the starter or something similar, but no, it's a "ECU fuel pump turn on control relay".

I shall now pause and scratch my head before quitting for the day.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ohgrfreak

Okay, I will pull the battery tomorrow and see what I can find. And what do you mean flat spot? The bendix gear looked perfect from what I could see.

---

Sometimes a bad spot develops on the starter motor itself. Not on the gear. A bad spot on the motor could be causing too high of a draw

Shoot, you guys are right, flat spot. So, the car is not worth dumping 100+ dollars into. I am hoping this beast can get me to and from work for two months with minimal banging on the starter. Then the car will get replaced, hopefully with a better mid nineties or newer galant. (I miss my 97)

Also, I heard you can push the car in neutral a few feet and that would also help spin the armature so I won't have to struggle to get at the starter to bang on it. However this theory has me scratching me head because when the starter isn't spinning the bendix gear is not meshed.

Anyone care to chime in on the whole push the car a few feet in neutral as opposed to whacking the starter (which in a 1990 is in a hellacious remote area).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JesterX

Sometimes a bad spot develops on the starter motor itself. Not on the gear. A bad spot on the motor could be causing too high of a draw

---

I have the exact same problem on my 7g.. can you please explain further regarding this bad spot / flat spot?

thanks

Sorry for the bump, but my car, it protests...

Took the starter to the local Bueshings shop, who do NOTHING BUT rebuild starters and have been around since, well, a long darn time. They said the starter did not need a rebuild, but they did change the solonoid for 40 bucks including a lousy 1 month warranty.

Worked perfect for 3 months give or take a few days.

New problem, my car will not start when it's parked and shut off on an incline, even a parking spot that's just 20-ish degrees tilted upwards. I swear that's the only thing that's not random. It always seems to "not start" at a certain laundromat and a certain pet store, both with odd parking lots with a noticable grade.

Why this has just started to do this 3 months after the new solonoid? No F'ing clue. But I am not happy. I see a gas can and a match in this car's future... unless someone here has heard about such an odd symptom and has the magical solution because no mechanical solution is in sight.

Thanks again everyone!

EDIT: Just needed to mention that the symptom is the same when I turn the key though, one click... nada. nothing. zilch. Lights on dash come on then dim immediately.