Car won't start... is it the starter? help
 

so i went to go do the weekly start and my car would not start! when i turn the key the engine does not turn over at all there is just a rapid clicking noise which i believe is the starter solenoid. the weird thing is i jumped it and it started. next time i tried to jump it did the same thing as before when not jumping it. i put a voltmeter on the battery and when i was cranking and the voltage only went down to 8V so i dont think it is the battery. what else can i test before i buy a new starter? car is a 98 SS

thanks,
andy

sounds like the battery to me. The starter is what drains those volts down when its engaged, if its not even engaging, 8V is low. Charge it overnight and see what happens. If the engine starts, disconnect your negative battery terminal to see if the engien keeps running, that means the alternator is also good...or working.

+1

Rapid clicking noise with that low of voltage is probably the battery. I don't remember my starter pulling my battery down that low when it checked it last. I would take the battery out and get it tested at your local auto parts store.

:werd: +1 for the battery

I thought it only needed a few volts to startup? its around 12.5V sitting and 8V trying to start. ill take it to the dealer and see if i need a new one. kinda crazy i just got this one about 12-18 months ago

Some of the cells could be bad, so when you draw from the battery it falls on its face hard. The test tells you if all cells are working.

another vote for bad battery

the battery shouldnt go down to 8v when trying to start

+1 more for battery. get the battery tested and might as well get the alt tested while your at it

im gonna take the battery in and get it tested. hopefully thats it! thanks guys

Don't go to the dealer man...thats just nuts!!!

Take it to where you bought it from like pepboys, they test for free. I bought a brand new battery and had what I thought was starter troubles but it turned out they sold me a bad battery. It was almost impossible to jump so I thought it was my alternator or starter. Sometimes even when i got it started when I would put it into gear it would die!

my dad works at a chevy dealer i wont get charged

Yeah, get the battery tested first. If it's not that, could be the starter or the alternator. If it dies on you after a jump but it starts, probably the alternator. If it won't jump, try the starter.

DO NOT DO THIS man you really need to learn something before you give out faulty advice that is in no way the right way or even a half way smart way to check an alternator your gonna cause this guy and others more problems by telling them that. This isn't the 70s you cant just disconnect the battery and see if the alternator is good their is way more to it than that now.

^^^^^^ hahahaha

but if the battery is good than it could be the stater, it could be froze up inside, you can try to jump the starter and if you hear it spin its not the starter

Wrong. Works perfectly, done it a million times and so have hundreds of other people. Did it last month a couple times when my alternator was failing, no problems ever for the past 20 years doing it.

Where did you hear its not good...bad information.

Yes, its better to check it with a machine, but there's more than one way to skin a cat.

Actually, for like 20 years I would take the positive terminal off, but I was recently told its better to do the negative. After 20 years of doing it though, it makes no difference at all. I watched a hundred people that had bad batteries use someone elses battery to start the engine so they could get home or to a shop...after the engine is started they then diconnect that battery and give it back to the person who let them use it just for that start. Its been done to death.

Its has been done in the past on SIMPLE electrical/charging system cars. Do you know what happens when you disconnect either terminal and take the batter out of the cars circuit?? The battery is a like a huge stabilizer for charging system, you actually create a massive voltage spike when disconnecting it from the system while there is output from the alternator. Do/have people been doing this without causing damage? YES
Can this be harmful to a car? YES
Is this an accurate way to test anything in the charging system? NO
Come out of the 80's....

To the OP this has never been advised by any professional sp I recommend you do not do it.

And your problem sounds like the car sits a lot and has a dead battery, charge the battery, then bring it to autozone and have it tested.

I hear ya. But I've done it with my 1998 Trans Am for 11 years and I've watched countless other people do it with 1998+ cars, so it works just fine and I've never heard of any problems ever.

And if running an engine without a battery is really a bad thing, car manufacturers would make cars shut off immediately when batteries die, so these alleged "spikes" wouldn't hurt anything.

Either way, when something is done countless times without even the hint of an issues, with late model cars and old cars, and having seen it done countless times....that means its ok to do. If it was bad I would have seen these bad things happen by now.

Just because your friends jump off bridges or do drugs doesnt make it the right thing to do... If you've had success "testing" your alternator this way then congratulations and continue to do it to your car, but dont give advice like this to others. Take some advice from a Technician as you are clearly not one as I saw you post in another thread that you walk into the shop and ask advice. Walk into the shop and ask them this question and if they are educated they should concur with what i've said.

Yet another vote for the battery. Generally speaking, you need at least 9V to properly crank and start the engine. This is the standard we use at the dealership. The second thing that you need to start thinking of is if something else is draining the battery. Pull the alternator off and have it bench tested or test it yourself with a DVOM. It is up to you if you want to disconnect the battery or not, if you choose to do so, then pull the negative cable. It is the safest route. If your battery is under some kind of warranty, do not charge the battery first, just pull it and take it to where you bought it. If your father works in a dealership, especially a GM shop, they have load testers and Midtronics testers and the battery either passes or fails with reason. But most of all, it sounds like the battery. Clean your cables and tray and ensure that they are fitted properly when you reinstall the battery.