carmex

iTrader: (3)

It ran perfectly when I parked it 3 months ago. You can hear the starter going but for some reason the motor wont crank at all. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what it could be? please don't say it's a locked motor..........

1999Transamman

iTrader: (18)

Was it parked outside?

carmex

iTrader: (3)

yes, it was parked in my parents back yard. I diddn't have any other place to put it. it still has plenty of oil and antifreeze in it.

1999Transamman

iTrader: (18)

Did you check all the wiring, and i mean all of it. Animals love to hide in cars, and they will chew wiring.

carmex

iTrader: (3)

UGH....I thought of that. I guess I could start from square one. I just didn't think it would be that because all the dash lights come on and everything.

1999Transamman

iTrader: (18)

Well I would start from the computer, just about all the vital wiring runs off of it. If your electronic savy you could just get a multimeter and read the wires. But before you do any of that, give it a good look and make sure its nothing obvious, I read all my wires once and it was a solid day of work. This is why I store mine indoors when im gone for prolonged periods of time.

98pontiac

lol... did you jump it?!??? sounds like the battery is dead!

how do you hear the starter going? like a very fast clicking sound?

1999Transamman

iTrader: (18)

Good call, that battery might just be ****.

carmex

iTrader: (3)

Yeah, the battery was dead. I got a new one today. I can hear the starter making a vroooom sound. My starter went out before and it didn't make a noise like that. I have been searching the forums for a couple hours, and couldn't find an issue similar to mine.

slayerized6

iTrader: (12)

pull the plugs and see if you can crank the motor over by hand using a ratchet and a cheater bar. if you cant, you got issues.

you starter may also not be aligned with the flywheel/flexplate gears. try dropping the starter off the block and see if the starter will work

Scira

iTrader: (4)

I'd check the shrader valve on the fuel rail as well. After sitting that long, maybe a critter chewed the wiring to the fuel pump. If you press the valve an no gas comes out, you got problems.

carmex

iTrader: (3)

But it wont even crank. I have had fuel and spark issues before. But it would crank, but just not start. Now the car wont even try to turn the crank. I can just hear the starter. Does anyone think it could be a fuse or relay?

steelers33

Did you check your fuses and relays? Also, can you hear the fuel pump prime itself?

98pontiac

if the starter is indeed working, you may have problems... than you may need to try to crank if over by hand as "slayerized" mentioned... although, you can damage rings if they are stuck to the cylinder walls... My idea would be to take the plugs out and put oil in the cylanders and let it soak before attempting turning it over.... My other thought on this was to spray pb blaster into the cylinders and let it soak, then change your oil, then try cranking it over... pb blaster works pretty good... I have not tried the pb blaster theory, so any input from others would be nice.

fleetmgr

If the starter is turning over, but the engine is not, then I'd pull the starter out and free up the Bendix...it's probably stuck and not being thrown forward to engage the flywheel/flexplate.

carmex

iTrader: (3)

Thank you everybody for all the suggestions. I checked the relay and fuses today. The starter makes a weird grinding noise. I will try to change the oil and putting oil in the cylinders. One thing I did notice was that my headlight burned out the night I parked it. And for some reason it seemed like my battery was draining because it had trouble cranking. It was a fairly new battery. I replaced the battery yesterday.

Armageddon

iTrader: (41)

It sounds like you might've stripped the teeth off the starter gear. You might also be hearing the starter solenoid clicking from lack of power.

I got a phone call from a friend tonight having the same problem. The first question I asked him was, "was it parked outside"? I've seen the weather get cold like this and run varmints into looking for a warm place to be. Unfortunately while they're there they spend their free time chewing wires.

I know you said the dash lights come on. When the key is in the on position and the computer has finished its startup cycle does the check engine light stay on? Say for instance a wire on your crank position sensor above the starter got chewed through. This would keep your motor from firing but it would still turn. This would also throw a code.

I've got my service manual flipped to the ECM connector pin placement schematic. If you get ready to pin it out and check for incorrect voltages let me know. I don't have a scanner and it's about 6 pages worth.

fleetmgr

It helps to have all the puzzle pieces at the same time. Funny noises are usually germane to the problem, and should be mentioned up front.

The grinding noise you hear is most likely caused by either a bad gear on the starter, or a bad spot on the flywheel/flexplate where the starter gear engages. Fortunately, it's usually the starter gear that's the problem. You can either replace the starter as a unit, or replace the Bendix in the starter.

lovin myls1

iTrader: (4)

Two things happen when you hit the key-the starter motor is enrgized AND the bendix or gear teeth are moved forward to engauge the flywheel teeth.From what you describe the motor is running but the teeth are either not moving forward or they are stripped.Either way its bad starter.
Remove it and have it tested.Or, if you can, let it hang down enough to see the gear while wires are still connected and turn key-BUT if it is away from motor you will have to ground the starter to frame with a jumper cable.
If the teeth are bad you should try to turn motor to make sure it's not frozen up for some reason before installing a new one.

Ls1Rook

iTrader: (1)

I just had this problem, my starter had no power to move the fly wheel, sounded like it was working but really wasnt... got mine rebuilt completely .. car turns on fine now.