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1998 bonneville starter intermittently engages

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Old Apr 9, 2011 | 12:49 PM
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Default 1998 bonneville starter intermittently engages

Sometimes when turning to start position,it does nothing. The lights are not dimmed like lost power or ground. Sometimes a brief buzzing sound comes from the area behind the instrument cluster leading me to believe that it could be a start relay.I've found info that th\is is the location in a 1996.I can barely see or touch a relay in that area from underneath and am finding difficult to attempt to remove it for testing as it is attatched in some fashion to something. I'm not sure that it is a start relay or if that is the problem but it seems logical.Does anyone have some advice to the likelyhood of this being the right relay and it being the problem, and if so, how can I get this thing out without completely disassembling the car?
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Old Apr 10, 2011 | 12:33 PM
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Having experienced many dead starters on my car, I can tell you if your lights aren't shutting off or dimming when you turn the key to START, then your starter is probably not engaging.

Assuming you have at least 9-10 volts with your key in RUN, then you should have the bare minimum amount of battery power required to crank the starter.

You may be right on the money as far as the relay is concerned. Your high-power relays are under the hood. Lift off the cover that says "Maxifuse/relay center" and you'll see them. Check any fuses that are marked "starter relay" as well.
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Old Apr 10, 2011 | 12:37 PM
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You can also test for voltage at the starter with the key turned to start. If you have voltage, the starter is the problem. If no voltage, then check the relay, as mentioned, under the hood on the fire wall.
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Old Apr 11, 2011 | 07:21 AM
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One key thing I'd like the mention is isn't not voltage that starts a car. In many cases you can have headlights, interior lights, radio etc and when you click that key if it all dies and you have a no start, then you can have something as simple as a corroded or loose battery connection.

I'd start off checking the cables/connections.
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