Good afternoon
I stop at the gas station, jump back in the car turn the ignition and not a sound. I check voltage on my battery and it'* @ 12.25 volts. (radio plays and windows roll up and down) I tap on the starter a few times and try to crank again and nothing. When I try to crank up the car I don't hear the engine turn or anything move from the engine area. First thing I assume is that it'* the starter. Is there anything else I should check before I go buy a new starter?
I pull out the manual and it pre warns that on some models you may have to lift the engine or remove the exhaust pipe or the frame cross member. On a L27 1992 Pontiac Bonneville sse Is this necessary or Is a starter just a couple of bolts and replace starter?

Hope you guys have a beautiful fathers day weekend

Have someone hold the key to on while you whack the starter.

No need to lift the engine to pull the starter. The cross member is close which puts you onto a wrench for some of it...but overall..it'* pretty easy. BTW..watch your fingers.

Battery cable corrosion under the boots (where you can't see it) is the #1 cause of your symptoms. Several a month on this Forum.

Enough power to run accessories, but not enough to even make the starter click.

1st disconnect & clean the battery cables. Some years have 2 cables that come together in a single rubber boot. You need to remove that boot in order to claen the cable ends. After cleaning apply dielectric grease to slow future corrosion & reassemble.

If it still isn't starting then check for 12 volts at the small (purple most years) wire going to the starter solenoid. Key has to be start position while checking.

If the small wire has 12 volts & you cleaned the battery cables then the starter/solenoid is bad.

If you're not getting power to the small wire then you have a blown fuse, bad ignition switch, Vats trouble or a bad park/neutral safety switch.

How about the safety neutral switch? Is that a possibility, or even a bad connection at the starter?

Sure is Frank...

while checking engine codes maybe 6 months ago I had a code for the park neutral switch. I'm going to check voltage on both right now. Is park neutral switch and safety neutral switch the same thing? I know where that switch is and I'll check to see if it'* corrided as soon as I post this. thanx


Be right back

Does a defective starter give warnings or is it common for a sudden, fatal failure to happen with these starters? I had a starter on my 98 that acted like the battery was aging for at least 9 months. Occasionally it just didn't hit with the solid engagement sound that it usually had. I cleaned cables and checked alternator output and had the battery checked two different places.

Later it acted up slightly more and then one night it wouldn't engage after a click the first time I turned the key.

Yes they are the same, if you suspect the neutral switch then try this. Turn the key to the start position, in other words all the way as if to start, hold it in that position while you use the other hand or have someone try to take the car out of park on go through all the gears slowly keeping special attention to when it goes by the neutral position. If the safety neutral switch is out of adjustment then the starter will engage as you shift through the gears. Try this procedure a couple of time.

Again keep the key in the start position while shifting through the gears.

cleaned corossion off of battery post and boot.
got a jump.
wa la the car cranks right up.
I will try try what you've just suggested to see if my switch is out of allignment.
Can you reallign the switch yourself?