well fellas(and ladies ) I believe my starter has died. A couple of days ago I went to start the car and it was dead. So I jumped it and drove it to work. Thinking I just had a battery or possibly alternator problem. car started fine that afternoon on the way home from work. I was out of town yesterday and when I got home I tried to start it again...nothing. All the lights come on when I open the door and put the key in the ignition but when I turn the key all I hear is the relay in the engine bay click but the engine does not turn over. Sound like a starter to you guys? what are the costs involved and how much time to do this myself?
thanks!

If it is anything like my beater thruck, there is a starter relay that could have gone bad. They only cost around $15 (cheaper than a starter. The relay has a power wire running thru it and a remote on wire attached as well. I am not sure where it is but I can look at mine when I get home to see if I can find it. An easy way to test it is to bypass the relay and see if the starter still tries to turn over. If it does, your relay is bad, if not, your starter is bad.

I just went thru this in my truck, allbeit a furd. It would sometimes not start and seem like a dead battery. Next time I went to start it it would work. I'll see if I can find it tonight and I will post again then.

Make sure to check all the electrical connections before replacing anything! check the battery terminals and the two connections at the starter itself.

If the starter gets voltage (you can verify that with a testlight or a voltmeter) and the connections are good, and it still won't turn, then it'* probably bad. If it doesn't get voltage, but the relay clicks, it'* probably the relay.

Good luck,

Yeah I would take the starter off and go have it bench tested or you can do it yourself. But since it works sometimes and not others it might be bad brush'* or stator in the starter motor. But take the relay off the starter and test that to ..

thanks for the tips! It'* now to the point where it doesn't start at all(no more hit or miss). I'll check the connections and the relay as well before I attack the starter itself.

Hey i just had that problem, the other day! its the starter ignition switch, casue what happens it that sometimes the metal in it gets burnt, and wont move the switch when you go to start the car, so anyways it cost me about 70 bucks for the part, she starts fine now! Just its a bugger to hook it up cause the wirs go all over the place, just make sure you get someone that know what there doing.

Good Luck!
Buggie

Before you do anything else, try a different battery if you can. Heat does strange things to batteries. My car started fine drove 2 miles and wouldn't start again. Lights and everything else that doesn't put a high demand on the battery worked fine. I couldn't even jump it. Replaced the battery and all is well.