I have a 1999 buick lesabre with the 3.8 engine, I have gone through 4 starters in the last 2 months, when I went to disconnect the positive cable for the 4th time, the cable was melted,any ideas why this would be?

Corrosion. High resistance causes the cables to get very hot causing them to melt. I suggest replacing all 3 cables. Ground. Positive and the positive to your fuse center.

would that have any effects to the starter it self, I did some research on the starter i got from auto zone and they are all bad reviews

The terminals on my 1997 LeSabre look about the same except for the red plastic that appears to have oozed its way onto the contact surface. That tells me that either those connectors are defective or it is getting really really hot.

Check the voltage at the battery when the car is idling. How many volts show?

Shut engine off. Check again. How many volts show?

How many miles are on your LeSabre?

How old (miles and time) is the battery?

How old (miles and time) is the alternator?

Have you owned it for a while or did you recently buy it?

What region does it live in?

When the starter is activated, does it turn over slowly and/or slowly at first them speed up like on a really cold day?

Has this car had any major trauma?

Has this car been modified?

Would probably be good to do a current test when starting.

It'* just a 3800 series 2, not a high-compression and/or exotic engine. Even Autozone should be able to get you a starter that works on it. The question is: What is the symptom that leads to the diagnosis of "bad starter"?

i put in a new starter 3 weeks ago and it will not start, is this all related?

What was the problem with the first starter before you replaced any starters?

12.63 at the battery terminals with the car off, no modifications, 202,000 miles

the starters fail within a month or two

fails in a short time