The starter does not work on my Buick

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thevendguy

The starter does not work on my Buick

Unread post by thevendguy » Sat Oct 09, 2010 1:45 pm

The issue I am having is that when I try to start the car nothing happens at all (no clicking -no slow starter sound - nothing).All the lights that normally light up on the dash are working as they should. I know the hot wire to the starter has voltage when checked with a test light When I turn the key to start the car all lights and accessories go off as they normally do. I believe the starter has voltage but does not jump across the solenoid to crank. I not sure if that is how a starter works or not but I am not able to get the car started. This is an intermittent problem. Any suggestions on where to look for possible solutions would be appreciated.
Thanx

hogmo

Re: starter does not work

Unread post by hogmo » Thu Oct 28, 2010 7:57 pm

You will need a test light to check to see if the problem is in fact the starter. The large red cable comes straight from the battery and will be hot when using a test light all the time. The purple wire is the solenoid wire. This wire is only hot when the key is turned to the crank position. If it is hot while ranking, and the engine does not crank, then the starter is bad. If that purple wire is not hot when you are trying to crank the engine, then you can have a problem in the neutral safety switch, the ignition switch, or in the non-factory alarm system if your car has one. If you don't have a test light or unfamiliar and how to use it, you can turn the key to the "on" position and carefully use a screwdriver to touch the stud of the purple wire and the large red wire to see if the starter will crank. If it doesn't then the starter is bad.

westnlas
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Apr 08, 2015 3:59 pm

Starter continuously engaged

Unread post by westnlas » Wed Apr 08, 2015 4:11 pm

2002 Ranger 3.0 v6. Starter engaged and would not shut off. Had to disconnect battery cables to shut the truck down.
I have,
1- Changed ignition switch No change Starter starts with key off when battery connected
2- Removed and had starter and solenoid checked at Autozone (Passed)
3- Removed starter relay from engine fuse compartment
4- swapped Relays around
5- Put test light between ground cable and neg on battery. Light comes on, solenoid clicks
a= Tried this while each fuse was removed. Same result

What's next to try

User avatar
carriedi
Posts: 2573
Joined: Wed Apr 10, 2013 12:42 pm

Re: Starter continuously engaged

Unread post by carriedi » Wed Apr 08, 2015 5:43 pm

do you have a starter relay like this on the side of your engine compartment? If you do, this would be your starter relay. It should have two small terminals and two big terminals.One of the big terminals goes to the positive battery terminal. If you have a test light, connect the clamp end to the negative battery post. You should have a light on when you touch it to the starter relay terminal that is connected to the battery. Test the big terminal on the other side of the relay. it should not light up your test light. If it does light up the relay is bad. It should only light up when the key is in the start position.

there are two small wires that connect to that style starter relay. One marked "S" and one marked "I" Disconnect the one marked with the "S". That is the wire that goes to your ignition switch. It should have a yellow and light blue wire. With that disconnected, does it still try to start? If it does, the relay is bad.

If you do not have a starter relay like in the picture you may have one in your underhood fuse panel. If you know which relay it is, remove it. will the engine still crank over when you connect your battery? If the engine still trys to start when you connect your battery you have a short to power for the starter solenoid wire or you have a short to ground in the dark blue and orange wire that goes to your PCM, (or you could have a bad PCM that is grounding your starter relay)

things to check...
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