QuestionQUESTION: i been having an issue with my coupe deville not wanting to start on certain occasions. for the most part the vehicle starts up just fine but sometimes out of the blue i can be driving it around for a little while pull in to the gas station get some gas and when i try to start it just won't start. there is power going to the starter, there is power coming from the ignition and the car won't even turn over. all the dash lights, radio, headlights come on but no turnover. the car does have an after market alarm that it's been having for years and the alarm is not connected to anything that wont let the car start, it's just an alarm. please help and thank you for your time.
ANSWER: Hello,
If you have power on the purple wire at the starter with someone else trying to crank it once the engine is warm-you need a starter. Simple as that!
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QUESTION: the starter is brand new, not even a week old
AnswerHello,
Don't care. New, reman fail at times. I you have power in the start circuit at the solenoid, there is nothing else that it can be. You are at the end of the line.
You may have brushes sticking, maybe the armature is bad. Don't know. I haven't been able to rebuild them for 30 years, but the symptom you suggest is common in GM starters (usually after lots of use), but it is what it is.
I have installed brand new water pumps only to find the pump leaking coolant out of the drain hole. I have over the years replaced many new defective power steering pumps. My Suburban is a classic. 5 brand new power steering pumps all by different manufacturers before we got one to last over 500 miles!
The quality of parts these days is garbage. It used to be nice when I could rebuild my own starters and alternators.
That is like when we packed our own shutes in that Army. That was tedious, but I knew I was safe. Then the Army had them packed elsewhere. Fortunately, I did not have to jump any more!
To help you understand your situation, once you have power to the starter, you know the electrical ignition is functioning. Yu know the wiring is good. The end of the line is the starter. If you have power and it does not crank after engine is warmed up, there is nothing else that can be wrong.
When we had a car that started perfectly cold and would not start warm, we would hit the starter with a hammer and the engine would start riht up, telling you something was expanding in the starter when warm.
I have been wrenching primarily GMs since 1974 and have run across your symptom more times than I would like to count. Hey--it just hit me. I am pretty old aren't I? LOL
Good luck!
