Hi all.

My '92 coupe just began having starting problems yesterday. Turn the key, click, but no start. Turn key again, fired right up.

Today you have to turn the key multiple times before it finally starts.

All lights on the dash are normal. I can hear a click noise down by the starter when my wife cranks the key for me.

Whaddya think???

Thanks for any help!

 

There may be much more knowledgeable fellas jumping in here, but I'm thinking that your battery may be the culprit in that it has gone far past it's age, or the terminals are "caked" up. Failing that, you might need plugs, etc. No SES lights, eh; strange...[]

mypetu39

 

The first thing I would do is check the tightness on the terminals. They work loose a lot. There is enough current to activate the electronics but not enough to engage the starter. And as long as you are down there, you might as well disconnect them and clean them and retighten. Can't recall the torque on the terminals but be careful as the have a tendency to round out fairly easily. I think the terminals are 5/16". Only problem with disconnecting the battery is you lose the presets on the radio.

 

Did the terminal cleaning and tightening. They looked good to me, and they seemed snug. I sanded the surfaces lightly and reconnected snugly.

No dice!

Any other thoughts?

 

Have you had your battery load checked? If it is ok, then the starter is suspect. And I don't care what Autozone says, you can't check a starter properly with no load on it. (still on the car). My money is on the starter.

 

starter solenoid not engaging properly perhaps.

 

No separate solonoid on a '92 starter I learned.

It was the "contacts" inside the built-in solonoid that had finally worn out.

Local auto parts store had the contacts for $2 each. Ya need two, for a total of $4 for the repair.[sm=happy046.gif]

The guy at the parts store told me to bring in the starter and he'd help me replace the contacts. I did, and HE actually did the work for me!!![sm=shades.gif]

Dealership fix for this problem would've been about $430, at best.

I sent the parts house a large pepperoni pizza as thanks.

They were AWESOME!!!!!!![sm=icon_cheers.gif][sm=icon_cheers.gif]