How do you check if your starter has gone bad on your 1991 Chevy lumina van?

Answer 1

There are two simple ways to check if the reason your car does not turn over is a bad starter. 1) Charge the battery to its fullest. If the starter turns over slowly and then no longer turns, it would indicate that it is wearing out. A good starter should turn over extremely fast when the battery is "topped off." 2) If the starter does not engage, and the engine will not turn over, then your best tools is a hammer, crowbar, or a straight metal pipe. While someone else is in your car with the key turned to "start" position, you begin to hit your starter with your hammer, many, many times. You must hit the base of the starter very forcefully, the large cylinder part. A bad starter will almost always turn over for a short time using this method. It may take a minute or two, and the person with car key may need to turn off and on a few times, but NOT push gas pedal. The starter should be located right in front of motor on the bottom. You should be able to see it by getting on the ground in front of your car in the center. The starter is a large cylinder object, with another smaller cylinder object atop of it (the solenoid).