Car Starting Problems

I had a heck of a time finding it in my 1988. Keep in mind that the engine sits in there sideways, so the "back" of the engine, or flywheel is actually on the driver's side (the front is on the passenger side). The starter for any vehicle is at the flywheel. Raise the vehicle and crawl underneath from the front on the driver's side. Look for the oil filter. Slightly above and to your left (toward the driver's side wheel well) is the starter. It looks to me like you'll need to drain the motor oil and remove the oil filter to have room to remove the starter.

The starter is in the frount up under the car towards the middle of the car it almost looks like an oil fillter but a bit smaller.

No, it is not necessary.

When you tap on the starter, what you are actually tapping on is the starter solenoid; a device mounted on the starter (on most cars) that engages the starter gear to the engine gear while simultaneously connecting battery power to the starter. When the start solenoid gets to the point where you have to tap it, the remaining life is difficult to predict because it really depends on what's going on inside the solenoid (e.g. how many start cycles it has completed, exposure to elements etc.). However, the good news is you can normally go to an electric motor repair shop and buy a new solenoid for much cheaper than the whole starter, and in many cases, much easier to replace.

it can be in two places either the fender well on the passengers side or on the

starter . you can go down to auto parts store and they can show you a picture

of what it looks like and they cost as low as $14 to $21 and take about 10 min

to install.

either your battiery is dead or your starter is going out, probably the battiery though

Passenger side, just forward of rear tire - bolted to frame

i replaced the steering colomn in 95 buick regal and now it wont even turn over.does the different key that i got with the colomn have any thing to do with it not starting.?

Depends on the year I guess. I have a 2002 Chevy S-10 and I had to remove the exaust pipe from underside of the starter and then just unbolt and remove...not hard once the pipe is off. You will need a socket wrench and a long extention to reach the bolts on the top of the pipe.

Probably not run at all, but it would also store a computer code that could be read by a code scanner.

Sounds to me like a partially clogged in line fuel filter or a weak fuel pump. Check your fuel pressure with a gauge up by the intake. Any shop can do this for you at little or no charge if you do not have the tools needed. Crank/cam or ignition modules most of the times either work all the time or don't work at all.

Defective solenoid?

Take off your distributor cap and use a blow dryer to dry out the cap and components. Its possible you have a hair line fracture in the cap.

im not getting fire to the spark plugs but the distributor is getting fire what do i do please help

The security system has activated. Wait 30 minutes and try it again with the right key.

First, turn on the headlights. Now, have someone watch them as you try to start the car; do they get dim? If so, the battery is in need of a charge; If not, you need to check your connections at the starter. You may have a bad starter, starter solenoid, or connection.

disconnect the battery then wait after a bit the security won't remember it was going off then reconnect.

If the year is 1995 then chances are you do not have a carburettor but fuel injection. most likely the problem is from a sticking Idle air control valve. sometimes by reaching in and tapping on it the problem will temporarily go away. if it goes away, then you know that is your problem.

Does it squeal? A loose serpentine/alternator belt can do that. Also a bad laternator,or poor/loose connections tothe alternator. You need electricity to fire your sparkplugs, and without that your car will stall out. Could also be a short circuit somewhere draining your battery faster than the alternator can keep up with.

on the transmission

A battery that goes dead this quickly is either on it's last leg and needs replacing or your charging system is not performing as it should. Have the alternator checked to see if it is functioning properly. If the alternator is OK, replace the battery. Make sure all connections are clean and tight.

are you getting spark?

Trouble code P0340 means:Camshaft position sensor "A"-circuit malfunction (Bank 1)

Trouble code P0420 means:Catalyst system efficiency below threshold (bank 1)

Heres one way to unseize an engine, I know it works on single cyl engines but should work on any type. First you take an old spark plug and break all the porceline off and out of the plug, then cut off the ground tab which is above where the electrode was. Now you will have just the threads with a hole all the way through it. Take a grease zert / grease nipple and weld it to the top of the plug. First soalk each cylinder in penetrating oil over night, then thread the modified plug it in to the engine, put a grease gun on the nipple and pump grease into the cylinder. Make sure you do a good weld job so the grease doesnt escape from the cylinder. Make sure you use this on a cylinder which is mid stroke, not TDC or BDC. The pressure provided by the grease gun should be enough to pop the piston loose and it applies even pressure to the top of the piston as well which reduces the chance of breaking a ring, at least on the one cylinder you are using it on. Good luck, C.O. Michetti.

Sounds like you have a dead battery.