Background: Engine doesn't turn over when you turn the key to start. Power accessories work when it is on run, lights and horn work. Lights stay on when you turn it to start and do not noticably dim. 12V is present at the solenoid and the ground to the chassis as well as the starter frame is good. I jumped the S terminal and power on the starter with some needle nosed pliars and nothing happened but a few sparks, starter didn't make any noise. Guessing I need to replace the starter, I did it with the ignition in the off position, does that matter?

 

Update: I used a piece of wire to keep the ignition in the start position and went under the car to measure the S terminal voltage, there was none there on the bolt. Went to the neutral/park switch, Yellow from ignition has 12V, purple has 11V. Is there anywhere else that purple wire goes except to the starter?

 

Don't look now, but you have a package in your e-mail.

 

Thanks! So there isn't anything in between...I must have a pinched/cut/burnt wire somewhere or I got a bad reading because it was dirty.

 

On the VIN "H" model there is a 3 AMP crank fuse that the purple wire also went to.

 

Vin 8 here. I went through and found where the wire came out at the bulkhead, it has 12V at start there. Found it at the alternator and it was good there...went back down to the starter and it was good there. WTF, I checked it 5 times down there before and there was nothing. So in the processes of hunting the wire down I must have moved the wire so that it works again...how am I ever going to find the problem?

I will hook the starter back up tommorow and see if it fires.

 

Patience and perserverance young Grasshopper!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I suppose I could take the purple wire and pull it out of the loom all the way back to the bulkhead and replace it.

 

You could but I think that about halfway through you would be thinking to yourself "Why did I do this?". Have you tried starting the car with the shifter in the "neutral position"?

 

Yep, tried that before the tow truck came. Didn't work.

 

After doing some more reading of the schematic, I have found that purple wire does go to the 3 AMP Crank fuse that I mentioned earlier as well on your car. There is also a splice in that purple wire in the wire bundle above the right valve cover. This bundle is the one that runs across the top of the valve cover and also has the wires for the injectors in the wire loom.