ok so i thought i was about done my engine install but when i tried to get the motor to trun over it just cranks really slowly. i wanted to try to check how far off the timeing was but it spinns too slow. its a brand new battery and its fully charged too. i'm thinking its the damn starter. it actualy cam off a friends car because he was having starting problems. is that the only thing that can cause this? or is there something else that can be wrong. i checked all the connections and stuff but everything was good.Also when i turn the car on the carb starts clicking like crazy. is that normal? its the stock q-jet. and i guess it must be something with the choke. but idk. i really wish i could figure this damn thing out i've been without a car for weeks. and i plan on goiing away this weekend.

 

Yes, sometimes the choke makes funny noises like that, although it is not normal. It could be that the choke or fast idle solonoid linkage is misadjusted. As far as the cranking, have you checked your wiring and connections? What is the system voltage at? Is the block properly grounded? You could have a few of these small but obnoxious problems bothering you. I would retighten all connections, and ensure that the block ground straps were in place before replacing the starter. Hope this helps,

 

ok well i just charged the battery fully checked the connections and tried again. i dont know whats up with it. it like starts out fast but then kinda slows down and struggles and turns like a little bit in pulses. i hope its not something in the motor. i'm about to try to get a hold of a friend that has a spare starter to see if that works. i doubt i can get a new one tonight, so i might go take the hi tq mini starter off my other friends car just to see if it will do it. i'd hate to go buy a new one and find out it wasnt the problem. also about the carb, i unpluged the connector on the top of the carb so it would stop clicking and now when i turn it over when i stop it blows a mist off fuel up in the air, wierd??? i gotta make some phone calls...

 

Sounds like you got the timing off - but don't hang your hat on that yet. I take it from your original post that this is a new engine startup. Did the engine turn over easily while you were rebuilding? Did you lube the hell out of everything on assembly? Did you bar engine over by hand while it was still on the engine stand & did it spin freely?
You can pull plugs and see how engine turns over with starter - should turn fast and freely.
Check what Berlinetta said above - grounds. Make certain you got a good engine ground & a good engine to chassis ground (this one is important). Sometimes when engines come out ground wires don't always make it back in - they are the most important connections.
Good Luck & post back with your findings.
Corky

 

well it put the engine in there but its not new. its a lg4 yanked from a 87 grand prixx. its got like 50,000 on it. the grounds are all there, but i do know the timeing is off. thats why i wanted to get it to run so i could see where its at and set it. we tried to get it kinda set before putting the motor in but i know it has been changed since.

i've never done a motor swap before but thins is turning out to be a pain in the ***. now i dont even wanna keep the 350 i have for it. i just need ot get this damn thing running asap its been liek 2.5 weeks since i have had a car.

also i heard that if the starter and flexplate arnt lined up right it could cause it to spin slowly. is that right? idk how you would adjust that but i figured whatever help i can get.

anybody who can get this thing started by saturday can have a prize! i've got tons of parts laying around since i got this car with 2 extra engines lol.

 

The clicking is the mixture control solenoid, it's normal.

 

Again, I highly suggest you check the system voltage. It sounds like the battery does not have enough cranking amps to kick it over consistently. Try jumping it, or hooking it up to a charger- batteries are often drained when you buy them new, depending on how they were stored. The alignment of the starter to the flywheel is easy to hear when its off- it grinds or does not engage fully. You would know immediately if that were the case. Hope this helps,

 

Do you know if the engine was running in the Grand Prix before it was yanked? If the starter wasn't lined up with the flexplate it would make a hell of a racket - not your problem. The engine is turning over slowly either because engine is tight, not the correct starter for the application, too much resistance in battery cables, starter worn and armature dragging, or not enough juice to kick it over.
Corky

 

well i tried it with it hooked up to the battery charger on start mode and still the same thing. i might borrow my friends red top to see if that will do it but thats gonna have to wait untill tommarrow when i get the other starter, so after school i will test both things and hopefuly return to tell you guys what the problem was. if you dont hear from me its better to assume that i died in a tragic car fire and you should send for help...

 

i was told the engine ran fine in the GP but never heard it. it has benn sitting for a few years in a garage. but i could turn it over by hand.

i guess the alignment isnt my problem then

i would think a starter for a 89 l98 car would have enough power for the lg4 but it could be a little tight from sitting. any sujestions on how to deal with that? i was planing on running it and doing frequent oil changes to kinda clean it out. i'm not much of an eletrical guy so i dont know what all to measur for amps and resistance and stuff but at the terminals the battery put out 12.5volts and it was the same at the selinoid connection.

i hope this stuff works i really realy do. because i was planning on a trip this weekend and the cars not running or inspected yet

i'm never tradeing a working car for a project again.

 

Never turn your back on a good project. This is where you gain all your experience and knowledge. A good challenge gets those neurons firing and sparks "out-of-the-box" thinking (it also works up a thirst for a few cold beers).
If the engine turned over by hand, then I would focus on the starting circuit. If you are up for some disassembly work, why not take the starter down & pull it apart. You could easily see if it's got worn bushings by trying to move the shaft around in the nose - the shaft should have little to no play. Also, use a set of jumper cables & bench test the starter - make sure you are holding it down cause it will torque right off the bench. Experiment a little with it to expand your knowledge.
Good Luck,
Corky

 

well i got a starter from my friend today, and i'm gonna call my friend for his battery soon. then i will see which one is the problem.

my dad insists that if the starter turns its not broken and that it must be the motor, he says since it hasnt ran in years it must have rusty cylinders and tis not spinning free enough.

hopefuly one of these two things fix the problem. or i might have to ask one of you guys to come give me a hand lol.

 

hey i live close by im in horsham if you still need help send me a pm and i might be able to help you out iv been through lots of little problems from motor changes

 

well after messing with a couple starters and jumping the car with another car, we still got the same result.

then Kevin showd up and after checkign a few diffrent things we finaly ended up getting the timeing setup and spraying some starterfluid and the motor started up. a big thanks to Kev for showing up and helping out, it probably wouldn't be running by now if it werent for him.

now i still have a lot of work ahead of me before the car is roadworthy but i am very thankful that it at least starts now

 

How does it turn over now after the engine was running? Is it still sluggish, or was the engine tight?
Just curious,
Corky

 

now it turns over fine and stasrts right up even with 4year old gas in the tank. and a motor thats been sitting for almost as long. i was inpressed. now i'm gonna have to change the oil every week to clean it out. hopefully the rest of the car works. i have yet to really check out the rest of the car in great detail. time to hook up my sound system lol

 

So, your diagnosis would be that the engine was way out of time? Or was it a combination of being way out of time & not being started in a few years? Just helps all the folks that viewed this thread.
Corky

 

well i guess i would say it was a combination of those things. the battery was low before so this time we jumped it with another car, and after letting it turn like that for a while it probably loosened up the motor then finaly geting the timeing correct alowed it to start.