Just figured I'd ask a few questions since I'm EXTREMELY bored. I've got a 3.1 V6 in my 91 Camaro RS automatic. I was leaving K-Mart the day before Christmas Eve..get in the car, turn the key,starter turns over ONCE and stops. I curse and mumble about needing a heat shield...then turn the key again..I get a solenoid engaging and a metallic PING noise. Try it several more times. Pop the hood and check battery...battery is low on water and only putting out 11 volts.....but still enough to keep the headlights bright and accessories working. I let it sit for several more minutes, and use a ratchet to turn the crankshaft....try it again. Another ping. Try several more times and then nothing. No ping. No solenoid click either. Try tapping it afterwards, still nothing. Had to have it towed...replaced the starter with a Discount Auto remanufactured one w/ lifetime warranty...$70. New one fires right up...except makes the oddest turning noise. From inside the car, it sounds like,instead of the normal high pitched noise, it's a very deep tone instead...very quiet. Anyways, I was just curious as to what do you think happened to that old starter..did the starter motor just burn out and then the solenoid too? It was less than a year old...f---ing shop sold it to me and put it in. The starter was displaying symptoms of going out a week or two before this..such as once it did a slow, bogged down sounding start...several other times it missed a turn in between...like it's turn a few times, pause, and then go again...but it was odd for it to die so suddenly. *** it's late...and I'm pissed that all in all it cost me $135 to get the car running again. Damn tow trucks....

Wow, this post is WAY too long. SORRY....

 

Sounds like solenoid...Replaced about 7 starters in my formula due to heat from headers......finally ran a remote solenoid from firewall.

 

I have the same problem, except I took the starter relay out and I am still waiting to replace it. It doesn't look trashed but I think that I am going to replace it anyways just to see if it was the problem. Tomorrow I am going to hook the solenoind up to a battery and try to jump that. Hopefully, I will beable to tell what is wrong by doing that

 

I have the same problem, except I took the starter relay out and I am still waiting to replace it. It doesn't look trashed but I think that I am going to replace it anyways just to see if it was the problem. Tomorrow I am going to hook the solenoind up to a battery and try to jump that. Hopefully, I will beable to tell what is wrong by doing that. As of right now I am hoping that it is going to be the starter relay. I don't want to replace the whole starting system. Talked to some people and they have been telling me it is going to cost about $200 to fix the whole starting system. I am keeping my hopes up though. I have the same engine you have too. Does anyone have any ideas they might have before I try jumping the solenoid?

 

Dude...$200 for a 'starting system'..which would include what? I got my starter and solenoid for $70 with a lifetime replacement guarantee when I brought them the old one..they're not expensive at all together .... You can try what I tried...let it cool down and check the battery, make sure the solenoid connections are all good, make sure you havent tripped VATS, turn the crankshaft with a ratchet on the pulley, and tap the starter with a small hammer or rubber mallet preferrably..

 

Well the only system that I would beable to get around here would be from a dealer..that is the only place within a ways..The VATS isn't bad...I tried a spare key too....

 

You dont have a Discount/Advance Auto Parts store around you? What about Autozone? They both carry starters w/ the solenoid, but Discount/Advance is $20-$30 cheaper than Autozone.... (I'm saying Discount/Advance because here, it's Discount Auto Parts, but a lot of other places it's called Advance Auto Parts or something)