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Ok. They said they are gonna tow my car if i dont get it started.. so heres whats wrong. When i go to turn the key. it makes this *** awful sound of somthing grinding. I was talking to some guys at work and they said it could be that the Solinod isnt enganged all the way into the starter and the teeth arent hooking all the way. Could this be it? What sound dose a bad fly wheel make?
its a 3rd gen 87 Firebird. Hopefully some one will be able to help me so they dont tow my freaking car.. those basterds.

 

It will try to turn over the battery is fine and everything. when i turn the key to start it it makes this horrible sound almost like scraping fingernails on a chalk board but with a much deeper tone.

 

Im not an expert by anymeans so dont take my word as the high truth.

Does the car "click" when u turn the key?
if so then I would look at the starter as the problem,

Im not sure about the grinding sound but it seems like it would be the starter not engaging all the way.

hope i was of some help
Craig

 

Thanks for the reply, No there is no clicking sound that i can hear. the starter turns but it makes a horrible sound. I am going to pull the whole thing out and take it to Autozone. I hope they dont town my car.. that would suck. I might just like push it over a few spaces and wash it. haha but it would be nice to have it running again.

 

Hello
sorry I could not have been of more help.
Autozone will test that stuff for free but I know some places around my house arent real honest will stuff like that so I would be carefull.

thanks
Craig

 

I had a problem like this once and it turned out that the starter's spur gear (that engages with the teeth on the flywheel) had loosened up on it's shaft! It would engage on the flywheel but then the starter motor would just spin the shaft inside of the spur gear, making a very unfriendly noise.

It took me laying on my back, with the trans shield removed, nose 6" from the starter snout WATCHING it engage as someone else (a TRUSTED person) turned the key. Once I saw it happen, it was obviousl what the problem was.

 

Yeah, that's a real typical starter death.... teh thing with the teeth in the starter has a sprag so that when the engine starts it doesn't spin the starter motor up to 10,000 RPM or whatever, and that sprag wears out and dies...

If it's old enough that it has worn that out, then the rest of it the starter is probably pretty well worn out too. Just change the starter out, odds are very good it will fix the problem.

 

awesome. thanks for the help. btw. Wich side of the Motor is the starter on? any tips as to what ill have to remove to drop it out? or anything other words of adivce? i have a manual and my friend at work drew me a picture today. Ive got to get it done soon or else they will tow my car because it sat for a month.. gayness i freaking LIVE THERE MAYBE IM JUST SAVING GAS AND WALKING TO WORK FOR ALL THEY KNOW!

 

The starter on my car was located on the passenger side at the very bottom, two bolts and two wires, depending on your car there may exhust pipes in the way, which by the way are very hot right after the car was running, I will only make that mistake once....
I loosened the bolts first and let the starter swing down then removed the wires, sounds easy but its in a cramped space, then reversed the persedure to reinstall
cya later if u have any problems post, some one will help
craig

 

Opps one more very important thing
REMOVE THE NEGATIVE TERMINAL ON THE BATTERY
made that mistake once too, never again.
I had done the reinstall and hooked everything back up, car didnt start so I took another look but frogot to remove the battery terminal, well i got the shock of a lifetime
spent the next 5min trying to find out why i was shaking.
it hurt dont make the same mistake
Craig
oh it proley wouldnt be a bad idea to get a haynes or chiltons manual.

 

On my aunts 89 5.0 mustang, if the battery is complety charged, it will make a sound exactly like you are describing, starts right up with a fully charged batter, just nothing less.