its cranking like it WANTS ot turn over, but doesnt quite get there. starter is 1 week old. when i jump it, it takes a while but gets there. voltmeter, even under a load meter, says power is half weak, half ok. when hooked up to a battery charger, it will say OK, but still doesnt turn over. any ideas?

 

"crank" = "turn over", they're the same thing.

Are you trying to say that it cranks but doesn't start? If so, it's just yerbasic no-start condition.

3 things are necessary for an engine to run: fuel and air in a somewhat correct proportion; spark at about the right time; and compression. If the car used to work fine but suddenly stopped working, chances are good that only one of the 3 ingredients is missing. All you have to do is figure out which one, and go to the source.

Does it have compression? This would be indicated by it sounding just like it always did when the starter was turning it: sounds like there's cylinders every so often that slow the starter down. If it sounds normal, try spraying some starting fluid into the intake, as a fuel substitute. If it tries to run, then you have a fuel delivery problem. If it doesn't, you have a spark problem.

Prety simple, logical, easy to reason you way through.

 

doesnt sound liek a compression problem. gonna try starting fluid tonight. may cap, rotor, and coil are all about 20000 miles/1 1/2 years old, and plugs and wires are over 2 1/2 years old, so it may be a spark problem

 

i don't know which i like more this "it'll crank but not turn over" or the "302s and 327s rev higher" threads

 

he knew what i meant, and thats all that matters.

 

This speaks volumes. Check your connection to the starter and see if the battery wire is loose, if not check your mainground from the batt. to the block and make sure it's clean and tight.

 

thanks red devil

 

O'reillys sucks!! first, they gave me the right part number, but the solenoid was too long so i couldnt get it in. went back, got a smaller one, and herein lies the problem. the starter was loose because the bolts couldnt get tight enough since it was smaller. starter was movin around, not getting onto the flywheel. thanks to everyone for their help, though.