I just bought this car not even two weeks ago. It was fine until yesterday morning. Today when I got in and went to start it, nothing. All the lights in the cabin come on, my radio comes on, nothing wrong with the battery. Won’t respond to a jump and not making any noise when cranked. Could it be my starter? I did notice the past few days that when I started the car there was a grinding noise, very brief. Anything else it could be other than the starter, and if not, is this easy to replace? I replaced one on a Galant a few years back and paid almost $500. Would it be cheaper to purchase the starter for around $100 and have someone put it in for me instead of going to a shop? Thanks for your time!
The problem may be in the starter but it could also be something else. Before buying another starter you need to see if the starter really is at fault. There is a small wire going to the starter that comes from the ignition and when the key is turned to Start there should be voltage on that lead to engage the solenoid. If the car is an automatic see if it will start in the Neutral position. There may be a problem with the safety switch.
“All the lights in the cabin come on, my radio comes on, nothing wrong with the battery.”
That does not mean the battery is capable of starting the car. Don’t rule it or a possible bad wire or connection to the battery yet.
Turn on the lights and watch them as you turn the start key. Do the change at all? Some. none, a lot?
I tried starting it in neutral to no avail at all. My Dad suggested wiggling the shifter and that didn’t work either. The lights in the cabin and the radio do not change at all when attempting to start the car, they are the same throughout. I am searching in vain to find the location of the starter to whack it and try again…I know what it looks like but I don’t know where to find it…
I had a similar problem with no start, no noise yet all lights , radio worked.
i removed the battery connection fronm the battery, cleaned the contacts of dirt, rust. Car starts up like new.
try the easy things first. I’m no mechanic, that’s for certain.