• The site migration is complete! Hopefully everything transferred properly from the multiple decades old software we were using before. If you notice any issues please let me know, thanks! Also, I'm still working on things like chatbox, etc so hopefully those will be working in the next week or two.

Starter loud clicking but motor wont turn over

C

chenango kid

New member
Hi all 1998 gtp original starter suddenly starter starting clicking but motor wont turn over . Battery has plenty of power . I pulled starter and jumped it out of car . checked out good but I thought maybe under load it was bad so I replaced with new starter . still same problem loud clicking but no motor turn over . I can turn flywheel with screw driver so I am assuming motor is not seized. cables look good on starter . I also jumped small relay wire to red power cable on starter while it was in car and same problem . I was gonna check red cable from starter to battery next . but that cable does have power to it . any suggestions are appreciated thank you
 


it could still move a inch or so. you would need to keep turning it via the flex plate.

plugs out is easy enough to clear the cylinders if thats the case. if coolant comes out, you a need head gasket at min.

dont keep trying to crank it, the click and stopping deal is killing a connecting rod bearing if you got a cylinder full of coolant.
 
Scott..he says he can turn it with a screwdriver.

You say the battery has power, a headlight or stereo don't count. I am thinking this is power related, because....that's how they act when they don't have enough power. Hook another car up with jumpers or a jump pack/charger and see if things change.
 
hydro locked will move a inch on the flex if your moving it manually. do a full revolution by hand, then we know its not locked up.
 


i turned the motor from crank and it seemed find . then i checked cables and they were tight but there must have been corrosion on ground cable bolted to trans . i cleaned it and it worked after that
thabks for your help .
 
it was just strange cause when it wouldn't start I only drove about 5 miles and then it wouldn't crank only clicking but it was loud clicking so I could tell it wasn't a weak battery. but I mistakenly assumed it was a bad starter . anyway I put old starter back in and gonna try to return the new one. thanks again
 
The clicking was the give away for me.

A hydrolocked motor will make a clunk and that's it. One sound per crank attempt. Clicking is power related. Every day of the week... sunny days or rainy days.
 


thanks Bill i will try to remember that but the older i get the more i forget lol like an idiot i changer the starter in a parking lot even though i knew the old one was good cause I pulled it out and tested it with jumper cables but I let my son tell me it was probably bad under load loll even though I have never seen that in 58 years .
 
LOL. The moment I hear that clicking, I'm all over the power end of things. Kind of like when I do a motor or trans swap and everything except the starter works. I know I left a major ground unhooked or not properly secured. Life can be easy if we let it be and these 3800's almost always follow certain things and that makes them relatively easy to diagnose over the internet.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top