I am currently driving a 1998 Pontiac Sunfire with a 2200.

Recently replaced the alternator, serperntine belt, battery, plugs/wires.

I had the water pump, starter & solenoid inspected and their good to go, also checked all of the fuses and their good as well.

Had a buddy try and manually jump me just for troubleshooting as well, no go.

When I go to turn the key over, all the electrical components work- headunit, exterior lights, etc... But it doesn't actually "turn over" It makes a loud clicking as if the cars starter is trying to possibly engage but doesnt, but i cant be sure of what the sound is entirely.

Oddly enough though, the car was running better than ever last night, came in for an hour, and within that time the car quit working in this fashion. So I let it rest all night, and in the morning when I tried starting it, it actually turned over 3-4 times and then went back to this clicking sound again.

How did you "inspect" the starter and determine that it was "good to go". I am not familiar with your specific application, but many starter failures are intermittent. And I've had a bad starter test fine at the parts store. Do you know how old the starter is?

A bad battery can still hold enough charge to allow lights, horn, etc. to work, but not have the power to turn a starter. If the battery is new (and you jumped and paralleled with a working car), it probably is not the battery, although the place that sold you the battery can check. Also, check wiring & connections (such as the battery cables).

Autozone inspected the starter, so thats what i'm going off of when I say the starter is good to go, but its still questionable.

Out of the alternator, idler pulley, serpentine belt, spark plugs, spark plug wires, air filter, battery- the starter is the only old peice on the car but I didn't replace it yesterday because they said it was good.

Jeremy Staton wrote:Autozone inspected the starter, so thats what i'm going off of when I say the starter is good to go, but its still questionable.

Out of the alternator, idler pulley, serpentine belt, spark plugs, spark plug wires, air filter, battery- the starter is the only old peice on the car but I didn't replace it yesterday because they said it was good.

Many times starters have sticking solenoids, sticking brushes, etc., that cause intermittent problems. You can many times get the starter to function by lightly but sharply tapping on it.

The very act of removing the starter will sometimes act to unstick it, so that it functions properly on the bench when tested.

If the starter is old, not only does that increase the chance that the starter is the issue (especially if you are sure that the battery and cables are good), but it also points to replacing the starter as a matter of preventative maintenance. Bad starter = no car.

Autozone's Duralast products are rumored to be good (I have a Duralast alternator in one of my cars for 3 years, without problem), but if money is an issue, you might try DB electrical online.

So your recomending going ahead and buying the starter even though it was tested good?


I have hit the thing with a rubber mallet in every fashion thinkable, i have took it on, took it off, checked the grounds, and had autozone test it- but it could still be the starter even if their test says it was good huh?

Bump, No one else has any suggestions on what this may be?

Jeremy Staton wrote:So your recomending going ahead and buying the starter even though it was tested good?


I have hit the thing with a rubber mallet in every fashion thinkable, i have took it on, took it off, checked the grounds, and had autozone test it- but it could still be the starter even if their test says it was good huh?

I am not recommending anything. It is your time, your money, your aggravation. What I am pointing out to you is that it might well be the starter, and even if it isn't, then.... if you know the starter has been on there for a while, it might not be a bad idea if you replaced it with quality new anyway, especially if you are keeping the car for the foreseeable future.. But if money is an issue, and/or you have the time and patience to keep on trying to troubleshoot to verify what the problem is, then you can go that route.

If cash is tight, you might want to see if you can get a cheapie used off of craigslist, etc., or at a junkyard.

As I've said, I had a bad starter test good at a parts store.

Had a friend discover the problem today, the pulley on the ac compressor locked up. You can still turn the inner workings of the ac compressor but the pulley is locked up.

Thank god thats over. lol

Thanks for the help!

Jeremy Staton wrote:Had a friend discover the problem today, the pulley on the ac compressor locked up. You can still turn the inner workings of the ac compressor but the pulley is locked up.

Glad you found the problem. I am surprised that the seized pulley completely prevented the starter from doing anything, your belt/tensioner must be in good shape.