nonvtec92

So i'm out of town, and my soon to be wife called me saying her del sol won't start. She's saying the starter is making sound, but that "it sounds different" and that the actual motor isn't turning over at all. Battery is good.

Is it possible that a starter can go bad, and just spin freely and not turn the motor over? I'd never heard of this before; in the past if my starter went out, it wouldn't do anything at all.

Thanks guys. Trying to get an idea of what's going on before Monday.


Also, how does one go about checking for spark? Pull a plug, stick a screwdriver in and hold the screwdriver metal while in contact with the spark plug wire over a ground bolt like the one on a valve cover? Get someone to crank the car and look for a spark to arc? It shouldn't shock as long as one holds onto the handle? lol

And fuel? How would one determine if the injectors are receiving fuel?

mayfly

yes ive heard of this. it happened to me in a 240 i was drifting. went to go turn the car back on and it sounded like something was spinning but wasnt cranking the motor. have her check to make sure the starter is on all the way. have her tap it with a breaker bar or something like that and to check those bolts.

yes to check spark you basically do that.
1.pull the sparkplug
2.use a big wrench to connect the sparkplug to the radiator support or any good spot on the chassis.
3.watch for spark,orange is crap, blue/white is good
4.tap the ignition when starting it but try not to let the car fire up
5.. if the car starts up shut it off right away

oh and congratz on the future marriage