TwoBallScrewBall
Lieutenant Commander
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2003
- Messages
- 1,695
So I have a 2001 Mercury Sable I bought from my mother who bought it new. 110K and runs and drives like it was new. My mother is the proverbial little old lady when it comes to drving. <br /><br />I go to start it up Sunday night to put it in the driveway and it cranks slowly once, then just clicks and crakles. Batt is good and charged. I just say whatever (more colorfully than is allowed here) and leave it on the street to look at in the daylight. <br /><br />Monday I get home from work at 9:30am and look at it. Still just clicks. I check the batt connections, they're good and clean. Check all fuses and relays, good.<br /><br />I'm about to pull the starter which is mounted on the 'front' of the engine/transaxle (side i.r.t. the engine, front i.r.t. the car).<br /><br />My dad shows up and is playing with things as I'm getting ready to yank the starter. I already have the battery and battery tray out as it is required to get to the top bolt on the starter. <br /><br />He is messing with the positive cable and it separates from the terminal in his hands. Cable is not corroded, just split from vibration I guess. So cool, that's the problem, new cable is all it needs.<br /><br />I pull the cable from the starter and get a replacement. I'm happy. So I put the cable on the big lug on the starter solenoid (on the starter) and tighten. It's not getting snug. F. So I take off the rachet and reach down with my hand to see what's going on, and with my bare fingers I twist the nut, and it comes off, along with the positive post from the solenoid. F. F. F. <br /><br />So now I get to pull the starter anyway. hooray. I have to say it was the easiest starter I've ever pulled, bolts were easily accesible and the thing is nice and light (perm magnet gear reduction). <br /><br />The solenoid is detachable, so I start calling around. None of the big shops (pep boys, auto zone, advance, etc) have the solenoid, but are willing to sell me a new starter complete for $160. WTF? One guy says he has it (pep boys) for $10, but then luckily I catch him saying 'starter relay' and ask again if it's the solenoid. He says yes. I ask him what it looks like. He says a little black plastic box with blade connectors on it. I tell him that's not the solenoid. He tells me it is. I tell him it's not, the solenoid is metal, cyllindrical and has screw terminals on it. He says that's not what his computer says. I hung up on him. I was already aggrivated and now I have a moron telling me what I need in stead of the other way around. Dumba$s. <br /><br />So finally, I call a little local shop in town, and lo and behold, they have a listing for the solenoid alone and can have it tomorrow by 11:00am (and knew what a solenoid was and even asked if it was mounted on the starter or remote). And he ordered it for me with just a phone call, no payment, no credit card. $40-somthing and said he would call me when it arrived tomorrow. <br /><br />So I have a new favorite parts place. Conway auto in Tuckerton. <br /><br />Wish me luck, that I don't break something else putting the starter back in Tomorrow.
<br /><br />Good luck Steve 
