[V8] Starting problem

[urq]

... before going out and spending a lot of money, check to make sure that
the problem isn't in the automatic transmission lockout mechanism.  There's
a relay that prevents engaging the starter if the tranny is in gear.  You
can pull the lock out relay and jumper it to make sure that isn't the
culprit.  

Given that those flywheel teeth are also used by the ECU, I'd recommend
against letting the starter damage those teeth for too long.  The automatic
transmission cars are even more prone to damage than the MT flywheels ...

Steve B
San José, CA (USA)

-----Original Message-----


On one of my V8's, a few months ago, the car started occasionally just
clicking or making a slight (but not terribly obnoxious) grinding sound when
I tried to start it. After a couple of tries, though, the car would start
right up. I didn't address this at the time for various reasons, but now...

On a freshly charged battery, when I try to start the car, there's no
grinding at all. Just silence. The tach shows a quick bump up to about 2000
rpm's, but I can't see anything else going on. 

I'm thinking I need to rebuild/replace the starter, but wanted to get a
quick sanity check from the experts here.