starter or not?

[pack84]

ok got in my car one night after work and turned the key and nothing at all.Popped the hood, the lights on hood were bright enough to tell me its not the battery.So I went to the starter,sure enough it was kinda loose.tightened up the starter bolts,it starts to my relief!But they weren't really loose i just snugged them down.Anyway now sometimes have to get the starter really loose to crank her over.then tighten down the bolts and go on.Now is this my starter telling me its going out or what?

 

[Sunstroked]

That is a strange one. Maybe a shim came out when the bolts loosened up. Some starters need shimming to get the correct clearance between flywheel and gear drive of the starter. I replaced my starter recently, the original made it to 100k mi. I had to shim mine to achieve the correct gap on the new powermaster starter.

 

[Edmond]

Definitely check the shims because some of the C4's still need shims. They're not like today's newer cars that don't require shims.

I would also check all the connections and make sure they're clean. If you even go to the work of dropping the starter, take it in to get tested. Most big shops don't charge to check them out. Only two bolts and two electrical connections are keeping you from dropping that starter.

 

[eleebid]

I had the same problem with only 27K miles on the car. I installed a new battery; but that wasn' t the problem. Went to the dealer who wanted 300$ for a new starter. I quoted him the online rebuilt price and he matched it. Now it starts every time.