So, I bought my car a little over a month ago, been starting it and letting it run for a few minutes every week, aaand... This week the starter went out, it's making some rather terrible noises and I'm positive the battery is not weak. I found a receipt, and I know it was replaced about six months ago for an Advance Auto remanned unit, then four days later, returned for another of the same. My 307 in my '86 Oldsmobile CUstom Cruiser I had before this car had one on it, it ate the stater within a month.

So.. What are my options? I'm not spending more than $100 on a starter. I know it's hard to find something of good quality these days, use to be a good shop in town that serviced generators, and would rebuild alternators and starters, but they don't do that anymore. So, thanks for any help you can give.

 

I have a delco one not sure if its olds or chevy

 

Most AC Delco parts are made in China these days, I don't trust the quality of 'em anymore.

 

Its not a newer one its older I just have it laying around and is ac delco and delco different

 

I'm really not sure on that one, the Delco name has been used on a lot of things. For instance, my distributor cap is still one of the old Delco Remy units.

Really not good to use an old part like that without going through it, bearings and seals dry up in 'em when they sit, but they can usually be rebuilt. I'm really hoping for a new starter, remanufactured ones are often questionable.

 

I have been running the same autozone starter on my olds for 6 years now.

 

Its delco Remy and it looks fairly good springs really tight oh and it was made in usa

 

All of the starter parts will interchange between Olds and Chebby V8s, with the exception of the nose that bolts to the block.

That being said, there are different stator and rotor coils that make different amounts of torque for different applications. The high-compression 455 starter that I use on my 350 started life as a Chebby starter.

I think, since you would like to avoid spending money unnecessarily, that the best thing to do is to take it apart and see what's wrong with it.
Then, you can replace whichever parts are bad and keep the rest.

- Eric

 

I talked to my father, that shop I mentioned in town that rebuilds starters and alternators still does this kind of work, so I may grab a junkyard starter and have it put on. Had one of those on my wagon from 2007, 'til I sold it, never had an issue. Though I may just pull mine and see what's wrong with it, can't break what's already broke, right?

I've always wanted to yank apart a starter, guess when I get a decently warm day I'll lay out a piece of cardboard on the picnic table, grab a few old containers for parts, and see what I can figure out.

 

They're easy to take apart, and the Chassis Service Manual has full instructions.

- Eric

 

Its pretty fun looking at all the magnets and stuff

 

Does your starter have a lifetime warranty? I know a lot of the autoparts stores are doing that now.

 

If your starter is still under warranty just swap it for another. I've had to do the same thing with a vacuum booster and master cylinder. If it breaks one more time I'll just take it back and get my money back. Then I'll order from a different parts store, Rock Auto, Fusicks or Kanter.

 

... You and Olds64 are a couple of geniuses... I have the receipt, though it's been exchanged once so they may not take it back. One moment while I frantically dig through the documentation that came with my car...

Let's see... Master cylinder, replaced 91, nope, not it...

Oooh my fuel pump has a lifetime warranty, still not it...

Tires, alignment, nope, nope.

Bahah! Found it! But it's been exchanged once, 5 days after it was bought, wonder if it's still good after 6 months? I'll have to call and ask.

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...033&showTitle=

I wonder if there is a receipt in here for that horrid battery they bought too?

I mean, even though it's been 20 years, my master cylinder even has a lifetime warranty, you think I won't swap it if it fails? Usually lifetime warranties transfer, I am the car owner from hell, I buy things with good warranties and I claim them when I need too.

 

If you have the receipt, it doesn't matter if it transfers - they don't know who you are, and furthermore, they don't care.

If they ask you for your phone number and then say it's different, just say it's changed.

- Eric

 

Like Eric said, they won't care.
I used to have 3 or 4 daily driver Cutlass' many years ago. One lifetime starter, water pump, master cylinder, etc.. & I would have replacement parts for all my cars with the receipt.
Most of the time with starters, the solenoid goes bad. There is a copper washer that touches 2 contact points every time you start your car. Each time a little corrosion happens(think a set of points) & eventually, even though the washer is technically touching the points, there is enough corrosion to reduce or stop current flow. That's why if you whack it with a hammer, you can sometimes get it to make a better contact & start at least one more time. If you flip that washer around, you have a brand new surface & the starter usually will last quite a while after that. Assuming the bearings & other parts are still good.

 

Ha ha.

I had a buddy in college who had three Olds: a '70 and a '71 Cutlass and a '72 98.
He had one registration sticker and one set of plates, and would put them on whichever car he wanted to drive that day.
His philosophy was "What cop can tell a 1971 from a 1972 Oldsmobile?"

He was right, too.

- Eric

 

I did that one plate thing for a while also. One time I drove to a gas station before work & as I went to pump gas, I discovered the plate was on the other car! DOH! I jumped in my car & drove home & a cop pulled me over in my drive way. The gas station called him after I forgot to pay for the gas. Doh! again! Told the cop the truth about the plates & he told me to just go pay the gas station for my $7.00 worth of gas to get a plate on both of them. Yes sir!

 

I exchanged that vacuum booster and master cylinder twice already. It's leaking again. I may just ask for my money back.

 

Yeah, pretty sure that's what has happened, the cold does 'em in it seems. All it does is clunk, clatter, and make some grinding noises. I'm still gonna throw the battery on charge for the sake of that, it's supposed to get up to 54F today, after we had "Ice pellets" falling from the sky yesterday. Anyway, even if the battery is weak, this starter hasn't got long if it's behaving like this. I've replaced a few starters in the winter, it sucks!