95 chevy cavalier, hard time starting

hey hows it going? ok i have a little problem on my 95 chevy cavalier. just out of the blue, i never did anything for this to happen....no playing with nothing it just started happening. My car has a hard time starting, and i know it is not the battery cause i just got a new good one. do you think it could be something wrong with my starter? could it be fixable, or would i need a new starter? it kinda just sounds like it is not engaging right.

thanks andrew

Yeah, it sounds to me like the solenoid is going bad.  There shouldn't be a grinding sound, though- more of just a high speed tick.  I'd check the connections to the starter first.  I know you said you checked the battery, so use a multimeter and ensure you have the same voltage at the starter as you do at the battery.  A loose connection, or corrosion could cause a significant voltage drop, which could produce sporradic operation.  Also check your ground connections for proper fit/tightness.  Clean up any corrosion with a wire brush, or you can use a tooth brush with a baking soda/water solution.  Now see what happens.  If still nothing, use a hammer to tap the casing of the starter a few times.  Now try to start it.  I'm not exactly sure why, but this works a lot of the time- maybe it knocks some corrosion loose or something?  Hopefully this will get you running again until you can get the system checked out.  You can go up to AutoZone and they'll test your starting system free of charge- I don't think you need to remove the starter to do this, but you can.  They can also test your battery/charging system as well.

If in fact, you do have a grinding sound, as you put it, it may just be misalignment of the starter/flywheel.  It's possible something has worked loose as Superchuckes suggested.  Another possibility is you may have a damaged area on the teeth of the flywheel- which would keep it from meshing properly, and once that area is cleared, it starts fine.  Just some things to consider.

Actully, hitting a dead starter with a hammer doesent release the drive gear from the flywheel, it releases the windings inside the motor allowing you to cheat start it. Im still not 100% convinced hes looking at a starter problem though the lack of details doesent help much. I have seen a tied up alternator cause hard starting, and depending on its drive gear... no starting.. this could be the same with the ac compressor. Those little cav's were always noisy starters anyhow. I do agree with F100, tho.. if you do replace the starter, keep the shims and put them back where they came from, if there all buggered up.. use the new shims that come with the starter and match the thickness up best you can.... always remember tho.. with those shims, its better to not use enough shims, then use too many (too thick)

GL

throw a shop charger on there and see if the higher voltage helps it start.  maybe its straining.  dunno.

i have tapped a starter a few times and that does seem to work.  thats more along the lines of a bandaid fix.