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Q: The starter off and on wont turn over when trying to crank the car.

asked by on February 05, 2017

My cars starter sometimes (seems to be getting worse) will not work when trying to start the car. It is a new starter and the car has a new battery. When the starter wont work all i have to do is use a jack and jack up the front of the car on the drivers side just a little bit and then try to start the car again and the starter will work and crank the car every time by doing this. Then once the car cranks i can let the jack down and put it back in the trunk and drive any where i want to go with out any problems as long as i don't turn the car off. When i do turn the car off it sometimes will crank without a problem (however when it cranks on its own i sometimes do hear a grinding noise right after it cranks coming from the starter and flywheel area) but usually i have to jack up the front drivers side every time i cut the car off, to get the starter to work and crank the car back up. My email address is codymartinarmystrong@gmail.com if you want to reach me directly. Thank you

My car has 130232 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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Hello, thank you for writing in. Often when starters are installed they come with a shim. These shims need to be installed to help hold the starter at the proper angle. If the angle is off the gears may not mesh correctly putting excess pressure on it that the starter cannot compete with. If the starter did not come with a shim, or you do not have it anymore, you can likely purchase or fabricate one relatively easily. If this does not solve the issue, make sure there are no wires that are being pinched or shorted out when the full weight of the car is being supported. For more help diagnosing the issue, contact our service department to schedule an appointment. And thank you for you service to our country.

Pontiac
Starters
V6-3.8L
1997
Grand Prix
no start
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