> Coming back from the Bowie show yesterday (100 degrees in the shade!), I stopped
> to get gas and turned the car off - big mistake. After pumping gas I tried to
> start the car and GOT NOTHING. The generator light went on, but not even a
> click-click-click from the starter. Panic ensued, and after trying everything I
> could think of, I noticed I was on top of a hill, and there was a side road next
> to the gas station going sharply downhill. So, I did the ol' push start method
> and got home. Whew! After the car cooled down in my garage I tried starting it
> and it fired right up!
> Any explanations from the experts out there?
Sounds like your starter motor is dying. Electric motors don't like
heat. A sure sign of impending death is failure to work properly
when hot. You can get yours rebuilt, or buy a rebuilt one (they'll
take your bad one as core). A rebuild costs about the same as buying
a rebuilt motor. I think I paid $65 to have mine rebuilt at a local
auto-electric shop. An old VB catalog I keep here at the office
lists them for $69.95.
> Finally, what does a water pump about to die sound like? I have a rattling sound
> under the hood, and it sounds like the water pump. Any clues?
Sounds like your pump is also dying, they make a distinctive rattle
in their death throes. An easy way to tell is to, with the car cold,
remove the fan belt and run the engine for A VERY SHORT TIME, no more
than a minute or two. If you don't hear the rattling, it's the water
pump. If you still hear the rattling, suspect the valves or the rod
bearings. While you have the fan belt off, wiggle the water pump
shaft. There should be little or no play in the shaft. If it moves
more than a hair, this is another sign that the pump should be
replaced.
hth,
-- T.J. Higgins tjhiggin(at)ingr.com Huntsville, AL
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