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I know what you mean about turning the key for the first time. I would install the starter, wire it up and then before installing the intake manifold and buttoning it all back up, 'bump' the key to see if the new starter will come to life. The engine is not going to run but it is just a quick sanity test on the starter and wiring. Thats just me though. Be careful to get all connectors and wires back together and you will be fine.

Just follow the directions in the manual. Let the engine warm up for 10 minutes then run at about 2k RPM for a few minutes with heater on high. Keep checking the level in the reservoir and top off if needed. Very easy. So, what did you discover with the starter teeth?

Well, you have the + and - leads reversed on the meter but that's ok. Since the engine does not run, have you been trickle charging the battery periodically? You do not want to let the battery get too low before a recharge or the battery can be damaged internally. The 11.23V reading is low indicating that a recharge is needed.

When you say 'attempts', do you mean that after the first try, you turn the key completely back to the 'Off' position and then rotate it clockwise to 'Start'? Or just go back to the 'Run' position and then to 'Start' and it works? Be very specific in your analysis and testing as it may provide valuable clues. How about if you turn the key to the 'Run' position and wait for 10 seconds before "Start' on the first attempt?

If the issue were the battery or bad connection(s) to the battery, you would get a series of rapid clicks and not just one. This because the system 'oscillates' due to the inability to supply adequate current. Does not appear to be your problem from what you have described thus far. You can try a test by simply turning on your headlights. If the headlights come on normally (fairly bright) and stay that way for approx. one minute, then your battery/connection(s) are fine.

Keep in mind that while the final goal is to get your car running, another major component of this process is to get you more learned in cars as well. Think of it as a good 'edumacation'. Learn to love to learn. It will serve you well throughout your life. <#endof_fatherlylecture> ^_^ ^_^ If your starter is new and works as it should, there are really only several issues that I can think of: 1) Your starter relay is clicking in but there is no +12v power to it so it cannot feed the starter solenoid. 2) The starter relay contacts are bad. 3) A wire is not connected to the starter. There is not much more left as it is fairly simple and basic. Yet, you still have to be very careful when you make your diagnosis and follow the directions without skipping any steps or you may miss the problem. I have seen it happen many times before with myself and others.

It sure is sounding like your starter solenoid or starter (I thought it was new?) is not doing its job. But first you will need to do a bit more testing before you tear into it. Do you have and can operate, a multimeter? If so, check for the solenoid resistance (ohms) as I mentioned in my last post. Find the relay and pull it. Identify the contact pins and measure the resistance across the pins. Report back with the value. So, you live in Orlando. I lived there for 10 years...Dr. Philips area. Worked at Lockheed Martin.

I know this is not a 'fix' but I always leave my steering wheel parked in as far as possible so that it does not need to extend or retract. Then I simply adjust the seat for a proper fit. It might work for you if your arm to leg ratio will allow.

You tried...what? Please elaborate.

You could also pull each spark plug and label them as to cylinder position. Place them on a clean white piece of paper and examine them very carefully. Maybe post a pic for us (get a lot of "eyes" on it). If a particular cylinder is misfiring, you may see that evidence from the plug. If the issue is the fuel pump, which is common to all cylinders, you probably will not see a difference. From what you have described so far, I have a hard time believing it is the fuel pump (especially at idle). The grounding or disabling of each cylinder one at a time, is still a better test but examining plugs *may* provide additional help.

Do you cry 'uncle' yet? ^_^ Lets perform a restart here. You can do a lot of this leg work yourself and save the mechanics charge. You have a lot of miles on this engine so this misfire could be several things. But let's try to isolate the cylinder(s) that is misfiring. That will help a lot. You mentioned that the engine does misfire and 'lope' when idling. That's actually a good thing. What I would like you to try is to ground out each spark plug wire, one at a time, and listen for a change in engine performance. The theory is that grounding out a spark plug will disable that cylinder and you will notice a sudden worsening of the engine performance with a good cylinder. However, when you ground out the plug of the cylinder that is misbehaving, you will NOT notice much change at all, if any. Its an old trick that a lot of mechanics use and is very effective. It does not yet tell you the exact cause but is very important in isolating the problem. You can use a dental pick with a ground wire connected to the chassis or a sharp grounded pin to pierce each plug wire but be careful that you are not in the path to ground or you will get a jolt. You can also pull the plug wires, one at a time(either at the distributor cap or at the spark plug) to see if one makes a difference. Takes more time but gets the job done. So, are you game? After you isolate the cylinder(s) that is at fault, we can discuss ways to determine exactly what is wrong (fuel, spark or compression).

Welcome Chris! While I do not profess to know much about the suspension components, I do know that noises can be very difficult to track down. From your description, it might also be a brake issue as you mention a 'gentle' stop. It could be a loose shim or pad that is acting up. It is a rather simple matter to pull the calipers out of the way and inspect the pads. You might apply some 'brake quiet'(or similar) to the back of the pads to see if that would help. Perhaps not a final solution but a step in pinpointing. As far as the bushings/rubber components, you might try to 'lubricate' (with a vinyl protectant) different rubber components to see if it eliminates the noise temporarily. Again, not a permanent solution just an aid. But I would begin with the brake inspection.

A little Vodka in that Kool-Aid and I will never even notice my lighter wallet, Jim. Improved methods or better milking of customers? That be the question. B)

Who knows, the mechanic may be bucking for that service manager position. They get paid a commission for selling. ;) The in-vehicle truing all sounds a little bit too anal to me for most cars. I suspect profit is involved somewhere along the line. Or maybe I need a liberal swig of the Kool-Aid?! ^_^

Interesting discussion. This machining while on the car would not, by any chance, result in more profit to the dealer, would it? :whistles:

Well, you make a good point about flushing the system. It *should* be done thoroughly and I will bet that my son did not do everything 100% by the book. Even though the system is working well now, there could be complications down the road. Could be. But for now, he is enjoying cold air. Having said that, it is also possible to lean too far toward the purist side and be frozen with fear that the conversion is not 100% correct. I would do the best you can at this time and call it a day. Just me. Do what you think is best.

I found out a bit more info about the conversion. You can google "How to convert R12 to R134a" and get a lot of similar advice. Of course it stands to reason that if you have a leak, you should find and fix that soon, otherwise you will be forever adding refrigerant. Remove the compressor fittings and unbolt the compressor because you are going to have to turn it upside down to allow any old oil to seep out. You do not have to remove the compressor from the engine bay but you will need to rotate it. New oil(several ounces) is added to the 'low' side and the compressor shaft rotated a few times to initially distribute inside. After removing the old dryer and installing a new one(the new one has desiccant designed for R134), you pull a vacuum on the system for approx an hour or more. My son had gauges hooked up to the low and high side to monitor the vacuum. He removed the vacuum pump and left the gauges hooked up over night. In the morning, the vacuum was still there indicating that there was no leak (or very small). Thought that was a good test without wasting R134. You will need fitting adapters to convert to the R134 standard and you can buy these at most auto stores. Maybe yours is all done by now. Did your mechanic get it converted?

If the starter relay is doing its job (big IF) then the next item to check is the starter solenoid. IF the starter relay is supplying +12v to the solenoid on the starter, why is the starter not whirling? It could be that the solenoid IS energizing but the contacts are not 'making' (not likely with a new starter). You are now going to have to determine if the solenoid coil is being presented as a load to the starter relay. With the starter relay removed, check the resistance of the contact pin that is connected to the solenoid coil (WRT to ground of course). You should get a fairly low reading (< 10 ohms, maybe?). If it is open, then the solenoid coil is bad or someone forgot to connect it. So, the next thing to verify is if the solenoid on the starter itself appears to be working. It will make a rather loud clunk when engaging. You can place a long metal tool (like a pipe, long screwdriver) on the back of the intake plenum or manifold with the other end up to your ear, then have someone turn the ignition key. You should heard a distinct click within. Do not mistake the starter relay click with this as the relay should be much 'softer'. You could also just remove the starter relay and momentarily jumper the relay contacts to energize the starter solenoid. That would eliminate the starter relay 'click'. But the solenoid should provide a much harsher sound because it is a much larger relay handling much higher current. Post your results. You must have great confidence in your friends electrical troubleshooting capabilities!? ^_^

Will this car never stop with the issues!? ^_^ It sounds like it is just a linkage rod that has fallen off inside the door panel. You will have to remove the inner door panel to reconnect it. There might be a plastic holder that is broken but you will have to get inside to see.

My son just made the conversion from R12 on his 92 LS400 this Spring(should be the same as your 91). Did it all on his own with no help from me. He had to buy a new dryer, vacuum out the entire system(rent vacuum pump from Autozone), new R134 fittings, new O-ring seals (his was leaking at the compressor fittings). Installed a few cans of R134a, oil and thats it, I believe. It now works great. You could do it yourself I will bet. I will quiz him when he gets home about any sites he used or issues he had but I believe it was very simple.

Thats going to be a tough one to solve. But if it went away for a month or so when you replaced the motor mounts, why don't you inspect the mounts again? Maybe something in that area has loosened up or a new mount is now broken (defective...it happens).

wow, what a hassle not to get towed. Let's get this thing running again soon so you don't have to play musical chairs. Do not try to do too much at one time because it might lead to mistakes. Just find the little starter relay tonight and verify (maybe with a helper) that it is being energized when you turn the key(put your finger on it and 'feel' for a click). Also put a voltmeter on the contact lines and verify that +12v is being switched. One side of the contacts should have +12v all the time and the other side only when you turn the key to 'start'.

I cannot really tell but it looks like several teeth are damaged(nicks and deformed)? If so, then yes, your starter is messing it up. Either that or the flexplate teeth were defective. In any case, that looks to me to be pretty significant evidence of your intermittent grinding noise. I just hope you do not need to replace the flexplate as well as the starter but you may have to if the damage is extensive. I would bet the teeth on the starter are fairly messed up. So, do several teeth look like they are missing metal? What do you think, SRK?

You do not mention whether or not you desire a switched line or always hot. I would caution against drawing a lot of power via the ignition switch as it has its limits. I think you ought to explore your fuse box for any empty, existing slot(s) and try to tap in there. There is thing called a 'fuse tap' which is used precisely for what you want to do. Here is a link -> http://www.ehow.com/how_8014809_add-circuit-car-fuse-block.html

There are some stations that sell 100% pure gasoline. No ethanol mixed in. Of course the fuel is more expensive but if you want pure stuff, you gotta pay. Here is how to locate these stations in your area( covers US and Canada...click on your state or the map for the entire country) -> http://pure-gas.org/