Today my wife called, the '96 Suburban wouldn't crank. Her car is down at my brother's 4 hrs. away (long story). Neighbor took me down. Battery o.k., terminals clean. OK, crawled under and whacked starter with hammer. Started right up. Tomorrow I'm getting a new starter. Thanks to this bunch for that tidbit on a recent thread. I've changed a lot of starters in my time, never tried just bashing one before.
Pete Keillor
Glad to hear you got it started, but you drove 8 hrs to whack it with a hammer? Surely there was somebody there who could have done that!
Bob
Keep in mind a similar tactic often works on failed 'in tank' electric fuel pumps.
Just slap the bottom of the tank a time or two... you certainly have nothing to lose.
If successful, don't put off doing the pump; it's now on borrowed time.
Erik
I've never tried that. But heard from others who have. She's fortunate to have a caring husband such as yourself.
Nah, probably just easier than the prospect of doing his own cooking & washing.
Whacking is potentially not a good thing if you have a PMGR (permanant magnet gear reduction) starter as you can break the magnets.
If you get sticker shock at the price of a new one, consider overhauling the old one.
Roger Shoaf
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