So yesterday afternoon i pulled into my driveway, i went to put my car into reverse and the car died. No loud noises or bangs the car just shut down. I then tried to start the car and it just made a whine noise so i quickly stopped. i initially thought maybe the timing belt snapped so i pullled the cover off and it was still in tact. I had my buddy try to start the car again to see if there was any movement in the motor at all. When he went to crank it over again just the whine noise and no movement on the cam gears. Im not completely sure where to start looking for issues. One of my friends maybe the starter isnt engaging properly but then why would it just have shut down while the car was already running????? Anyone have any ideas? Thanks

 

is the whine noise your fuel pump? Only thing that should stop your motor from cranking would be the starter. I dont believe there is anything else on the motor that would keep it from cranking. Keeping it from starting, yes, but not from cranking.

 

going down the list....

air - got plenty of it
spark - make sure you got it (check coilpack)
fuel - check your pump.
battery - check the voltage, and if there terminals and grounds are erroded, corroded etc etc

other than that, it could be your starter but i wouldn't bet my career on it.

 

bad battery?

 

If the motor isnt cranking, I cant think of anything else other than a starter. It doesnt matter if the car isnt or is getting spark, fuel, or air, without the motor cranking, all that is useless.

You could always try to push start the car??? Or tap the starter with a small hammer, see if it frees it up.

 

have you tried roll starting the car? if it start from a roll then you can say the starter is bad , if i start then die then there something else wrong

 

sounds electrical to me. does the dash have bright light, do the headlights work fine? if the electrical system seems good then i would agree with others on the starter.

 

Just because the timing belt is visable doesn't mean that it's connected to the driveshaft.

1: Is the motor turning over when you turn the key? (look at the belts driven off the crankshaft)

(if yes, then check your camshafts. Are they spinning (if no = timing belt) (if yes, check spark, fuel, compression)

If the crankshaft is not spinning, and you are hearing a motor whining from the front of the engine, then it's your starter not engaging. Rebuild your starter or replace.

 

Cart before the horse a bit here squad.

A few things. The starters work using electromagnets. In short, when you turn the key to start, it triggers the motor to extend and spin. Once you click back to run, it turns the motor off.

IF the starter went bad, it is possible that it failed in the extended position (this is relatively rare, but it makes sense here). This would cause that whining noise (like an electrical motor spinning itself) and may have put enough load on the motor that when you were engaging reverse, it caused you to stall because you weren't anticipating the extra load on the clutch/motor.

So... what I would do first is...
1. Get under the car, and pull the shields off the starter. There's also an inspection plate that you can remove, but I can't remember if the starter has to come off before that or not. Either way, it's a few bolts, and will tell you instantly if it's the logical solution, or if something much stranger happened.

2. You could also try push starting the car, BUT... if the starter motor is stuck on, you may damage the flywheel.

3. I would also suggest rotating the motor 1 complete revolution by hand to inspect the flywheel teeth.

4. You could also try simply disconnecting the battery, and seeing if perhaps the starter retracts itself. And I would also check the grounds, and general wiring for the starter itself. It is possible that a ground pulled out somewhere, and the starter is just getting positive, and thus just staying extended... but I'd think you'd hear it try to spin.

Starter. The first thing to do is check the starter.

 

Possible electric malfunction causing your starter to seize.

 

maybe its something simple like the clutch safety switch?