how can you tell your starter is going bad? symptom? all of a sudden it doesnt want to crank or click, no noise at all. I try to push the car and pop the clutch and it almost started up. It finally started up and was fine for 3 days and then today it just died again.

 

Starters hum when they go bad. You say there is no noise at all, but check if you do have a hum. If in fact you have no noise, you may have a loose connection.

 

Well, when you generally speak of a starter you must specify what component. There are two main components, the starter itself and the solenoid that engages the gear that moves the flywheel.

There many fast and efficient ways to T-shoot an starter. What I recommend you do is:
1) Lift the car, the starter is accesible from the bottom of the car.
2) get a test light and make sure you are getting power to the starter terminals and solenoid
3) you can test operatioanlity of the starter by directly applying power from a battery jumper cable to the terminals
4) If you are getting nothing you might simply have a faulty contact on the battery terminals . This often happens and is enough to not be able to pass enough current to crank the starter.
5) Starters have a tendency to fail when they are very very hot. The wax used on the starter collector often causes chaffing and during hot usage the starter becames ineficcient.

Carlos

 

Did the bullet hit the starter, too???

 

no bullet I just got a new starter anyways so its good