Not a B-body, but a GM Issue

Have a buddy with a 96 (?) Cutlass with a 3.1 He just replaced the starter, but now when he goes to start the car, it "clicks" once and then dies. I told him check all his grounds, etc, but it almost sounds like a bad starter from the get go. Any suggestions?

Def. make sure the cables and battery posts are clean and tight first and foremost, with absolutely no corrosion on them, not even a little. Put Vaseline on them then re-bolt them into the battery. Battery could also be low at like 11 volts and just not turning the starter.

If that don't work, give the starter a whack and try again. If it starts then you've got a starter issue for sure, something's loose or funky. Could also be a bad connection down there, fusible link, etc.

If you read Bill M's recent post about his starter troubles you would see that new starters are not always good. If all his connections are good and the battery is fully charged tell him to bring the starter back and get another.

Cadet57 wrote:

Have a buddy with a 96 (?) Cutlass with a 3.1 He just replaced the starter, but now when he goes to start the car, it "clicks" once and then dies. I told him check all his grounds, etc, but it almost sounds like a bad starter from the get go. Any suggestions?

Take it back and have them bench test it. The gear should spin and pop out.