Greetings All!

I would appreciate a diagnosis and recommendation for the following problem.

About every other time I turn the key to engage the starter, the starter will spin (that is, I hear a high pitched motor whine) but the engine does not turn over. When this occurs, the engine has always started normally after another one or two attempts.

A review of the previous owner's maintenance records (I bought the car with 77k miles in '97) indicated no prior starter issues. The car now has 124k miles.

It is only a minor annoyance now, however there is the nagging concern of becoming stranded after having received repeated fair warnings.

Diagnosis? Recommendation?

You have a bad starter drive. Also called: over-running clutch. It is like a ratchet allowing ther starter to drive the motor but not allowing the motor to drive the starter. This allows the gear to retract after starting. The over-running clutch is slipping both ways when the event occurs They can be purchased separately and can be replaced. I would suggest replacing the whole starter though. Especially if you are paying for labor.

Thanks, Steve
 

Thanks, Steve for your guidance. I will have it checked out.