Questions and Answers

Grinding Buick LeSabre Q. Dear Vincent Ciulla, I have an automotive question. My car is a 1984 Buick LeSabre Limited four door sedan with automatic transmission, 307 Olds V-8, 229,000 miles, tilt steering. When I turn the key in the ignition to start the car I often get a grindy starter sound. The car then won't start.

If I release the key the grindy starter sound winds down and stops. Sometimes when I try to start the car all I hear is a faint click. If I turn the key just right, "hit the sweet spot" so to speak, the car starts right up, no problems what so ever. My battery terminals are clean and the battery is fully charged. What could be causing this irritating problem?

Is there a contact point on the ignition lock that is worn? Could it be the actuator rod that connects to the ignition switch, or is my ignition switch (which is located deep within the bowels of the steering column) bad? I pray it's not the ignition switch. I don't have any trouble inserting or removing the key, the steering column doesn't get hot, and once the car starts there are no other bad symptoms.

Any insight or assistance on how to properly trouble shoot this problem would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You...

A. The key point here is that every time you turn the key something does happen which tells me that the switch should be okay. Sounds like a bad starter motor. The bendix drive inside could be bad, usually when cold. Also a grinding noise could be a sign of damaged or missing teeth on the flywheel.