Hi, My 95 achieva 3.1 v6 wont turn over. Only makes a clicking noise. Well before this yesterday to be exact. I bought new vaccum lines as mine where cracked. The car didnt want to stay running so I put one cracked one back on it ran ok. Got it home put new line back on and everytime I cranked it it would jump up to 2000 rpms then back down to 800 rpms but when shifted in drive or reverse acts like it will die. Well today went and got a throttle position sensor still acted up so I drove it to the local shop that told me they could look at it tomorrow. Well I made it half way home stopped at a red light and the car dies. I restart the car and it sounds like aluminum cans under the hood then dies. After that only a click from the started. I thought well maybe the battery died (still wouldnt explain the can sound) So I tried a jump nothing. So me and a friend say well maybe its the starter (still wouldnt explain the horrible sound the motor made its last time cranking) Took off the starter took it to the auto store and they tell me its bad so I buy a new one same freaking problem call the store up "sorry you've already put it on your car bring it up here we can test it but if its fine we cant refund you" I stated I brought mine up there and was told it was bad but still didnt get a refund just a waste of $80 on top of the $30 throttle position sensor ontop of the full tank of gas just put in it. Brother thinks motors locked up? Any help would be great. Had trans replace less then a month ago as well as awhole new front end (tire rod ends ball joints struts etc) . So I'm low on money and hope I can fix it myself.
RepairPal Certified shops can diagnose and repair your 1995 Oldsmobile Achieva. They provide transparent pricing with a minimum 12-month or 12,000-mile warranty on repairs and services.
It sounds like the bad starter may have left some metal pieces in the flywheel housing. If there is an access port, open, check and remove any garbage. Also check the flywheel for broken teeth caused by the bad starter(That would be very bad$$).
Next, if possible have your battery load tested and recharged.
Before you install the new starter, disconnect the negative battery cable. Then clean both battery terminals and the connections at the solenoid and starter and the connection where the negative cable connects to the frame. Dirty or loose connections act just like a bad battery. Connect the negative cable last when you are reconnecting.
After you install the new starter, turn on the headlights and try to crank the engine. If the lights go dim, the battery needs recharge or replacement. If the lights don't go dim and you hear clicking, and you have cleaned all connections, the starter solenoid may be bad.
If the starter works but you hear grinding noise instead of proper starting noise, most likely is that flywheel teeth are damaged. Or starter could be misaligned. Remove starter and use a mirror to inspect flywheel teeth.
