4. Bottom line, there should be 9 to 10 volts at the Delco Remy starter motor hot post when cranking. Don't forget to put the car in neutral or park and block the wheels so you don't run yourself over.
5. Battery cables okay? Try jumping—with jumper cables—directly from the battery positive terminal to the starter motor's solenoid post. If the solenoid pulls in and the starter turns over the engine, you've got a wiring problem.
6. If the solenoid doesn't pull in and energize the armature, try jumping directly to the motor's armature post, bypassing the solenoid. If the armature spins, the problem is in the solenoid or its wiring.
7. Don't forget that some antitheft systems will still disable the starter even if the crooks hot-wire the ignition key. And when something goes wrong with that alarm, you're stranded. It gets worse—it's usually difficult or impossible to disconnect the alarm, in order to keep the car thieves from doing so. Be prepared for serious reading of the factory shop manual or, if your alarm is aftermarket, a return to the alarm installer.
Regardless, you've determined that the starter is fried. Time to get to it. You might get lucky, especially if you have an FWD vehicle, and be able to swap starters from above the car. If not, the starter usually lives in a really remote location well underneath the car, somewhere near the side of the transmission. Don't try to do this on a hot car—which might seem to be superfluous advice if you can't even get it started—but invariably the exhaust system is nearby, and burns hurt. Also, protective eyewear is de rigueur, because you'll be dropping flakes of rust and underhood dirt from directly above your head into your baby blues. While you're waiting for the car to cool off, chock the wheels and jack it up a foot or so. Ramps will work, but I prefer a pair of sturdy jackstands. On the other hand, I've also been forced to do this in the middle of a muddy field by scooping out a trench to lie in.
