hello, i recently got a 98 sl-1 5-sp and so far it's been great but today a problem popped up. for some background, all this week, the "service engine soon" light has been coming on intermittently, the idle is a little rough at around 800-900 rpm and i smelled a little exhaust coming from the engine. all this made me think there was a minor exhaust leak.

today, however, after running around town for the full day, the engine would be hard to start. it would make a slow churning noise like the starter motor was crapping out. eventually it wouldn't start at all. but i tried it again 20 minutes later and it started ok. it was a somewhat hot day today but the temp gauge on the dash never went beyond the middle hash mark. still i suspect that the starter or wiring/electronics got too hot and thats why it wouldn't start. but it could maybe be the starter motor.

any thoughts & opinions would be appreciated.

 

A bad starter won't set your light - something else may be going on. Make sure your battery is fully charged. Check the main battery cables (especially the positive side). Tight connections on the battery are a must. The cable s should be stiff, but flexible. If you bend them a bit, and you feel them "crunch", replace them because acid has leaked into the cable(s) and is destroying the cable(s) from the inside.

Another possibility is a defective Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor (ECTS). If it's not working right, the air/fuel mixture will be way off, making the car very hard to start, waste gas, and smelly exhaust. The sensor and it's electrical connector should be replaced together (about $40usd for the parts) --> GET THE PARTS FROM GM !!!!

 

+1.....