2008 Vue 4cyl. Slow crank. Battery and alternator are good. Had both checked. Battery replaced a year ago and alternator replace 6 months ago. And last week, two things happen which may or may not be related.

car would not start. No voltage anywhere. Open hood, touched positive and negative battery cables and power came on. Ended up being a loose positive cable.

A day or two later, I started getting a slow crank. Turn key and it could take anywhere from a half second to two to three full seconds before the starter would engage. From what I could hear sitting inside the car, it sounded completely dead until it cranked.

Battery terminals, wires, connections at The Battery Outlet good. I'm a senior with a bit of limited Mobility so I cannot get under the car to check the connections at the actual starter. When I see something like this, I immediately think of a ground issue but it could be just a starter going bad. What do you think the culprit most likely is and what can I check?

 

I would go back and check the cable connections again. You have a power disconnect issue somewhere. A failing starter would turn the engine slower than it should but there would not be a delay before it tried. Sounds like possibly a failing cable connection.

 

I had the problem of intermittently not starting . It was the starter solenoid integrated with the starter. replaced the starter, the problem solved. Reaching the starter requires removal of the catalyst converters and Oxygen sensor cover and cable.

 

I must also admit that I have had that delay before the starter begins to spin in my s car that had a starter going bad. It was more of a one second deal and I wouldn't be surprised if the starter was actually spinning so slowly that I could not hear it, but I get what the OP is stating.

I would definitely check the battery connections again as well as the cables to make sure there is no acid corrosion. Additionally, check where the negative cable is attached to the body. If this ground is not clean or has corrosion, you will see the same things you are currently seeing with power disconnection issues. Do you get any charging indicator light on the dash after starting?

 

Go back and CLEAN the cables and posts with a wire brush. It still sounds like a loose or dirty connection to me. BUT I'M NOT A MECHANIC!