2.4 5speed cavy:

ok.... last week my starter was cranking slower than normal... I suspected starter/battery so I brought my battery to discount to get tested and it needed to be replaced so I did. Works for two days then while driving I start to loose power.... so I suspect alternator... so I bring it to get tested and my alternator is bad.....! So I get one from the junkyard and it works for another two days.. then I loose power again while driving! So I take the alternator out and got another from the junkyard and put it in. Then I jump the car... starts/runs fine but when I take off the jump it only runs for a minute or so. Now im going crazy!!! So I bring both alternators plus the original one to discount to get tested and there both good except the original one which is the one I had originally replaced when I suspected it went bad and I was right. Whats going on..? My battery is not getting charged for some reason! I cant figure out what else it could be! Once jumped and running its fine but as soon as i take off the jump it wont run longer than 1 minute but ifi keep it jumped it will stay on forever. I also tryed the good ol' take the + off and see if it keeps running but it doesnt. It should keep running if the alternator was good right? Its late and im getting mad and fusterated! Any help would be great! Thanks!

I replaced;

new battery
used good starter
2 used good alternators
2 new 2.2 coil

I think i hooked the starter up wrong...?

did you put the wire that come from the alternator back on the positive terminal of the starter? if so check to make sure the fusible link in that peice between the started and the alt. isnt blown.

No i didnt.... @!#$! The starter I got from the junkyard was from a grand am and it has 3 studs. One big and two small. The small ones say S and one has R. My old starter had only two studs. The big stud had the battery cable and the smaller stud had two small wires. On the new starter I gave the small wires its own stud cause I wasnt sure if its ok to leave one unused. Well anyways I took the starter out again and for some reason the big stud stripped and wouldnt back out so I had to cut it and now the stud is unusable! Can I take the solinoid off the old starter and put it on the other one? The original is a factory delco (2 stud) and the new one is a palladium (3 stud)? Thanks.

i'm not sure... not much of a starter expert
just make sure to put the heavy wire from the alt on the same terminal as the positive terminal (the heavy wire from the battery) of the starter when you reassemble it.

I know for a fact that it is possible to swap selinoids, i have done it. but as for swaping a 3 stud to a 2 stud, im not sure.

I swapped the selinoids and wiredit like it was and it works fine now.