hey guys, first time poster on here and i needed some help with my car. i have a 2006 cobalt and i am having problems with starting my car. i tried charging my battery so i am pretty sure that it is not the battery. i talked to some people and i was told it could either by my starter or my starter solenoid. i am told that if it is the solenoid it could be a quick, cheap fix. but if it is the starter it may be a little more expensive. i am trying to locate these parts on the car and cannot find them. keep in mind that i am not a car expert by any means so i may need a little more explaining on where to go. any help from someone would be greatly appreciated and could potentially save me a lot of money. thanks guys and i hope someone can help me out.

 

Welcome to the forum! The starter is located on the front of the engine underneath the intake manifold. What you can check for is if you are getting a clicking noise from the solenoid when someone turns the key forward. If you get nothing, it could be from the relay back. If you get a noise then is it related from the solenoid forward.

 

The soleniod is part of the starter, they are removed as a unit. From the bottom is the easiest way, you should see it pretty clearly on the front of the engine on the lower side, has a large and small wire going to it, and two bolts holding it to the transmission bellhousing.

 

Yup! The starter and solenoid are only sold together unlike the older vehicles where they could be separated. If you do end up removing it, make sure you pull the battery beforehand or you're gonna end up creating a lot of sparks lol

 

if it is just the solenoid that is the problem, any recommendations on how to fix it? the person at the car shop told me it may be something as simple as using a screw driver to kind of get the current back or something.

 

The solenoid can be jumped with a metal tool such as a screwdriver to see if it is working properly. There is no way to "fix" a malfunctioning solenoid, they need to be replaced.

 

i know this an old post. but just this morning i started my car and my starter wont disengage for 10-15seconds.. the car starts right up, but then it sounds like im holding the key and making it crank when the car is already running. and i know cobalts have a safety feature to prevent you from cranking the starter over once the car is running. but its like my starter gets stuck cranking for 10-15seconds. frozen solenoid? and suggestions or advice to help me with this issue? New starter? i just replaced the starter in 2011

 

Most likely a bad started, yeah. What did you replace it with, an OEM one or a cheapo aftermarket rebuild? Sucks, but they go bad all the time.