Your starter may have shorted windings causing it to draw excessive current. Recommend you remove the starter and have it tested at the parts store.
Specific instructions from autozone.com for removing your starter are provided below.
REMOVAL & INSTALLATION
See Figures 7, 8 and 9
This starter motor removal procedure is time consuming. An alternate method of removing the starter would be to remove the engine fan(s) and radiator, then remove the starter motor from the top of the engine. If you chose to go this route, radiator and fan removal can be found in Engine and Engine Rebuilding of this guide.
- Disconnect the negative battery cable.
- Raise and safely support the vehicle.
If equipped with A/C, perform the following:
- Use a floor or jack stand to securely support the engine and transaxle assembly so they will not rotate.
Remove the front engine mount bolt from the insulator and front crossmember mounting bracket.
Fig. Fig. 7: If equipped with A/C, unfasten the front engine mount-to-bracket bolt
- Carefully lower the front of the engine, rotating the engine forward allowing more space for easier access to the starter.
For easier removal, do not remove the wiring from the starter at this time.
- Remove the 2 starter motor-to-transmission housing mounting bolts.
- Remove the starter and solenoid assembly from the transmission housing. Position the starter accordingly for access to the wiring.
- Remove the positive battery cable nut and remove the positive battery and alternator output wire from the starter. The wiring is shown in the accompanying figure.
Fig. Fig. 8: Location of the starter wiring connections
- Detach the push-on solenoid connector. Pull back on the slide and push down on the rear tab to release the lock.
- Position the starter vertically so the pinion end faces downward, then remove the starter motor through the bottom of the vehicle. It may be necessary to move the A/C lines aside slightly to maneuver the starter out of the vehicle.
Fig. Fig. 9: Removing the starter motor from the vehicle
To install:
Clean the corrosion and dirt from the cable and wire terminals before fastening the wiring to the solenoid.
- Connect the positive battery and alternator output wire to the starter solenoid post.
WARNING
It is imperative that the alternator output terminal be connected to the positive battery terminal of the starter solenoid for proper starting and charging system operation.
- Connect the push-on wiring until it is fully engaged.
- Position the starter face into the transmission housing. Support the starter in the pilot and start the top bolt.
- Attach the ground cable to the lower mounting bolt and start the bolt.
- Make sure the starter is aligned properly before tightening the mounting bolts to 40 ft. lbs. (54 Nm).
- If equipped with A/C, perform the following:
- Using a floor jack to carefully raise the engine and transaxle assembly to its original position.
- Install the front engine mount bolt through the insulator and front crossmember mounting bracket. Tighten the bolt to 40 ft. lbs. (54 Nm).
- Carefully lower the vehicle, then connect the negative battery cable.
