Q: I’ve just finished installing a rebuilt starter on my ’99 Toyota Tacoma; the old one had shorted out and would not disengage. However, the new one will not engage. It just makes a soft click when the key is turned. Any ideas?

A: Did you have the old starter tested to confirm it had failed? A shorted relay or solenoid can allow the starter to remain engaged. Assuming the new starter motor is good, check all electrical connections between the battery, relay, solenoid and starter. Look carefully at the starter relay and its socket. And make sure there’s a solid ground connection between the engine/drivetrain and the chassis.

The easiest way to check the starter on the vehicle is to use jumper cables to bypass the vehicle’s electrical system. With the ignition turned off and the transmission in “park” — and with all due care — connect one end of the red/positive jumper cable to the positive terminal of the battery. Touch the other end of the red cable to the positive terminal on the starter motor. The starter should spin/crank the engine. If it does, the problem is with the cables, connections or relay. If it doesn’t, crank the engine, connect the black/negative jumper cable as a ground between the drivetrain and negative terminal of the battery. Touch the red cable to the starter’s positive terminal. If the starter cranks the engine, the problem is a bad chassis ground.

Again, take all care in doing these tests to protect yourself. Or better yet, remove the new starter and test it on your workbench.

Q: We are the original owners of a 2001 Acura 3.2 CL with 65,000 miles. The problem: It’s on its fourth transmission. Acura has been great and replaced them without hassle.

Got any idea of what the problem is and whether it has been fixed? We normally keep our cars for 100,000 miles or so, but we’re wondering if that’s a reasonable target for this car given its history.

A: My Alldata database pulled up recall 02-027 that extends the warranty on the transmission in your vehicle to 93 months or 107,000 miles, whichever comes first. That’s 7 years 9 months, so your extended warranty either has expired or soon will.

The problem appears to be a lubrication issue with second gear, and when a vehicle with more than 15,000 miles on the odometer suffers this failure, a remanufactured and updated transmission is installed along with a new PCM (powertrain control module).

I’m not sure why you’re continuing to experience transmission problems, but the key question for the dealer is how long the transmission is covered by the extended warranty. If the warranty expires, it might be time to trade in the vehicle in for something new.

Q: I have a 2006 Corvette purchased new. When we picked it up, the battery was dead. The dealer charged the battery and away we happily went. Unfortunately, the battery keeps going dead. Since the purchase, the dealer has installed two new batteries and reprogrammed the onboard computer. The explanation is that there are so many electronics on the car, the battery will go down if it is not driven regularly.

I mark it down on my calendar to start it every three weeks, and the battery still goes dead. Is something wrong, or do I have to start it up more often?

A: Which computer did the dealer reprogram? GM bulletin 07-06-03-001B from March 2007 addresses this issue with your Corvette. The bulletin identifies a software anomaly in the remote control door lock receiver that causes an additional current draw when the vehicle is parked with passive locking enabled.

The solution is to use the GM service computer to reprogram the remote control door lock receiver. If the car is still covered by warranty, this would be a warranty repair.