I am in the process of replacing a bad starter on my 2000 Chevy Prism. Everything is so crammed under the hood I had to pull the radiator out to get to the starter.
I've tested the starter, and also had O'Reilly's Auto Parts test it, and it tested as bad...The gear would pop out, but the starter armature would not spin...it would only make a humming noise. My old started was so bad, it caused the test machine at O'Reilly's to kick a circuit breaker. The parts man said a starter that bad could also cause a battery to explode (which fortunately did not happen). That happened to a van my mom had. A car battery sounds off like a 12 gauge shotgun when they blow.
I'll be finished getting the car back together tomorrow.
I caught a bus out here to Denny's Restaurant tonight (presently in Florida). I almost had to walk. It was the last bus for the night and the bus zoomed past the bus stop, but stopped a couple of hundred feet past the stop. The driver said he did not see me at first because of it being dark.
Everything tonight is good as so far (I'll be walking home tonight - 4 and a half kilometers {3 miles}).
I'll be grateful about getting my car going again.