Starter problem
 

I have a 2001 Olds Alero. It has been having intermittent problems starting- sometimes it would work and sometimes not. Yesterday it wouldn't start after 2 hours of trying until we banged the starter with a long pole while turning the ignition. Therefore I thought I needed a new starter. So I replaced it today. It started up fine, but there's a new problem: first, there now seems to be a squeal coming from the starter area for a few seconds after the engine starts. I'm not too concerned about that since it dies away after a few seconds. But now the battery light on the dashboard comes on and won't go off. Could anything I had done with the starter have affected the battery?

:wtf2:

original problem sounds like a ceased up starter motor. new problem seems like the belt isn't tight enough (or is too tight??) or some other scenario with the belt which would cause the alternator to throw a code.

It might not have been your starter that was bad. Your alternator might not have been charging the battery fully, so it is possible that all starting the issue is related to the alternator.