Anyone replace just the Starter Solenoid?
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,699
Likes: 2
From: The Black Hole LA
Anyone replace just the Starter Solenoid?
Had my starter tested and its bad. The mechanical part of it seems fine and spins freely. I'm thinking it is the solenoid that is bad, has anyone replaced one of these before and what were the results? I can get one for about 1/3 the price of the whole starter is why I ask.
'90 vette w/ auto trans
'90 vette w/ auto trans
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 3,134
Likes: 11
From: At the St. Louis Playboy club.
Sure, go for it. Most people hate the labor & dont want to do it twice.So they get the whole thing.
How many miles on the starter?
Whats it do?
Turn key hear clunk or nothing?
How many miles on the starter?
Whats it do?
Turn key hear clunk or nothing?
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 17,298
Likes: 33
From: The Top of Utah
Many times. I don't know about that fancy, mini starter on your '90, but with the old Delco starters, I'd take the solenoid a part, file the contacts on the heads of the copper through bolts and flop the monster washer upside down to give it a fresh wear surface. Next go round, I'd buy a solenoid rebuild kit for $7.00 to $8.00.
RACE ON!!!
RACE ON!!!
Large Impressive Member
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 65,811
Likes: 71
From: Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die
St. Jude Donor '04-'05-'06-'07
Very common, have done it many times over the years. Another thing to look for on older vehicles is voltage drop on the wire that triggers the solenoid. This can cause intermittant problems or complete failure symtoms of the solenoid. This used to be very common on older GM vehicles and older Toyotas which used way too small of a wire to begin with.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,699
Likes: 2
From: The Black Hole LA
Well nevermind.
Looked in the Helms manual when I got home and according to that its the starter motor, not the solenoid. The guy at the auto parts store that tested it said it would try to engage but wouldn't take the amps(?) that the testing machine put to it(or something like that the guy wasn't to clear). Looked it up in my Helms manual and it says something very similar and the cause is a failed starter motor, not solenoid.
Looked in the Helms manual when I got home and according to that its the starter motor, not the solenoid. The guy at the auto parts store that tested it said it would try to engage but wouldn't take the amps(?) that the testing machine put to it(or something like that the guy wasn't to clear). Looked it up in my Helms manual and it says something very similar and the cause is a failed starter motor, not solenoid.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Racer
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 286
Likes: 1
From: Madison WI
It can be done, I did it on a 90 and a 94 and both were the same. It is actually just the contacts on the solenoid that go bad. There are places on the internet selling the parts and I found them for $10 at a local auto electric repair place. My 94 had welded the plunger to the contacts and wouldn't stop cranking. It scared the crap out of me because even with the key removed it was still going.
