Trouble starting- help?
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 36,453
Likes: 2
From: Overwhelmed as one would be, placed in my position.... DFW, TX
St. Jude Donor '05
Trouble starting- help?
'95 coupe, `90k miles.
Car began having difficulty starting once it got cold. Turn the key and you'd hear a "click" as the starter engaged, but nothing. No "click-click-click" of a dead battery (and the battery is a near-new Red Top). Turn the key a few more times and eventually it'll engage and start right up.
Local dealer wants $505 for the starter, so I wanted to see if it could be anything else before I call up Fichtner...
Can't be the relay because I can hear the motor engage.
Definately not the battery because eventually it starts right up.
Thoughts?
Car began having difficulty starting once it got cold. Turn the key and you'd hear a "click" as the starter engaged, but nothing. No "click-click-click" of a dead battery (and the battery is a near-new Red Top). Turn the key a few more times and eventually it'll engage and start right up.
Local dealer wants $505 for the starter, so I wanted to see if it could be anything else before I call up Fichtner...
Can't be the relay because I can hear the motor engage.
Definately not the battery because eventually it starts right up.
Thoughts?
Pro
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 658
Likes: 0
From: Lubbock for now, headed for Oklahoma
'95 coupe, `90k miles.
Car began having difficulty starting once it got cold. Turn the key and you'd hear a "click" as the starter engaged, but nothing. No "click-click-click" of a dead battery (and the battery is a near-new Red Top). Turn the key a few more times and eventually it'll engage and start right up.
Local dealer wants $505 for the starter, so I wanted to see if it could be anything else before I call up Fichtner...
Can't be the relay because I can hear the motor engage.
Definately not the battery because eventually it starts right up.
Thoughts?
Car began having difficulty starting once it got cold. Turn the key and you'd hear a "click" as the starter engaged, but nothing. No "click-click-click" of a dead battery (and the battery is a near-new Red Top). Turn the key a few more times and eventually it'll engage and start right up.
Local dealer wants $505 for the starter, so I wanted to see if it could be anything else before I call up Fichtner...
Can't be the relay because I can hear the motor engage.
Definately not the battery because eventually it starts right up.
Thoughts?
That said even if the terminals themselves are clean there can be corrosion inside of the coaxial casing that can cause this as well. Check the terminal on the alternator as well.
I would put good money that the battery is fine, just not getting a charge. Do you have a voltmeter?
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 36,453
Likes: 2
From: Overwhelmed as one would be, placed in my position.... DFW, TX
St. Jude Donor '05
Alrighty then- took the starter off. All the terminals were pretty nasty so we cleaned them up with a file and then decided to crack open the starter itself. Pulled the armature out (after having to dremmel slots in the phillips head screws so we could use a bigger screwdriver). Inside we noticed that two of the wires on the armature winding had been damaged- the insuration had been nicked off, exposing bare wire. We also noticed that the armature itself had two or three big gouges on it. Looks like something got into the motor and banged it up.
The thought is that the electricity was arcing to the housing instead of going through the armature, thus causing the total lack of power. There was enough current to engage the solenoid to extend the gear, but current running through the armature was just shorting out.
We covered the exposed windings in funiture varnish (makes a very durable insulator) and re-assembled everything. It started right up, but the test will be how it works over the next few days.
If it works, it saved me the better part of $500. Can't argue with that!
The thought is that the electricity was arcing to the housing instead of going through the armature, thus causing the total lack of power. There was enough current to engage the solenoid to extend the gear, but current running through the armature was just shorting out.
We covered the exposed windings in funiture varnish (makes a very durable insulator) and re-assembled everything. It started right up, but the test will be how it works over the next few days.
If it works, it saved me the better part of $500. Can't argue with that!
Last edited by Umrswimr; Dec 27, 2008 at 10:57 AM.
Pro
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 658
Likes: 0
From: Lubbock for now, headed for Oklahoma
Alrighty then- took the starter off. All the terminals were pretty nasty so we cleaned them up with a file and then decided to crack open the starter itself. Pulled the armature out (after having to dremmel slots in the phillips head screws so we could use a bigger screwdriver). Inside we noticed that two of the wires on the armature winding had been damaged- the insuration had been nicked off, exposing bare wire. We also noticed that the armature itself had two or three big gouges on it. Looks like something got into the motor and banged it up.
We covered the exposed windings in funiture varnish (makes a very durable insulator) and re-assembled everything. It started right up, but the test will be how it works over the next few days.
If it works, it saved me the better part of $500. Can't argue with that!
We covered the exposed windings in funiture varnish (makes a very durable insulator) and re-assembled everything. It started right up, but the test will be how it works over the next few days.
If it works, it saved me the better part of $500. Can't argue with that!
