Starter motor sticking

Hello all

Intermittently, my starter will make a wirring noise as if it is spinning but not engaging when trying to start it. So far, it has always started again second time.

I read on here that it can stick so I have stripped the whole starter motor and cleaned and rebuilt it it inc lubing up the solenoid shaft.

It had been working fine since I did it then on this cold evening, it did it again!

From my understanding, the solenoid needs to physio ally send the gear forward to supply the starter motor so I’m not sure how it spins without engaging?

The teeth on the fly wheel all look good from what I can see. I have had the battery tested and been told it’s good. But when it happened today, on the second attempt the starter did sound a little weaker than normal.

Any ideas? Wondering if it’s just a weak battery??

fit a new starter, the solenoid isnt strong enough to throw dog out fully each time

Jowniofownio212 said:

Hello all

Intermittently, my starter will make a wirring noise as if it is spinning but not engaging when trying to start it. So far, it has always started again second time.

I read on here that it can stick so I have stripped the whole starter motor and cleaned and rebuilt it it inc lubing up the solenoid shaft.

It had been working fine since I did it then on this cold evening, it did it again!

From my understanding, the solenoid needs to physio ally send the gear forward to supply the starter motor so I’m not sure how it spins without engaging?

The teeth on the fly wheel all look good from what I can see. I have had the battery tested and been told it’s good. But when it happened today, on the second attempt the starter did sound a little weaker than normal.

Any ideas? Wondering if it’s just a weak battery??

Click to expand...

It might be the solenoid at fault... it throws the bendix gear to engage the flywheel gear ring ...

That said I have never 'lubed' a starter ... it attracts dirt and grit, which wears the unit prematurely ....

Can I just buy the solenoid for it? It’s a bosch starter currently?

If I was to get a starter for it, are the £60-70 ones on eBay actually worth buying?

It has only been lubed internally, not on the main shaft and gear onto the fly wheel

you tend to find when they get like that the whole starter is past best, its easier to buy new, i fit a lot of cheaper starters they seem ok, they arent going to last as long as the original but then is that vital

What they ^^^^^^^ all said, you can faff about and get another month out of it, you will then curse when you have to change it anyway.

Or you could do just that, at least all the bolts will come undone 2nd time around.

If it just spins it generally means one of two things
First is that you have a poor connection, which fully 'makes' after the motor has been spun up, (including the strap to the engine block if you have one) or
Secondly, that the starter is kernackered and needs replacing.
The cheapest option would be to remove the cables, clean up all the terminals, and then put it all back together again after clagging them with Vaseline. Then loosen off, clean and replace the mounting bolts.
Being tightfisted, I'd be inclined to go for the cheaper option first.

Agree with the cleaning cables, did my starter the other week (see thread in “engines” ) and cleaned cables now spins super fast , and then I noticed a bit gunge on the copper solenoid piston on mine , did you strip this too and clean the piston I guess with a few more amps and volts it might throw the solenoid out making the teeth engage

Clean it again, get good electrical connections, signal lead to solenoid, live to starter, live to battery, earth starter to engine, earth battery to chassis, earth chassis to engine/gearbox. Only then can you be sure its a starter issue.

Mine has failed twice this year, not even a click from the solenoid, a tap on the solenoid and it fires up. It usually happens when its very cold, it could be frozen water getting in somewhere but its coming off tomorrow for a service and I shall be doing all of the above.