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Struggling Starter Motor

Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2019 10:21 am
by Alan8086
Hi All,
Just after some thoughts - My starter motor is straining to turn the engine over. At first I though it was the battery dying and stupidly went and bought a new one without checking charge voltages etc.

If i hit the side of the motor with a heavy wrench etc, it will loosen and start up, albeit with a strained sound to it.

Yesterday I pulled it off the engine at work, sprayed a bit of grease on the sliding gear shaft etc. It went back to starting the engine ok but It wont last before seizing again I think. I dont think it has trouble engaging the gear to the flywheel and the solenoid seems ok.

Do you folk bother stripping starter motors down and cleaning/lubricating bearings/replacing brushes etc? Or is it just buy a new one?

I have 12.95 volts at the battery, engine off. 14.02V at the battery engine idling. The blower motor sounds good n powerful when the engine is off, so i doubt I have alternator/charge issues? Should probably clean ground contacts etc anyway.

Re: Struggling Starter Motor

Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2019 10:22 am
by Alan8086
Sorry - its a 24V GT

Re: Struggling Starter Motor

Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2019 11:30 am
by david_toft
I have never been a fan of lubricating the sliding bit of the starter, the lubricant picks up clutch dust to make a thick paste which makes matters worse.
I would check and clean all the electrical connections first particularly the earth strap from engine to body, and the connection from battery to body, a cranking starter can pull hundreds of amps making even a small resistance a big problem

Re: Struggling Starter Motor

Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2019 12:36 pm
by jrh
If there is such a thing as an 'afterlife' you really don't want to come back as a starter motor, it's a hard life.
Does the engine start/stop and run quietly once the starter motor has got it going ?
Next , difficult to check but the real heavy current switch is in that mechanism at the front of the starter.
If those contacts are poor/dirty then there will not be enough current getting through the motor to turn the engine over properly.

Re: Struggling Starter Motor

Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2019 2:26 pm
by Alan8086
jrh wrote:
Wed Sep 04, 2019 12:36 pm
If there is such a thing as an 'afterlife' you really don't want to come back as a starter motor, it's a hard life.
Does the engine start/stop and run quietly once the starter motor has got it going ?
Next , difficult to check but the real heavy current switch is in that mechanism at the front of the starter.
If those contacts are poor/dirty then there will not be enough current getting through the motor to turn the engine over properly.
The engine runs fine once its going. I may be kidding myself, but it seemed a bit quicker on acceleration once i replaced the battery - like a flat spot had gone? Maybe disturbing/cleaning the battery terminals improved something?

By 'current switch' i assume you mean the starter solenoid that piggybacks onto the starter motor? I will clean up the terminals at the weekend.

What i did in the staff car park yesterday was a 'get you through to the weekend' job - I'll do a proper fix hopefully on Saturday.

Re: Struggling Starter Motor

Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2019 9:55 pm
by Kit
Check your earth connections :)
& My be run clean earth, direct from the earth bar by the battery, to the mounting of the starter motor

Kit

Re: Struggling Starter Motor

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2019 11:26 am
by Alan8086
Kit wrote:
Wed Sep 04, 2019 9:55 pm
Check your earth connections :)
& My be run clean earth, direct from the earth bar by the battery, to the mounting of the starter motor

Kit
I've cleaned up all the earth points - found the main one to the engine under a load of cables/pipes near the fuel tank emissions canister, bolted to the gearbox. I also removed the earth strap / metal work that the negative battery terminal grounds to - also cleaned up the bolt it all screws to that comes out of the NS wing sill.

None of this made any difference, so i removed the starter motor again, connected it directly to a spare battery - it did spin up once but that was it then. Either the solenoid is seized up or the brushes are gone?

Either way - i just found a NOS starter motor off eBay for £39.99 - should be back on the road by Thursday - and with nice clean earth points!

Re: Struggling Starter Motor

Posted: Fri Sep 13, 2019 7:04 pm
by Alan8086
Well, to close this thread is like to report that I've now fit a new starter motor - engine starts up nice and fast, like almost instantly! New battery, starter motor and clean earth points - always a good combination!