Starter motors should start cars?

[Wooscary]

Right?

I've not been driving the BX much at the moment, but the last few times I've started it, seems like the starter is being a little sticky.

The worst time was when I'd picked Holly up from the station after work, nice and busy on the ring road, so I took a short cut through the centre of the city which I knew would be quicker, decided to pop in to the shop for some cat food so pulled off Oxford Road, left Holly in the car on some out of the way double yellows on a bit of a hill (or was it a disabled bay? I'm joking, etc). Came back, nothing, no noise at all. In the end Holly had to persuade me to stop banging my head on the bonnet and help her push the car round so we could roll it down the hill and bump it. It worked. She looked clever, I looked foolish!

Anyway, should I get a new starter? Can I fit it myself? Will it get better if I hit it with a hammer? Where is the starter motor?



Cheers.

[Dollywobbler]

When you say the starter is sticky, is it just refusing to start? Or ticking? Or sluggish?

Theory one. Solenoid is getting sticky. Try walloping it with a hammer. In Timex, I once had to borrow a hammer from a garage so I could walk back to Timex, hit the starter solenoid, then start it and drive back to the garage to return said hammer.

[Defender110]

Sounds like the small push on solenoid exciter wire joint just needs cleaning or the crimp tightening a little with very slight pressure with a pair of plyers.

[Wooscary]

Well, on the occasion while buying cat food (stressful enough as they didn't have his usual kind!), it didn't do anything, the dash lights came on, no problem with the batter etc, but just nothing on the key, no sound, no grinding.

More often it is like whatever the normal starting sound is (just before the engine fires) is quite laboured/sluggish.

Is the solenoid of which you speak the stop solenoid that goes in to the top of the fuel pump? (Is that right?). I checked the wiring on this and it seemed fine, I do remember one of those wires snapping when I first had the car, and replacing it etc. Something to check again though.

Cheers for the thoughts.

I like the idea of your hammer exploits.

[Defender110]

No not the stop solenoid, the starter solenoid the smaller cylindrical barrel on top of the starter motor that all the wires go to. The exciter wire is the small (normally push on) wire.

[Wooscary]

Ah. Ok. Now, I'm probably looking straight at it, but whereabouts is the starter motor?

Cheers.

[Defender110]

The little wire is behind the hose marked. Unfortunately this picture was taken with the radiator removed so access not normally this good I'm afraid.

[Wooscary]

Ah I see. Right. Yup, know all about how tight that area is with the radiator in place.

So, you reckon check this wire first, less likely to be the starter has packed up? Thinking about it, that wire would be fairly close to my leaking 'stat housing, wonder if it has become corroded. Hmmm.

Thanks again, I'll take a look.

[mat_fenwick]

That's really good of you Kevan, to take off the front bumper and radiator just to take a photo for Martin. Many people wouldn't have gone to such lengths!

[citronut]

thats not sealer on the end of your FDV

Theory one. Solenoid is getting sticky. Try walloping it with a hammer. In Timex,

its not usually the solenoid that sticks, but the starter motor brush's, and you must never bash the solenoid as you can damage it,
only bash the starter motor body,

in Martins case i would say its either the solenoid feed terminal dirty or the ignition switch has burnt contacts

regards malcolm

[KevR]

in Martins case i would say its either the solenoid feed terminal dirty or the ignition switch has burnt contacts

Also worth checking to see if the terminals in the big connector block under the back of the heater unit (inside the car) are corroded. Same goes for the connectors under the battery tray.

[Defender110]

thats not sealer on the end of your FDV

Certainly is, not the neatest of jobs but it was done with the rad in situ 2 years ago and I've had a bone dry FDV ever since. so well worth the 10 minute fix. I simply cleaned the area with brake cleaner then smeared the sealer over the little core plug caps that normally have a low pressure weep past them. IMHO a great fix rather than stripping a perfectly good working valve. I did the one on my TGD auto at the same time and that has remained bone dry since too, just wish the sealer I had open at the time had been black
Now I've changed the rocker cover breather hose on the TZD that is now a bone dry car too (the cause of the engine oil leak in the picture).

The beauty of having clean block paving, you are made aware of any leaks as soon as they happen so they can be fixed straight away followed by a block paving clean

[paulJ]

Had this problem a couple of times with my TZD over the last year,turn the key to start,nothing,no click from solonoid.Both times it turned out to be the battery although on both occasions I thought the battery was okay.The first time the battery had been on the car for some time and I replaced it with a used one a friend gave me.Lasted a few months and then last week no start again.Was getting over 12 volts when I checked it with a multimeter but it would'nt start till I jumped it.Just fitted a NEW battery and its fine now.Worth checking if it happens again on yours.

[Dollywobbler]

Ah. Handy thoughts on the FDV. Visiting Malcolm on Monday to see if we can trace where mine's leaking from. Get the kettle on!

[tim]

Had this problem with the White One over the summer - oil on the feed wire to the solenoid. I cleaned it up but it happened a time or three after that, so I changed the whole spade connector a few weeks back and that has sorted it. All the wife had to do was pull it off and on again to make it work, but she's so picky.....