Club 80-90 Forums

Helllppp!

looks l;ike my starter motor has packed up, i've plenty of petrol and battery, when i turn the ignition i get what sounds like a click from a relay, sounds like its coming from the fusebox?

its happened occasionally, but then starts, today i got back and had to BUMP start both times i tried to start.

finances are extremely tight so i will be doing it myself (gulp), do i have to get a specific one or is there flexibility i have a 1981 1600ct, can i get one for a 2l, for a bay etc.

cheers

If it jump starts ie using another battery with jump leads then its probably your battery.

marlinowner wrote:If it jump starts ie using another battery with jump leads then its probably your battery.

sorry, meant bump start. battery is fine, even tried using my jumpstart unit as a checker, no difference.

i'll E D I T the listing.

cheers

brushes are cheap but not that easy to replace. Do check that connections to starter are actually sound though. Sometimes the earth braid from starter solenoid to starter corrodes and will give intermittent results but brush wear more likely. Other cause can be ignition switch failing.

CovKid wrote:brushes are cheap but not that easy to replace. Do check that connections to starter are actually sound though. Sometimes the earth braid from starter solenoid to starter corrodes and will give intermittent results but brush wear more likely. Other cause can be ignition switch failing.

if its the starter motor at fault i will have to swap the whole thing, i very nervous about doing that, but its a neccesity!

i did wonder previously about the ignition switch after reading other posts, how do i tell which it is?

i've cleaned up the earth strap previously, it the original uninsulated braided one. i wa sunder there tracing the blowing exhaust the other day, still pretty clean. the starter was a bit mangy though, think it might be worth blathering with de-greaser?

Mine was just giving the single relay click also - all it was was the trigger wire spade on the solenoid had corroded giving a poor contact. I have now soldered directly to the male and have the connection in the engine bay out of the salt and spray.

Oldiebut goodie wrote:Mine was just giving the single relay click also - all it was was the trigger wire spade on the solenoid had corroded giving a poor contact. I have now soldered directly to the male and have the connection in the engine bay out of the salt and spray.

not been anywhere today but it stared straight away, TWICE! when i get a minute i'll go under, get some grease cleaner on it and have a look at the terminals etc.

out of interest, what is the "relay" clicking coming from the glovebox?

Its probably the X-contact relay which reduces the load on the battery when starting, by disconnecting things like the wipers when the ignition switch is in the starting position.

marlinowner wrote:Its probably the X-contact relay which reduces the load on the battery when starting, by disconnecting things like the wipers when the ignition switch is in the starting position.

aah, makes sense, cheers buddy, at least that works!

upsdate, went under the van yesterday, cleaned all the crap off the starter and wiring, found one of the spad connectors was sitting a bit loose. cleaned it up and got it back on tight. fingers crossed!

monkeyboysee wrote:upsdate, went under the van yesterday, cleaned all the crap off the starter and wiring, found one of the spad connectors was sitting a bit loose. cleaned it up and got it back on tight. fingers crossed!

Did this fix things up for you in the end?

danmetallic wrote:

monkeyboysee wrote:upsdate, went under the van yesterday, cleaned all the crap off the starter and wiring, found one of the spad connectors was sitting a bit loose. cleaned it up and got it back on tight. fingers crossed!

Did this fix things up for you in the end?

Fingers crossed. It was such an intermitent fault only time will tell.

I get two clicks but sometimes the starter does not turn. The garage has taken out the starter and supposedly sent it for cleaning and having the brushes replaced. However the intermittent problem still exists. Is it possible for the solenoid to click but not actually apply power to the starter motor? Should they have replaced the solenoid as a matter of course?