Starter Motors

[twogreens]

Went to start the beast last week, she turned over at first, started for a moment, stopped, and when I turned the key again and all I heard was a click.  Changed the solenoid, checked the battery was fully charged and the state of the earth strap - all looks good so am reconciled to removing the starter.
   
   Looks like a real pain with the engine in the car.  Has any one got any tips?  Can it be done without removing the exhaust manifold and the inner wing?
   
   Regards to all
   Rick (Two Greens)

[Mark IV]

This was covered before I think, do a search.

[twogreens]

quote:Originally posted by Mark IV
   
This was covered before I think, do a search.
   

   
   Hi Mark,
   I did but didn't turn up anything - operator error perhaps?
   
   Regards
   Rick

[ak1234]

... SB Ford dont usually have heat issues with starters ?  My car has dead battery issues very often ...because it sits for long periods ... double check the battery ...because with a electronic Distr ... you need a good battery.
   
   Ron

[jbottini]

highly unlikely it is battery, more likely bad + or - connection, just dead battery or some type of draw. my cables seem to loosen up as I drive so I hand tighten each use. I have threaded posts with wing nuts. I've resorted to a Maintinence charger for winter. Seems to be fine in summer as long as it doesn't set for more than 3 weeks

[twogreens]

My first thought was that the problem might be the battery (was new last year)- I put it on charge for a couple of days but made no difference.  Tried jump starting but didn't help either.  Tried putting a jump lead directly from the negative terminal to the engine block to make sure the earth was good - still no avail.  Then started replacing parts - solenoid made no difference so changing the starter motor seems the next step... not looking forward to that at all!!
   
   I checked the starter motor in situ with a resistence meter - got an open circuit reading - does that sound right?
   
   Regards to All
   Rick

[aex125]

Rick,
   As a method to check the starter before removing, can you connect a known good battery to the starter side of the solenoid (so you have a direct link to the starter)and connect the negative to the starter body? If it does not turn the starter over with a direct connect, you have a starter problem, if it turns over you can check elsewhere for your problem. Have you checked the voltage of the battery? If you have a dead cell, you may not be able to charge it or jump it.
   Jay

[Mark IV]

Now I recall, it was covered in an issue of "ACTION". I will peruse my back copies and see if I can find it.

[twogreens]

Thanks All.  It does look like a complete pain in the .... so, as you suggest Jay, it has got to be worth another go.  Problems occur even with new batteries and it could have been that the jump starter pack wasn't fully charged.  Next weekend I'll try wiring another battery direct to the starter motor and see what happens....
   
   Regards to all
   Rick (Two Greens)

[jbottini]

two greens...my post should read "highly unlikely it is the starter"

[ak1234]

OH NO Jimmy ... dnt change your story now ....  "highly unlikely it is battery" ...thats the statement we got !  LOL
   
   I had this problem with my car ... I;m going with the BATTERY is bad.  LOL   SB Ford Starters dont go bad that easy ... if we were talking BBF thats a different story ... I had this problem and it was a dead cell ..that threw me off .. the exact problem ..started , stalled, and the battery read good on the tester.  Changing the battery is no simpe task either ...jack it up remove the wheel and it slides in the fender well.
   
   Ron

[cobham cobra]

Hi Rick,
   I'm not sure I can be of direct help with your problem, but I've had a couple of "starter" related problems on my MkIV which may be worth sharing.
   
   1, The solenoid can fail which means the starter remains switched on and engaged with the ring gear even when you are driving the car. The first you may know of it is the smell of hot electrics or the sound of a distressed starter motor as you pull up at the lights[:(]. I've been told the solenoid is from a mini and is just not up to the job. The fix is to fit a Mustang unit and the problem is solved.
   
   2, For a while the car became unreliable when starting, sometimes it would be fine and sometimes when I turned the key it would just go click[:(]. The problem was traced to the connection between the battery and the isolator under the dashboard. It looked fine and looked like a good connection, but on investigation when the insulation was peeled back there were only a couple of wire threads in contact with the solenoid terminal. The solution was to make a new connection and the problem was solved.
   
   3, I used to run a (Rover V8 engine)TVR and they are well known for cooking their starters, the common fix is to wrap the starter in heat shielding material.
   
   4, Each time I leave the car parked for more than a few days I use the battery isolator under the dashboard. So far (touch wood) I have been able to leave the car for weeks or months at a time and it starts fine once the battery is reconnected.
   
   Hope some of this helps.
   Cheers - John.

[twogreens]

Many thanks John - I'll have another play next weekend.
   Hope all is well.
   
   Regards
   Rick

[twogreens]

Thanks everyone for you advice but, regrettably, no dice.  I made up some special leads, bolted them directly to the starter and then to a variety of power sources including the battery off of my diesel Land Rover.  A few sparks but no indications of movement so looks like the starter is going to have to come off after all.
   Talking to Big Al at Thunder Road he assures me that it is possible to remove the starter with the engine in situ but you have remove the engine mounting to do it.  Glad it isn't summer otherwise I would be getting withdrawal symptoms being off the road.
   
   Regards to all
   Rick P.

[AK1131]

You might want to try a mini high torque starter. This will reduce the space required and weight. This unit does not have a remote solenoid. click on:  http://www.qualitypowerauto.com/catalog.php?item=34&catid=49&ret=catalog.php%3Fcategory%3D49