General Starter motor clicks once, but engine does not turn over.

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General Starter motor clicks once, but engine does not turn over.

Zinny

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Good afternoon all!

Recently I have been experiencing an intermittent fault with my Mk2b 1.3 Multijet Punto.

When I turn the key to ignition I can hear the starter motor click once, but no crank, the engine will eventually crank after a good few tries(10 or more), interestingly on odd occasions the motor will start to crank then stop(as if the starter just gave up).

I have replaced the battery with one that has a good amount of Cold Cranking Amps and its charge level is good so that rules out the battery being flat or too weak(but still it might be the earth??)

I have seen previous posts where people have stated to just "hit" the starter with a hammer to spring it back into life but am puzzled when it comes to locating the starter.

If anyone could point me in the direction of a repair/removal guide or describe where the starter is on the diesel Punto's I would be extremely grateful.

Thanks in advance,

Tom :) :confused:
 
Rear of engine.. typical fiat :)
Follow the red cable from battery ;)

Check the dash lights.. if they dont dim.. its an electrical circuit issue. ;)

Had the contactors on end of ignition barrel wear out.. years ago.

But yours is still similar tech.

Charlie
 
Stock photo..

But silver tube is EGR.. top rear

Looking down..to rear is
Alternator on top
Starter at bottom

Access with drivers front wheel removed may be fair

Charlie
 

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Don’t hit the starter with a hammer
Buy a £10 earth cable and connect it between the engine and the car body. I had a lot of problems with the engine earth on my 1.3 mk2b so had two engine earths, the standard/original one sits low on the front of the gearbox and very quickly corrodes especially in bad weather/snow/ice and road salt
 
Thanks for all the tips guys!

I have already ordered a new Starter Motor in hopes that changing it will fix the issue I'm having; if the new motor does not fix the issue then I will keep all that you have said in mind in trying to remedy it.

Thanks :):worship:
 
Thanks for all the tips guys!

I have already ordered a new Starter Motor in hopes that changing it will fix the issue I'm having; if the new motor does not fix the issue then I will keep all that you have said in mind in trying to remedy it.

Thanks :):worship:

Did the starter spin over ok when tested with jumpleads ?

If so its a circuit fault on the car.
 
Hi, listen to varescrazy and Andy, you almost certainly don't need to replace the motor or hit it. This is overwhelmingly likely to be a poor connection. Start with the heavy wires running from battery to chassis, chassis to engine / gearbox block (there is on, don't ignore it, it is the most common culprit). Then to starter relay etc. Remove, emery and clean, replace one at a time in order of ease of access, keep trying to start. Do it safely, steady, and be careful not to short across the starter terminals, do them last as you will likely fix it before then. You have nothing to lose and you can go on and replace the motor if no go. Not sure about Fiats such as yours, on farm and car engines through many years of my experience it's normally a heavy primary connection.
 
If you think it’s the starter then it’s very easy to bench test with a couple of jump leads and the car battery, just connect the live to the live of the starter, the earth to the body of the starter and the starter should spin, if it’s doing that, don’t bother replacing it.
 
On a nostalgic note tractors back in the day did not need a live ignition feed to run, being purely mechanical diesel. They had a pull to stop knob which killed the air and diesel via the throttle. Being open sided the starter would be proud and clear to the side about belly height (depending on machine stature) and they could be started with a screwdriver across the relay terminals. A reckless and dangerous thing to do, make sure it is out of gear! I recall frequently cleaning the terminals on one older Massey Ferguson. They were exposed to the elements and it took a while before I got round to a proper lasting clean up and grease. The tin had come off the ring terminal and corroded quickly, we had a stubby 13mm spanner with insulation tape round the shank so no sparks....

A light click means your ignition start wiring is throwing the relay contacts and insufficient current is available to spin. A bigger click, or double click, might be trying to throw the pinion, same problem overall. Hitting with a hammer might have worked back in the day but a proper injection of amps is what it really missing. Nothing, well, possibly the ignition circuit, though i would always check the heavy stuff first.

A Renault garage did one on me when I had an original Laguna. To be kind he offered me a reconditioned starter.... It sits right behind the engine against the foot well, have to take off the bottom control beam, he showed me. What he didn't show me was the earth connection up under the front to the block. Had to use a friend's pit to get to it, the Laguna sits very low.
 
Afternoon guys!

So I have had the starter motor changed for a new one and the engine turns over beautifully, from looking at the original that was removed it appears the primary issue was the connection to the solenoid, also a large amount of clutch friction material dust over the pinion making it stick a bit.

The garage charged me £60 (incl VAT) to remove and replace.

Attached are the images of the old motor (the rusty connection) and an image of the new one fitted in the engine bay, it is located under the alternator on the drivers side(MK2b 1.3).
 

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