Technical Starter Motor Issues

[Pete145]

Hi everyone,

I hope all of the forum's members have enjoyed the Christmas break so far.

I just wanted to sense check something with the forum before I take steps to rectify.

Just before Christmas I tried to take my car out for a spin (on what was a rare dry day). Usually my car starts from cold, like clockwork, on the third pull of the starter lever. I put this down to the large Dellorto carb needing to be fed with fuel on the first two cranks before she bursts into life on the third. Anyway, the other day the starter motor laboured on the first pull, and then died (no subsequent cranks when you pull the lever).

This is what I know:

• 
  1- The battery appears to be fine. Lights etc working well, and just to check I did try and jump start from a modern car.
  2- The cable is tight, you can hear it 'ping' taught when you try and pull it and and the starter doesn't turn.

The following day I tried it again and there was a tiny bit of life in the starter motor on the first pull, before it fell dead again.

I'm thinking the starter motor itself is faulty, which is a shame, as I replaced it with one of these earlier in the year:

https://www.middlebartongarage.com/...ATED-STARTER-MOTOR-PULL-CABLE-STYLE/11298/581

Given the battery is fine, it won't jump start, and the cable is pulling correctly am I right to assume the starter is knackered?

 

[fiat500]

am I right to assume the starter is knackered?

...not necessarily Pete. At that price and level of engineering I would be very surprised if it was faulty.

It may be that the cable doesn't pull far enough to engage the contacts; it looks like there will be an adjuster to take up any slack on the cable,; but a different arrangement from original. Make sure it's out of gear and try to move the lever directly by hand.

Still the same?..is the earthing lead from engine to bodywork still attached?

The next stage might be to check all battery and cable connections. Don't assume that being tight is sufficient. There may be a minor layer of corrosion which is insulating the cables, particularly the negative lead at the battery post. Sometimes just wiggling these things gives you enough to get going, but if so, you need to clean everything properly afterwards and ideally, lubricate all connections with electrical "grease".

Anyone who takes their Fiat out over Christmas deserves a helping hand.

 

[Vitesse]

Didn’t you have a problem a few months ago with battery drain when lights etc... were switched on? Did you ever resolve that issue?

The fact that you say when you revisited the following day, the starter motor span initially but then died, wouldn’t suggest to me a faulty starter motor. If you haven’t resolved the initial battery problem from a few months ago? Then I would look down the same route Peter suggested for dodgy earths etc as they could give you the symptoms you have been experiencing for both problems. Or of course a dodgy battery that a dying a slow death.

 

[the hobbler]

I seem to remember something my son once mentioned to me regarding jump starting through a totally dead battery-it won't! Something about the dead battery taking the current. I could be totally wrong (normally am when it comes to things electrical!). But, if that is so, try taking the leads off the car's battery and then (making sure that they are insulated from touching the car body) connecting the jump-leads straight to the car's battery leads, effectively cutting out the suspect battery totally. I would be VERY surprised if it is the starter that is at fault (a) the up-rated starters that MBG supply are made by a very competent company and (b) starters don't normally 'just fail', they normally give some notice that they are about to 'pop their clogs'

 

[Bigvtwin996]

I seem to remember something my son once mentioned to me regarding jump starting through a totally dead battery-it won't! Something about the dead battery taking the current.

That is totally scary!!!
Had that problem for the first time in my life just before xmas!!
It is correct could not start a car with a totally flat battery with a fully charged HUGE battery....