First off - make sure your battery is charged (IE: headlights should go on with their usual expected brightness)
If you've got voltage... test your starter with the following steps:
1. get a wire at least a couple feet long and crimp a standard female spade terminal onto one end of it. On the other end, strip some insulation off, exposing bare wires.
2. put your transmission in neutral and set the e-brake securely.
3. open the hood, and pull the little spade terminal wire off of your starter. Install the wire you made in it's place.
4. standing to the side of the car for safety, touch the bare wires to the battery positive terminal.
what happened?
* If the starter spins the engine over: problem is in your ignition switch circuit. Might need to replace your ignition switch itself (electrical switch behind the lock cylinder where you put your key.)
...if the starter doesn't spin the engine over, continue with next step:
5. try electrically bridging the 2 big studs sticking out of the starter solenoid together with something conductive like a screwdriver, etc, taking care not to short it to ground, as it could make a very big and also cause the battery to explode.
* If this makes the starter motor spin: there is a problem in your starter solenoid. It might only need cleaning and lubrication, but may also need to be replaced with new. To remove it from the starter, you need to first remove the starter from the engine, and then there are 3 big phillips screws holding the solenoid that are easy to strip - recommend using an impact driver rather than a standard screwdriver to avoid stripping them.
* If the starter motor doesn't spin: there is a problem with the electric motor inside the starter. It needs to be replaced or rebuilt (starter disassembled and inspected, armature turned, brushes replaced, and bushings replaced and/or regreased.)
Be weary of rebuilt starter quality - there are some VERY poor quality rebuilt starters on the market! I bought a NAPA rebuilt starter that was really, really crappy - it had a 2.5 volt drop across the solenoid (should have virtually zero volts dropping here), the brushes were used and although long enough to pass the minimum spec, they were deformed and misshapen where they wear against the armature and where they rub against the brush holders, the starter had it's original bushings, and it also was missing a fiber gasket that is meant to keep grease out of the brushes.
Topic: Starter woes on my Mk 1 Bunny (Read 5071 times)
