Starter's acting up i think.....any ideas??

[bracktheron720]

well iv got a brand new battery and an alternator thats just over a year and the last couple days its been starting really hard like the batterys dead..now it wont turn at all then it clicks and every once in a while itll turn over no problems just like it should!!im guessing beacuse the charging system and the battery are all good that the starter has crapped out on me....now how in the heck do you get the top starter bolt off theres no room that i can find to turn a wrench on it..lol!!!!!!any ideas???

[PEZi]

sounds like the starter to me too

to get to the bolt is a mix of the right wrench/extension/socket combo.... find someone with a lot of variety in tools and i'm sure you'll find something that works

[bracktheron720]

you da man pezi!!luckily my grandfather gave me all his old mechanics tools so iv got lots of little things and stuff ill get it figured out!!just makin sure there wasnt sum trick i didnt know!!lol

[Aven]

Bracktheron, does it give you a hard time when its cold out and better when its warmer? If so, it might be a loose connection/ground.

Mine is giving me fits when its cold, early in the morning, but it cranks up fine after its been sitting in the sun.

[bracktheron720]

mine was complety fine until one day i went out in fair weather and it acted dead and then after a few trys it started rite up cranked over nice and fast....i got it pulled yesterday and takin down to autozone..after a few atempts at hooking it up to THERE machine I had to do it myself......lame...but the test said it was fine but...all it did was click twice and never engaged at all or spun and the retard i mean guy that worked there said it was bad...luckily a rebuilt is only 34.99 so thatll b easy....does that sound like a bad starter to you guys?????

[flinterman2000]

does that sound like a bad starter to you guys?????

Sure does. Are you a hands on guy. These starters are easy to repair yourself. Two bushings (if they are bad) and four brushes.

A 5/16 or 8 MM combination spanner, a 10 MM spanner, a 12 MM spanner, a phillips head screwdriver and a stiff piece of wire. Unbolt the back plate from the front plate. Unscrew the brush holder with the screwdriver and remove the back plate. Use the wire to pull the spring at the back of the brushes to remove the brushes from the holder. Unbolt the solenoid from the brushes, Remove the field coil housing (the center piece). Unbolt the solenoid switch. To remove it you will have to press down the back whilst lifting up the front. Remove the stator (the piece in the center which turns). Inspect the bushings in the front and back plate for wear. If worn change them by knocking them out. The one in the rear plate will need to be cut and folded to get it out. Knock in the new ones.

Here's the difficult part. Cut the old brushes out and solder in the new ones. Reinstall them in the brush holder holding the brushes out with the spring. Keep the spring making contact with the side of the brush.

Reassembly is the opposite of disassembly. After installing the field coil over the stator, put the brush holder over the commutator and press in brushes till they make contact with the commutator. The spring should now be at the back of the brushes.
Modified by flinterman2000 at 6:23 AM 3/6/2010