18rc starter motor problems

[Sagluren]

ok, a friend of mine is currently doing a tafe course in automotive, and needed a starter motor to rebuild. so since my Celica is off the road i thought i could kill two birds with one stone. And lent him my starter to play with. When i get the starter back i put it back in the car and that is that, didn’t have a battery to check if it worked so i took the word of my friend that it was tested and still worked.

I am currently in the process of getting the beast going, put in the new battery and the starter doesn’t work, the solenoid is throwing out, but there is no spin, today I got it towed to my work and out comes the starter. Pulled it apart and all looks in working condition. When the solenoid and motor are connected both work when bench tested, (using leads and battery) when solenoid and motor and together I can get either the solenoid to work or motor to spin but not in one sequence.

Would anyone know what is going on here. I have tried turning the solenoid around so opposite connections are used but same result is present.


The red lines show what is connected to make solenoid work, and blue lines show what needs to be connected to make motor spin.

Can someone please help me.

Sam.

[BradW]

Sorry, don't quite get what you are indicating with the blue lines.

What you need to do is, secure the starter in a test bench or vice. Connect a cable from B- to the body of the starter. Connect a cable from B+ to the bolt on the solenoid that the red line in your pic points to. Jump a wire from this bolt to the little spade terminal on the solenoid and the solenoid will throw out. Now, with the solenoid thrown out, get a test light and check for power on the bolt on the solenoid that has the the wire going to the motor part of the starter. If there is no power here then there is a problem with the contacts in the solenoid or with the way the solenoid has been fitted (if the solenoid doesn't throw out all the way then the contacts wont close). Try removing the solenoid from the starter but leave the cables connected, and power it up again. If the motor runs now then you need to work out the correct way to fit the solenoid (or possibly the fork arm in the front of the starter is in back to front).

If you connect B+ to the solenoid bolt that is connected to the motor and B- to the body of the motor, then the motor should turn.

Hope this makes sense.

Edited to add pic.

[timbosaurus]

I think Brad may have already mentioned this, but the motor wont spin until the solenoid is fully thrown.

Effectively there should be a path going from battery positive, to one side of the solenoid,
(the solenoid acts as a "normally-open-circuit" switch which closes when solenoid reaches maximum excursion) from the other side of the solenoid to the motor, then the motor is grounded on the engine.

To check this hook + jumper to solenoid, - jumper to starter housing, make sure the solenoid energises, and there is 12V on the motor terminal. should be easy to see where it is failing.

hope that helps.

Timbo

[Sagluren]

thanks all, will inviestigate tomorow and let you know.

sam.

[Sagluren]

it was the soleniod switch, new solenoid and away i go.

thanks all.

sam.