Starter Motor troubles

[J.Dixon80]

having troubles with starter motors on gu 4.2. original one shat itself then went on to put a gq one on, it died out aswell now on my third one another gq one, and its starting to fuck up.. where am i going wrong, the gq ones fit on fine but is there any difference between the 2, or wat could be going wrong.

cheers

[neilpatrol]

It may be that the starters you get are sad to begin with, really the only problem i've seen them have is sticking brushes. There is no need to go out buying new starters they are very easy to rebuild. My last cost me $50 in parts Hitachi S13-118A is the starter part number any electrical supplier like a.m.e or ingrams get parts very easily.

[Holtrol]

It’s possible that it might not be your starter motor. Have you had the prior starters checked out? What do they do?
Do they give up completely or do they play up intermittently?

[80lsy gq]

what are the starters actually doing when they sh!t themselves..refusing to start at all, clicking or just turning slowly and clicking...

[J.Dixon80]

yeah had the gu one checked out its all coroded and rusted inside. but yeah sometimes the others just click or turn it over really slow

[neilpatrol]

turn over really slowly is the brushes sticking mate.

[coxy321]

turn over really slowly is the brushes sticking mate.

Or the solenoid contacts are worn, or the power to the solenoid is low (creating issues with solenoid contacts and current passing), or the main power cable is damaged or not large enough.

[Holtrol]

What are the chances of 2 new or reco starters being faulty? Does this happen when the car is hot, cold or both?

[coxy321]

They tend to play up more when they're hot.

Are they genuinely reco'd (as in do you have receipts from a proper workshop), or have they been bought second hand advertised as reco'd?

[Holtrol]

I'd be checcking my main line & feed from ignition for corrosion & bad contacts. Bad contacts + hot engine = voltage drop

[pongo]

and earth cables, try a jumper lead to see if it helps

[J.Dixon80]

cheers for all the replies ill get to checking it all out on the w/e. but yeah mostly happens when its cold. but has just recently decided to kick over just!! all the time now, so yeah its like theres not enough power getting to it.

[coxy321]

cheers for all the replies ill get to checking it all out on the w/e. but yeah mostly happens when its cold. but has just recently decided to kick over just!! all the time now, so yeah its like theres not enough power getting to it.

Check your battery terminals too! If i had a dollar for every dodgy connection i've seen.....

If you have the pressed steel terminal clamps - chuck them and get some good quality, solid units.

[big_bom_biggidy]

i went through 3 new china (still $500) style starter motors in a year when mihne shat itself, we ended up getting a proper hitachi one and has been great so far, touch wood.

[J.Dixon80]

so got everything tested today at the mechanics, it seems that the battery is feeding enough power to the starter through the power cable and it had a good earth. so we were pretty sure that the brushes are sticking, does anyone know someone who could fix this up for me fairly cheap?

[its aford not a nissan]

so got everything tested today at the mechanics, it seems that the battery is feeding enough power to the starter through the power cable and it had a good earth. so we were pretty sure that the brushes are sticking, does anyone know someone who could fix this up for me fairly cheap?

mate you should be able to pull the end cap off and clean the brushes , it is pretty easy , aslong as thats all thats wrong with it

[love ke70]

seeings as this thread is live, and save me making a new one.
can i ask, does anyone have any experience with a TD42 starter, in a GQ, when you go to start it, the starter spins over at full RPM, but doesnt throw in, can hold it on the key and it wont throw in, 5 or more seconds, but if you off the key, in less than a second it will throw in, and you feel a solid clunk as it meshes with the gears.

anyone know whats going on here? my auto sparky mate reckons it could be the clutch pack, but doesnt seem to make sense to me, as it doesnt make an effort then slip the clutch, it just doesnt throw in at all.
what would cause this, and why would it do it when you stop the key?

oh, once it clunks that first time. it will start fine, and its an intermittant thing, was doing it almost daily for a while, hasnt done it in about a week now, id actually forgotten til i saw this thread, but i know its gonna be my undoing one day, so i thought i should have an answer ready...


cheers, andy

[J.Dixon80]

yeah one of my starters has this problem too. the first time you turn the key it doesnt throw in, but after that its fine, in then died and just didnt even make a clicking sound.

dunno wats up with that,

[coxy321]

seeings as this thread is live, and save me making a new one.
can i ask, does anyone have any experience with a TD42 starter, in a GQ, when you go to start it, the starter spins over at full RPM, but doesnt throw in, can hold it on the key and it wont throw in, 5 or more seconds, but if you off the key, in less than a second it will throw in, and you feel a solid clunk as it meshes with the gears.

anyone know whats going on here? my auto sparky mate reckons it could be the clutch pack, but doesnt seem to make sense to me, as it doesnt make an effort then slip the clutch, it just doesnt throw in at all.
what would cause this, and why would it do it when you stop the key?

oh, once it clunks that first time. it will start fine, and its an intermittant thing, was doing it almost daily for a while, hasnt done it in about a week now, id actually forgotten til i saw this thread, but i know its gonna be my undoing one day, so i thought i should have an answer ready...


cheers, andy

The only "clutch" as such in a starter is the one-way type setup on the drive pinion.

A starter that doesn't engage properly is usually due to the pinion teeth being damaged and rounded, or the throw action can be not working properly.

The other (more scary) issue can be your ring gear. A 6 cylinder engine will always stop in one of three places in regards to crankshaft position, and over time a combination of repeated striking from the starter pinion and damaged/rounded/daggy pinion teeth can chew away at the ring gear on your flywheel.

To check all this, pull your starter motor out and poke a torch onto the hole to inspect the flywheel ring gear - it will be pretty obvious if its worn. The starter motor pinion gear should be reasonable clean and smooth - but note that the leading edge of the teeth need to have an offset bezel (in order to mesh properly) like this:



If your not sure, post some pics!

[diesel_mav]

so got everything tested today at the mechanics, it seems that the battery is feeding enough power to the starter through the power cable and it had a good earth. so we were pretty sure that the brushes are sticking, does anyone know someone who could fix this up for me fairly cheap?

I got a rebuilt starter motor for $375 exchange from the Auto Elec shop along Aerodrome Rd. I did a full ring around the coast when mine shat itself on Boxing Day and they were the cheapest by far. Hasn't missed a beat since I replaced it...