Help! Starter won't turn over. Thinking it's fuse-related.

[Grec]

 

Did the test. Motor did indeed start to turn over. Cool sparks too! :-)

Hummm...

Jumped in, turn the key and she sprung to life.

Is there any way to test a starter to find out if it's on it's last legs?

Testing resistance, etc.?

[ShelbyDogg]

I don't know the year off hand, but when I see the in junk yards, I get them. They only charge $12.00 for them, so I can't pass them up.  Usually a local parts store can help you look one up. The smaller ones all work so have them keep looking till you find a cheap one.  Maybe one of the users here can tell you whats on their truck.
I've used the small ones on my built 440 race engines with 12.5 compression and they never failed. I needed the higher cranking speed to keep the engine from "kicking" with my advance settings while cranking. Plus you get away from that annoying old mopar starting sound.

Rob

[duodec]

> Plus you get away from that annoying old mopar starting sound.

Huh???

That sound is wonderful.  Back at UNLV (mid '80s) nearly all the other engineering students were driving imports (even one bimmer and a volvo, but mostly honda/datsun/toyota/wabbit)... after class you heard all those little 'weeweewee' followed by hairdriers whining... then I'd start my Challenger; click from the relay, thump from the teeth engaging, 'wowwowvroooommm'  (even a 2-barrel 318 can sound good with the right glasspaks on it) followed by a 5-6 second spin-down.  They'd laugh about the former and I'd tell them that was the result of using a motor with the power of their entire engine as a starter; they'd snort at the spin-down, I told them thats what bearings were for and to call me when their manufacturers had progressed to that stage.

My 1990 Ram had one of the minimotors in it... worked fine but sounded like a toyota starting.  I know they have advantages but really... the sound?  Nope...

[Bullitt-]

TWO stories       1-73 . Charger sometimes would do nothing, seemed to be worse when it was cold or rainy, found if I jiggled the wires from the steering column it would start. Later a loose connector in a plug from the steering column was pushed in & problem went away.                2-240Z acted much like yours. After sitting up for a while the starter was intermittent. I removed/disassembled, cleaned & burnished all connections, contacts, greased it up real good, never had any more problems with it.(the starter that is)

[ShelbyDogg]

Grec,

Do the sparky thing the next time your car doesn't start.  If it starts, then it is your other wiring and not the starter.  If it doesn't start, the starter is bad.  To get yourself home, tap the side of the starter with something that will jar it a little then try shorting it again.   THEN, don't drive it again till you get a starter.
This way you are trying to determine if it is really the starter or the Ign.switch, neut start sw,start relay, etc.
Rob

[Grec]

Sounds good.

At this point, I'm wondering if it may not be battery-related as well.

I discovered that my battery was undercharged yesterday and am thinking that one of my other problems, short in cig lighter, may have drained my battery down to the point where it was just barely starting the car.

As a test, I swapped in the battery from another car and she fired up very strongly.

This still doesn't explain, however, the one time when I tried to start her and she made no noise at all. Or why she wouldn't start and then she would.

Heh.  I'm probably dealing with two seperate problems. :-)

[MEK-Dangerfield]

You probably are. When my starter was dying, it wouldn't turn one day, then it would fire up the next. Go figure. Even with a weak battery, your engine should turn some.


  Mike

[Grec]

Well, I'll add it to the (growing) list of things to fix and or check.

One of these days I'll actually get to drive my new car!   

[Bullitt-]

you should at least get the clikity sound from the relay with a low battery and I would think with a bum starter.