CarTrouble

[pete m]

Easy one for thems that know - the car has an intermittent fault - it wont start ....it clicks , but no fire up...ive charged the battery - made no odds, i could bump start, ecept im at the bottom of the hill :smt120

so how do i fix it - im assuming the starting motor needs some work , altho the intermittent nature - least it was, until it became terminal ! - suugests a bad connection...but where is it , how to find it etc ???

Its an olfd Corolla

[Viney]

Sounds like the solenoid on the starter motor. Just get either a second hand motor or get a recon unit. Easy enogh really.

[Owenski]

You say intermittant?
My clio used to do similar turned out moisture came though the bonet vent in heavy rain and was speaping into the distributer cap. Screwdriver, seal pasty stuff and kictchen roll cured it.
Dont know if its any use to you but it worked for me :D

[timwilky]

Don't want to be teaching my granny to suck eggs but does sound solenoid. However, could quite easily be a bad earth. check the earth connections to the body from both the engine and battery. Especially with an older car where the connection points have had the oppurtunity to corrode.

Try putting it 5th etc and rock the car back/forth a couple of times. If it simply the solenoid cannot throw the pinion into the ring gear the rocking may help align it.

[pete m]

thanks for the tips - solenoid eh - where is it - nrae distributor cap - on top or bottom of engine ....

the rocking of th engione - and few taps with a hammer - have been tried :cool:

[benji106]

solenoid is part of starter motor

[Specialone]

Before you start pulling starter motors off, are you absolutely sure its not the battery?
Have youi tried putting jump leads from another vehicle?
If it starts every time with jump leads attached then its your battery.
Make sure other vehicles engine is running at least 1500rpm so that its getting enough juice from its own alternator.
When it clicking does it sound like its jamming just beforehand?
If so, put into first gear and slightly rock car forwards and back, that should free it.

hth

[yorkie_chris]

many clicks or one click?

[pete m]

one click - LOL !

specialone - im no Jeremy Burgess - ahem - but its not the battery , iom sure !

i have tried moving the car in gear - to free it ( free what ?) - but it didnt work...course i had the clutch depressed so maybe it didnt free it :confused: - is this to do with the crank / pistons getting stuck att the top / dead centre / somewhere awkward ? :rolleyes:

i think some pix of the workings of the strter motor/ crankshaft/ pistons would help...i might even be able to locate the darn thing ..the starter , not the engine ;)

[davepreston]

first hit the starter with a hammer if it starts after that= new starter. but imo im with matt distributer needs a good going over

[davepreston]

distributer is normally on top with 6 or more leeds going into it from cylinders

[yorkie_chris]

Why LOL?
One click can be one problem, if it is going clickclickclick it is different problem...


Starter is motor looking thing (you can usually see coils) pointing into bell housing.

Lump on side of starter motor is solenoid. It is this thing making clicking. Fat red wire from battery will lead to it.

When you rock it, let the clutch out :-D


Starter solenoid fires the gears together basically. If the gears have landed at an awkward angle sometimes they won't mesh. Or solenoid can work fine, but not pass current (other function of solenoid, act as switch for electrical current to turn starter motor)... for couple of reasons. Or maybe starter wire came loose so solenoid works fine just no power to deliver!

[yorkie_chris]

first hit the starter with a hammer if it starts after that= new starter. but imo im with matt distributer needs a good going over

How can it be distributor if engine will not turn over?

If it was no spark problem engine would crank but not start.

[Specialone]

one click - LOL !

specialone - im no Jeremy Burgess - ahem - but its not the battery , iom sure !

i have tried moving the car in gear - to free it ( free what ?) - but it didnt work...course i had the clutch depressed so maybe it didnt free it :confused: - is this to do with the crank / pistons getting stuck att the top / dead centre / somewhere awkward ? :rolleyes:

i think some pix of the workings of the strter motor/ crankshaft/ pistons would help...i might even be able to locate the darn thing ..the starter , not the engine ;)

Unless you have tried a new battery or jump leads, i would not be too sure, batteries are weird things, they can show 12v but have no current.
Charging it up means nothing.

Trying what i said costs nothing, if you havent tried it yet, you need to, cos starter motors cost money and might not cure the problem.

BTW, clutch must not be in when rocking the car in gear, this practice is to try and free the flywheel and starter motor pinion that may have become jammed due to misalignment or worn bearings etc, i used to get it regular with an astra i had 20 years ago, i took mine apart and greased it and it was fine, but traded it it 3 months later so not sure how it worked long term.

[pete m]

Chris - its funny cos im sure it only clicks once...

special- im sure its not battery cos i charged it and all the lights work etc....re advice, i think we arte getting there , i have tried to follow the battery wires before , so will try that again..

well intersting about the solenoid firing the gears ...and having to move the gears , yes , i did think this was why , but to move the car in gear with the clutch out isnt an easy thing to do....

btw - the car jumps out of fourth gear ...you must hold the gear lever when between 3rd n 5th...is this significant....i doubt it :cool:

[Bibio]

jumping out of gear = duff gear box. maybe it has given up.

you can check the starter by connecting jump leads to the + and - terminals of the solenoid then the connect the jump leads to the battery. connect the - lead then touch the + lead to the terminal you will get sparks from the terminal but the starter should turn. if the starter turns then you know its the leads.