Subject: Re: Intermittent starter problem
Author: Patrick Hayes
Date: Jul 6, 2005, 8:37 AM
Post ID: 1719122318
John Wells Jr wrote:
| the solenoid which will hold for a while(??). I removed the solenoid, depressed the plunger against the contacts and turned vigorously back and forth to clean the contacts. Put it back in and it worked like a charm. If it misbehaves again, I'll take it off and follow your excellent instructions. Thanks very much for your input!! |
Sorry. Likely won't work or last for long. Once you finally take the
solenoid apart you will see why. The plunger passes through the center
of a rectangular plate. The plate is what makes the bridge contact
between the battery source and the starter motor innards. The plunger
to plate hole is slightly oversized for free movement and there is a
coil spring to apply pressure. You can turn the plunger all you wish,
but the plate will freewheel on the other end and NOT rotate. Oh, you
might get a few degrees of back and forth movement, but the contact
plate will always remain fixed in its vertical position no matter how
you spin the plunger shaft.
It is really not that difficult to rebuild the solenoid. The only risk
is tearing or destroying the cardboard ring gasket between the solenoid
metal body and the plastic contact cap. After removing the two long
screws which retain the plastic cap, you need to de-solder the two
connecting wires. You do so with some good braided copper solder
extractor available at any good hardware store. Heat the solder to
melting and have the braided copper in contact with the solder and the
heat. The solder will quickly flow up the copper braid and leave the
solenoid terminals disconnected and free. Now just pull of the cap and
try to preserve the gasket. Maybe pry around with a razor blade on both
surfaces before you lift the cap aft. Cleaning, burnishing the huge
internal contacts is obvious and trivial after that.
DO NOT omit the gasket on reassembly and DO NOT fabricate another gasket
from thinner material. The gasket thickness appears to play a minor but
important role in the "timing" of the starter motor functions. One
function is to drive the starter pinion forward into the flywheel teeth.
The second function is to spin the starter motor. You DO NOT want to
get the starter spinning before the pinion teeth are engaged or you risk
some serious flywheel damage.
Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA