Starter goes click click click click click PROBLEM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 739
Received 34 Likes
on
26 Posts
Car: 92 Z28
Engine: Ramjet 350
Transmission: T-56
Axle/Gears: 3.23 Torsen
Starter goes click click click click click PROBLEM
Well I am pretty darn tired of this problem. I have tried everything. Car is a 3.1 v6 92. starter goes click click click click forever and ever and will not engage starter motor. I have brand new battery cable that goes from battery to the power post on starter solenoid.., brand new ground cable that goes from batt to the block right below the water pump. Brand new starter and it still clicks click click click . Sometimes when i got to start it it does not even click.. instead i hear a faint clicking under the guagues. sounds like relay clicking but the starter does not. when that happens i usually go out and grab a screwdriver and connect the power post to the little post and same thing just clicks clicks clicks sometimes the starter motor engages for like a split second and then back to the dam clickinggg.... can anybody shed some light i am tired of this problem and pulling my hairs out.
#2
Supreme Member
Re: Starter goes click click click click click PROBLEM
You replaced everything but haven't addressed the battery.
What's its condition and state of charge? This should have been the first thing to check before throwing all those parts at the problem.
What's its condition and state of charge? This should have been the first thing to check before throwing all those parts at the problem.
#4
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 739
Received 34 Likes
on
26 Posts
Car: 92 Z28
Engine: Ramjet 350
Transmission: T-56
Axle/Gears: 3.23 Torsen
Re: Starter goes click click click click click PROBLEM
Well I went to buy a new battery and still clicks. Same thing just clicking. Well I started to mess with it some more and this time I put the screwdriver
on the starter motor post below and the motor turns everytime.... so i
know the starter motor works. So I made it click some more which im assuming is
the bendix hitting the flexplate, and then i would touch the motor post and it
would catch the flexplate for like a split second but not enough to start it. So
i repeated that procedure until it spun the flexplate just enough to start it. So what is the problem
here?? The solenoid not activating the motor?? starter teeth? I will go out later and remove the
dust shield and see exactly whats going on . I saw a post were a guy said that the teeth were not
machined properly.?? Maybe its the 100 plus dollar duralast starter i
baught at autozone?? piece of crap. I remember a time were my car would start every time
on the starter motor post below and the motor turns everytime.... so i
know the starter motor works. So I made it click some more which im assuming is
the bendix hitting the flexplate, and then i would touch the motor post and it
would catch the flexplate for like a split second but not enough to start it. So
i repeated that procedure until it spun the flexplate just enough to start it. So what is the problem
here?? The solenoid not activating the motor?? starter teeth? I will go out later and remove the
dust shield and see exactly whats going on . I saw a post were a guy said that the teeth were not
machined properly.?? Maybe its the 100 plus dollar duralast starter i
baught at autozone?? piece of crap. I remember a time were my car would start every time
Last edited by maroe624; 12-16-2016 at 01:43 AM.
#5
Senior Member
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Western NY
Posts: 629
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes
on
2 Posts
Car: 88 convertible
Engine: 5.7L
Transmission: 4+3 maual
Axle/Gears: 3.07
Re: Starter goes click click click click click PROBLEM
Sounds like the solenoid is bad. Check your starters engagement with the flywheel. You can remove the inspection cover to get a good view of the Bendix when it engages the flywheel. There should be about 0.030 inch of clearance between the Bendix teeth and the flywheel teeth, but no more. To correct this, use shims. IF, the engagement is ok and the starter continues to just "click", check to see you have good voltage at the purple wire on the solenoid. Check between the purple wire and the starter body (should be a good ground point) when cranking, should have battery voltage of about 12 volts. If this is all good, then your back to the solenoid. The solenoid has two functions, 1 is to pull the Bendix in to engage the starter to the flywheel and 2 is to supply battery power to the starters armature via large contacts within the solenoid. Usually when a starter just "clicks", the battery power is not being properly transferred through these contacts. When you jump between the battery terminal and the armature connection on the starter, you are by-passing the contacts within the solenoid. This is a good test to check the solenoid. Be aware that you do need good battery voltage at the purple wire on the solenoid as that is the power which operates the relay within the solenoid that pulls the Bendix into the flywheel and closes the contacts within the solenoid. If you have a bad connection here, whether a bad ground at the starter or corrosion in the wiring, it will not supply enough power for the relay to fully engage the contacts causing the starter to not turn. So in short, check the voltage at the purple wire while cranking and if good, probably the solenoid. Hope this doesn't confuse and helps a bit! GL!
#7
Supreme Member
Re: Starter goes click click click click click PROBLEM
Here's something you might want to try. It's free...all it costs is a little time.
1. Disconnect the negative battery cable at the battery.
2. Remove the positive battery cable at the starter.
3. Note that the stud the battery cable was connected to is held is held in place on the solenoid by another nut.
4. Loosen the nut referenced in Step 3. While doing this, hold and pull on the stud to hold it in place.
5. Once the nut is loosened about half-way up the stud, push the stud into the solenoid and rotate it 180-degrees, then pull it back out. It should re-seat itself on the inside of the plastic cap on the end of the solenoid.
6. Re-tighten the nut.
7. Reconnect the battery cables.
What this does is it exposes a fresh portion of the "stud" (contact) that completes the circuit that makes the starter spin (see Big Al's post). It's an old school trick my Dad showed me years ago to get a bit more life out of an old solenoid. It worked beautifully on my buddy's '58 Delray...
1. Disconnect the negative battery cable at the battery.
2. Remove the positive battery cable at the starter.
3. Note that the stud the battery cable was connected to is held is held in place on the solenoid by another nut.
4. Loosen the nut referenced in Step 3. While doing this, hold and pull on the stud to hold it in place.
5. Once the nut is loosened about half-way up the stud, push the stud into the solenoid and rotate it 180-degrees, then pull it back out. It should re-seat itself on the inside of the plastic cap on the end of the solenoid.
6. Re-tighten the nut.
7. Reconnect the battery cables.
What this does is it exposes a fresh portion of the "stud" (contact) that completes the circuit that makes the starter spin (see Big Al's post). It's an old school trick my Dad showed me years ago to get a bit more life out of an old solenoid. It worked beautifully on my buddy's '58 Delray...
Trending Topics
#8
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 739
Received 34 Likes
on
26 Posts
Car: 92 Z28
Engine: Ramjet 350
Transmission: T-56
Axle/Gears: 3.23 Torsen
Re: Starter goes click click click click click PROBLEM
Well today I got to the bottom of this problem. I removed the starter and tore the thing down . And cleaned it real good. The plunger was full of carbon and so was the button it makes contact with. I cleaned that up real good. Then I took apart the motor and cleaned that out was full of oil from previous dizzy o ring leak.. So then I noticed something weird with the starter. The pinion gear had a lot of play back and forth . Maybe that's why all it would do was click because it would not make complete contact with the little button the plunger hits, that activates the motor.. So there is this plastic washer at the back of the starter cover. What I did was just make the washer bigger and it gave the plunger that extra tiny inch to make good contact with the button. Hope you can try to understand if your having this problem. Oh And don't go to autozone for starters . Problem solved. Have been dealing with this problem for a while now. Starts strong every time now with a single turn of the key.
#9
Supreme Member
Re: Starter goes click click click click click PROBLEM
That looks like a far cry from a "brand new starter".
Glad you have it fixed.
Glad you have it fixed.