Easy starter repair

[thikstik]

It acted like solenoid where car wouldnt crank sometimes, and a hit on starter would usually work. Ive seen this on 3 buicks before....anyway, I took starter apart and found that the brushs were loose. I simply tightened them and starter has worked perfectly with faster spin up. I put a solenoid on a freinds buick and it still didnt help, so i guess it had same problem. I cant explain why the solenoid doesnt click when it is the brushes that are at fault, but it doesnt, thereby perfectly mimicking a bad solenoid. Id rather use an old Delco as they are better than garbage out there now.

[92GrandPrixSE]

It acted like solenoid where car wouldnt crank sometimes, and a hit on starter would usually work. Ive seen this on 3 buicks before....anyway, I took starter apart and found that the brushs were loose. I simply tightened them and starter has worked perfectly with faster spin up. I put a solenoid on a freinds buick and it still didnt help, so i guess it had same problem. I cant explain why the solenoid doesnt click when it is the brushes that are at fault, but it doesnt, thereby perfectly mimicking a bad solenoid. Id rather use an old Delco as they are better than garbage out there now.

 

Because the solenoid grounds through the brushes. And the new stuff is better than the old by far.

[Night Fury]

Hmm.... food for thought. The car I have now doesn't even click....

[thikstik]

I figure the solenoid coil just grounds to the body of the starter.

 

re clicking- mine didnt click either.

[92GrandPrixSE]

I figure the solenoid coil just grounds to the body of the starter.

 

re clicking- mine didnt click either.

 

One coil grounds to the body, which is why they click, the other grounds through the brushes.

[thikstik]

One coil grounds to the body, which is why they click, the other grounds through the brushes.

 

Makes sense.. So there is 2 coils in solenoid....1 is the "initiater", the other a "holding" so to speak?

 

I say they click because when they make the hi amp contact that powers the startr, there is alot of current draw that subsequently causes solenoid to lose enough holding current, process starts again and cycles rapidly thus giving the cycles of apply/release/apply.....the click we all have heard.

This happens if power is low to starter, or starter is sinkig too much amps. Mine apparently had ok initiating coil, but no way to initiate 2nd coil...therby no clicking cycle in my case. Tapping it helped because brushes needed the band to make contact.