alternator/starter motor issues

[pieman18]

hey guys

my st 20v has slowly been developing a couple of starting issues over the last couple of months

what happens is, when i turn the key nothing happens, doesnt even try and tick over, if i open the bonnet i can hear a slight ticking as i turn the key but all i get from the motor is silence

in the beginning usually around the 3rd - 5th time i turned the key it would fire up, so i though nothing of it, but now a couple of months later, its taking me sometimes around 5 mins to get it going, ive resorted to using a bar to hit the alternator to 'wake it up a bit' and it used to work quickly but now thats stopped working aswell

when the car is on its fine, no signs of electricity failure, radio, indicators, lights, etc all work fine, its just the starting thats the issue

my questions to u guys are: what do you think it is?

and if its the starter motor and/or alternator are they an easy swap for the same item and what tools and items will i need to get the job done?

thanks guys

[biggo]

the alternator has nothing to do with the starting system so please leave him alone!

Sounds like the contacts in the actual starter have shat themselves. try borrowing another known working starter and see if it fixes your non starting issue.

[Javal]

Yep, solenoid in the starter is shitting itself.

Replace solenoid / brushes or get it rebuilt. Or buy a new one.

[pieman18]

is that an easy fix?

im not as mechanically minded with engines as i wanna be so i tend to leave them alone unless i know exactly what to do and how to do it

[Javal]

Changing the starter is rather straightforward.

Rebuilding it takes a little know how.

Just get a reconditioned one, usually they come with a 1-2 year warranty.

[enigma]

starter motors have contacts in them that burn out. last time i bought some they cost me about 5 bucks. they should just bolt in. just take the old ones out and you will be able to tell if they are burnt out or not cos they should be about 3-4mm thick. take the old ones to an auto electrician and get the biggest ones as in the most surface area that will fit and put them in. then get some sand paper and clean up the face of the contact on the plunger.

oh and you shouldnt hit starters cos they have magets in them which break easy. you might want to check you havnt stuffed yours

[shakes]

Buy a gregorys or haynes manual from ebay or repco or where you choose.

Find the starter motor section and work yourself out from there... you'll find the info in there alot more concise and easier to follow than the reply's your getting here, will also help you learn and understand a bit more about your car each time you hit a hurdle such as this.

[pieman18]

cheers for ur help guys

it has well and truly died today, but now ive got one on the way and im gonna attempt to swap them over tomorrow arvo, i had a quick squiz at it before and i think ill struggle with positioning and that, but it looks pretty staright forward
unbolt battery
loosen bolts
disconnect wires
take it out
put new one in
connect wires
connect battery
im thinking of doing a short tech article for those newbies that have no idea (sorta like myself hehe)

ive got a book here that will help me, and theres really only one good way to learn

[shakes]

best attitude ever