Starter Motor - When to replace?

[li21]

Hi all,

I've been having issue with starting up my car for a while now.
Its a smallport 4age (ADM car). To start it up after not being driven for a week, it take a little to a lot of gas pedal down to get it going.

One cold morning I wasnt able to start it at all. Turned the key, clicked .. then nothing. Had NRMA come round and install a bigger battery.
All good for a few weeks. Today Started as normal, went to the shops and could start it at all. Sounded like the battery was out of juice or the starter motor was dead.

About 20 mins later it started up again! don't know whats going on there. Its definately not the battery (alternator is charging it fine).

How do I tell for certain it is the starter motor and if so, how much are a good second hand one?

cheers

[Roo]

sounds more like a battery/alternator problem then starter motor problem.

did it crank hard or was it like a slow crank after they put the new battery in?

best bet would be go to a auto sparky and get him to check if something draining the system and get him to check the alternator and wiring

[4A-GE Power]

To check if it is a starter you might need an inductive AMP meter. You just clamp it around one of the starter cables and read how much current its drawing. If it takes almost all of the battery's rated CCA and still cranks slow then its farked. It may just have dirty brushes or commutator. Or it may have a short in one of the windings. Hard to tell without testing it. Alternately you can just get a normal AMP meter and connect it up but make sure it can take high current as it will most likely draw close to 400 AMPS depending on the battery

[rthy]

http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/faq/inde...a/starter-relay (http://www.ae86drivingclub.com.au/faq/index.php/BY_ENGINE/4a/starter-relay)

this might fix it.