Starter motor soloniods?

[geeza]

Where are these fitted and do they go wrong much?

Cheers

[Nate]

the solenoid is the smaller of the 2 cylindrical bits. it fires the spindle into the engine via a seesaw arrangement. the normal problem you'll get with the solenoid is they get full of clutch dust and don't fire out quick enough or far enough. easily fixed by stripping it down, cleaning everything out with brake cleaner then re-greasing it. normally takes me half hour to strip, clean and rebuild.

[geeza]

Cool. The car I'm looking at has a dodgy one and the guy tells me starts it by using a screwdriver. Hope thats not in the ignition lock!

[jeebz]

It will probably be the ignition barrel then. It would be pretty impressive if he could turn the starter motor with a screwdriver. you should prob make sure the car isn't nicked

[geeza]

They have said its not the ignition. Maybe they use it to short something out in the solenoid somehow

Just waiting on them to give me the reg no so I can do an HPI check on it

[Nate]

it'll be the ignition switch knackered. he'll be shorting out the big red wire (unfused +ve connected straight to battery) to the small wire with a spade connector on. shoving 12v up this connector powers up the solenoid which then fires the workings forward. the main electrical connection is made at the same time, making the motor spin.

you can sometimes get them to start on the key by lifting and wiggling the key as you turn it (i've had a few dubs like that) or just fit a push button start. franken rocco had that, a lighting up button just behind the gearstick. i did also wonder about using the horn push to switch the starter, just to confuse people

[geeza]

Just the switch or barrel too? Could it be because the key is worn? I dont want to turn up and have the wrong parts to fit. Although they have said it starts up fine with the screwdriver.
I'm not mucking about with that every time I go use it

[Nate]

on the back of the ignition barrel there is a sticky out bi8t that goes into (and turns) the switch. one or other of these will be worn, so the switch doesn't get turned far enough. just fit a push button start, problem solved