A starter is an important element of any internal combustion engine. It is he who rotates after turning the key in the ignition, after which the engine starts. The starter creates the necessary revolutions of the crankshaft so that a compression degree is formed in the cylinders sufficient to ignite the combustible mixture. If this mechanism is faulty, then starting a modern car will not work with the key. Let's find out about starter malfunctions, diagnostic methods and troubleshooting methods.
Device
This unit is a small electric motor. Its characteristics are sufficient to allow the pistons to move inside the cylinders. The electric motor is powered by direct current, and receives energy from the battery. Manufacturers make starters with or without a gearbox. Any starter has a motor, a retractor relay, a plug, a bendix.
The former are recommended by many experts. This is due to the fact that the unit consumes less power than a similar starter without a gearbox. The assembly provides the crankshaft rpm necessary for starting, even with a low battery charge. One of the important advantages of such units are permanent magnets. They minimize starter faults associated with the windings to a minimum. On the other hand, if you twist such a mechanism for a long time, then the bendix may fail.
The second starters, in the device of which the gearbox is not installed, directly affect the gear. The owners of such units win in that the design is simpler, and in case of breakage, the assembly is easily repaired by one’s own hands. After supplying electricity to the retractor relay, clutch with the flywheel occurs instantly. This provides quick ignition. It should be noted that such starters are more hardy, and the likelihood of breakdowns, the causes of which are associated with the electrics, are minimal. But the device may not work well due to low temperatures.
Operating principle
Knowing the principle of operation of this device, it is easier to diagnose starter malfunctions and how to solve them becomes more accessible.
When the car owner turns the key in the ignition, current is supplied to the solenoid relay. It closes the motor contacts and at the same time moves the bendix - gear, which is engaged with the electric motor. After that, the starter motor starts to rotate. The engine starts.
Malfunctions
The main malfunctions of the starter are not so many. Often car owners are faced with several popular breakdowns.
So the motor turns too slowly. Another problem is that the starter rotates, but the crankshaft does not spin. The next breakdown - instead of the usual buzzing, there is only a click and nothing else happens. And finally, the element may not spin at all and relay clicks will not be heard.
These failures have both electrical and mechanical causes. All malfunctions of the starter and methods for their elimination we will consider further.
Starter cranks the crankshaft slowly
There can be several reasons for this malfunction. So the most common solution is to charge the battery. The starter draws a lot of current and can easily discharge a weak battery. It is also often possible to observe oxidized contacts on the battery, terminals and connections. The tightening of the contact bolts on the solenoid relay may loosen. It happens that the collector burns out. Brushes may hang, breaks in the starter winding or anchors are possible. The brush holder also closes to ground, inter-turn short circuits occur .
Starter repair consists in cleaning all electrical connections and contacts, replaced by burnt nickels and contacts.
How to check?
To make sure the starter is working, the first thing to do is check the solenoid relay. For this, a measuring device is connected to the power circuit of the retractor winding. A gasket is placed between the stop ring and the drive gear. Its thickness should be from 12.8 to 15 millimeters. The thickness of this gasket depends on the type of starter. Next, start the relay. The current on the winding should not be higher than 23 Amps. The voltage should be 9 volts. If the values are higher, then the causes of the starter malfunction are found - this is a winding. To diagnose the winding more precisely, it is checked for a short.
Do it as follows. Take a test lamp or multimeter. It is necessary to disconnect the winding from the solenoid relay, then slightly raise the brushes, unhook the wire of the shunt coil, pull the brushes out of the holders. Through the lamp, 12 volts are supplied to the field winding and the unit body. If the lamp is on, then there is a short to ground in the winding.
The same method is suitable when you need to check if there is a short to the brush holder housing. In this case, voltage is supplied to the brush holder and the housing. To make sure that there is no short to ground at the anchor, you need to raise the brushes, apply voltage to the collector plates and to the starter housing. If the light is on, there is a short circuit and a starter fault has been detected. Broken or worn parts must be replaced.
What to do if the starter is spinning but the crankshaft is not?
Typically, such a malfunction is associated with slipping of the freewheel. There may also be a breakdown of the clutch lever, the lever may pop out of the axis. The same symptoms can be observed if the ring on the clutch breaks or the buffer spring is out of order. The drive can move tightly on a screw thread on the armature shaft.
The starter does not turn off after starting the engine
Among the causes of this malfunction may be a jammed lever on the drive, jammed drive on the armature shaft, “sticking” of the contacts of the retractor relay. Often the return spring on the ignition switch fails, the return spring on the freewheel clutch or on the solenoid relay is weakened or broken. With a jammed relay, the same signs of a starter malfunction may occur.
If the engine starts and the starter does not turn off, the ignition must be immediately turned off. Next, open the hood and remove the wire that goes to the solenoid relay. In this case, the cause may be the skew of the unit in its place. It is recommended to remove the skew and tighten the bolts.
If it is not possible to crank the motor
A starter is needed to rotate the crankshaft at a certain number of revolutions. If there is contamination in the connections or wires there is corrosion, this can lead to a slowdown or more serious malfunctions of the starter. You need to make sure that the terminals are perfectly clean, and their fastening is quite reliable.
Another reason may be due to the fact that the gear does not mesh with the crankshaft, the clutch slips or the motor is blocked by something.
Click on start
If a click is heard when the electric circuit is triggered when the starter is turned on, then among the possible malfunctions of the starter, one can distinguish the absence of a voltage on the relay necessary for the element to operate. Check all wiring in the control circuit. If there are problems, they are fixed. If the voltage is sufficient, then check if the contacts on the relay and nickles inside the retractor have burned down. They also check the voltage on the battery - often such symptoms of a starter malfunction can be caused by a low voltage on the battery.
Starter does not spin, relay does not click
The cause may be a dead battery. Next is a popular reason related to contacts.
The fault can be eliminated by restoring the contact on the solenoid relay. You can also remove it, disassemble and rinse thoroughly.
Conclusion
Most starter malfunctions can be easily resolved by disassembling the device, cleaning it from dust, dirt, replacing worn parts and lubricating what manufacturers recommend. If you periodically perform maintenance on the starter, then there will be no problems with it. Naturally, this is true if it is an original starter, and not a Chinese copy. Repairing a starter made in China can be very difficult - there are a lot of defects.