16 replies to this topic

[paulfoel]

1989 Jap Mini Cooper. Been off the road for 6 months and just got it going again.

 

Trouble is turn the ignition and you just get a loud click. Try it about 10 times and it works fine. Wondering if it starter motor jamming or something?

[nicklouse]

poor earth or poor battery change.

[Leonrjohnson]

Worn out starter motor brushes will do this: also a hung up brush inside the starter motor will do the same thing. 

[paulfoel]

poor earth or poor battery change.

 

Thanks Nick. Not poor battery - its been fully charged.

Earth maybe - battery connection is not the best.

[paulfoel]

Worn out starter motor brushes will do this: also a hung up brush inside the starter motor will do the same thing. 

 

Never had a problem before this last 6 month layoff. Could it have got like this by being idle?

[Leonrjohnson]

6 month layoff may cause a starter motor brush to corrode in its holder and seizing it.

[paulfoel]

So new starter motor or will it free itself?

[dklawson]

Machine gun clicks are typical of a weak battery.  Solid single clicks or clunks without turning the engine can be the sign of a tired battery, stuck starter motor, or burned solenoid contacts. 

 

Before you spend any money, try using jumper cables to another car to confirm whether or not it is the battery.  I know you said you charged the battery.  However, you also let the battery sit for several months and you did not mention how old the battery is.  They do loose charge and develop deposits on the internal plates from sitting.  Your seemingly good battery simply may not be able to develop sufficient charge to turn the engine over.

 

If the jumper cables do not make any difference, try bridging the solenoid contacts.  To do this safely, place the gearbox in neutral and set the handbrake.  Open the bonnet and locate the starter motor.  Your car is late enough that it should have a pre-engaged starter.  On the top of the starter is the solenoid.  It will have two threaded metal posts on it.  One post has a battery cable on it along with a bunch of brown wires.  The other post will have a cable that goes into the starter motor.  Use an insulated handle screwdriver to bridge the two threaded posts.  There WILL be sparks.  That is normal, don't let it scare you.  If the starter turns over normally with this test, the starter motor itself is OK but the solenoid is at fault.  

[laandaa]

what dklawson said

 

also check the connections make sure there is no play as a loose connection will result in what you are describing, you also said your battery connection is not the best? fix that loose contacts cause faults

[paulfoel]

Machine gun clicks are typical of a weak battery.  Solid single clicks or clunks without turning the engine can be the sign of a tired battery, stuck starter motor, or burned solenoid contacts. 

 

Before you spend any money, try using jumper cables to another car to confirm whether or not it is the battery.  I know you said you charged the battery.  However, you also let the battery sit for several months and you did not mention how old the battery is.  They do loose charge and develop deposits on the internal plates from sitting.  Your seemingly good battery simply may not be able to develop sufficient charge to turn the engine over.

 

If the jumper cables do not make any difference, try bridging the solenoid contacts.  To do this safely, place the gearbox in neutral and set the handbrake.  Open the bonnet and locate the starter motor.  Your car is late enough that it should have a pre-engaged starter.  On the top of the starter is the solenoid.  It will have two threaded metal posts on it.  One post has a battery cable on it along with a bunch of brown wires.  The other post will have a cable that goes into the starter motor.  Use an insulated handle screwdriver to bridge the two threaded posts.  There WILL be sparks.  That is normal, don't let it scare you.  If the starter turns over normally with this test, the starter motor itself is OK but the solenoid is at fault.  

 

Thanks. I'll try that.

 

Battery was disconnected during this time - if it makes a difference?

 

Thing is it clicks just once. then thats it. Turn the key again and this time it might work fine and turn over brilliantly.

[dklawson]

A battery not connected to some form of trickle or float charger will lose charge when sitting idle.  

 

Since you mentioned this is an intermittent problem that may or may not happen, it is probably not a battery issue.  It could be the contacts in the solenoid, the starter relay, or a problem with the starter motor itself.  Let us know how your testing goes and as we learn more, we can suggest more things to check.

[paulfoel]

Hi all - revisiting the car after 6 months non-use. Yes I know I really should start this up more often before it dies completely.

 

Trouble is needs some welding to pass mot as well.

 

Anyway, wont start at all any more - just that same click but now its not intermittent its permanent. Going to try the solenoid idea that someone above mentioned?

[Steve220]

I removed mine, stuck it in a vice and tested it. They're not really serviceable items (most people just replace them) however you can open them up and strip them down/clean/grease them.

[Northernpower]

Hi all - revisiting the car after 6 months non-use. Yes I know I really should start this up more often before it dies completely.

 

Trouble is needs some welding to pass mot as well.

 

Anyway, wont start at all any more - just that same click but now its not intermittent its permanent. Going to try the solenoid idea that someone above mentioned?

I can't see in the thread you have checked all the connections. If you haven't, and you're confident the battery has a full charge I suggest before you remove anything you undo, clean and retighten every connection in the circuit on both the power and the earth side, especially the engine and boot earth side. If this doesn't work then I'd start looking at components including as already mentioned, starter brushes.

[paulfoel]

OK one year later and car hasnt been started. 

 

Where to start. Checked connections etc. Still getting single click.

 

Still looking at starter motor here or something else.

 

Due to time standing, is there chance it could have seized completely (i.e engine) at this point?