On 18 Apr, 14:20, ro...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
wrote:
> I've got a '98 grandvoyager3.3L which shows all the symptoms of
> dirty or worn solenoid contacts. (Battery okay, loud 'click' when you
> turn the ignition switch, butstartermotor doesn't turn, used to turn
> after several tries, but has got progressively worse and now doesn't
> seem to want to turn at all).
thanks for your replies on this. I decided in the end to remove the
starter + solenoid together instead of trying to fix or clean up the
solenoid in place. (And yes, I disconnected the battery before I
started, I have a lot of respect for high current supplies.)
Turns out the solenoid contacts were wet with oil (probably because
my young son missed the filler hole when I let him add a quart of oil
a few weeks ago) and this had burned on and insulated the contacts.
The contacts themselves were worn away to about half their depth,
so no immediate need to replace them. I removed and cleaned up
the plunger and contacts with detergent and hot water, gave them
a quick rub over with sandpaper, and put it all together again.
A quick test with jump leads showed it was working again, so job
done.
Regarding repairing in place, it would indeed be possible to clean
up the contacts and plunger without removing the starter from the
engine, but it would be impossible to remove the upper
(non-battery-side) contact. However, according to
http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/Starter.shtml
only the battery-side contact ever wears out, so this could be a
feasible approach. On a balance though I'm glad I removed the
whole thing because it made the disassembly and cleaning
much more straightforward.
Total time - about 40 mins to remove (this would have been
much faster if I could have found a 15mm ratchet spanner), an
hour to clean up, and half an hour to put back.
Footnote: evidently you can't turn over a 3.3 engine with a 9"
long spanner.
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