Starter Motor Jammed

[pjd7325]

Just finished a night shift and went to start the FC and nothing! The a meter was showing 14v so not problem with the battery. All I got was "click" from the starter motor and that\'s it. Looked at the connections and checked the fuses. Any ideas on how I can cure this? Surely it wouldn\'t of frozen would it? It was -1 degrees.

[Brett]

give it a tap with a hammer

[Bobbit]

Yep, what Brett said. I had this prob with my first car (peugeot 205! 1.1!) i was outside with it for about 2 hrs trying everything but no luck, my Dad came out, hit it with a hammer and problem solved!

[David Nock (RIP)]

Are starter motors still DC motors with brushes and a commutator? If so the brushes are worn down or the comm wants cleaning/undercutting. The whole thing wants to come off for a good clean and looksee anyway, whatever it is. It will only let you down otherwise. You\'ve posted "jammed" but do you mean it just wouldn\'t work? If it was jammed in mesh then that\'s ring gear or bendix drive. If it just wouldn\'t turn it\'s probably brushes/comm.

[pjd7325]

I will try the hammer option first! When I say jammed I mean I wouldn\'t work. Normally the engine will turn over when you turn the alternator but it wouldn\'t even do that this morning. Anyway I\'ll give it a go later.

[pjd7325]

Well tried the hammer option and no joy. Tried to bump it too to see if would dis lodge it but no joy. The engine wouldn\'t even turn over when bumped so must be well jammed!

[vinnythespud]

sounds like the engine could be seized,try putting it in gear and rock the car backwards and forwards with the hand brake off to se if the engine turns,if it wont then it could be seized.if it turns over get a new starter motor.

[David Nock (RIP)]

I\'m loosing the plot here.Theres a big step to \'seized engine\' from \'starter doesn\'t work\'. Is the starter motor just \'clicking\' when you turn the key and do the dash lights/main lights stay bright? If yes then it\'s starter motor electrical e.g. solenoid (pre-engaged mechanism contacts)/ brushes/comm. Is the starter making a sound like trying to turn the engine e.g. a deffinate clonk and do the lights dim right down? If yes its ring gear or bendix drive stuck in. If you\'re saying that the starter\'s jamming the engine then again it\'s stuck in. The starter needs to come off as a first step whatever else you do. If it is jammed unbolting it should release it from the ring gear. Vinny\'s probably right in that you may be better just getting a new starter rather than stripping the old one (if the engines not seized that is).

[pjd7325]

Starter motor is ok! After all that it was the battery that was the problem. Now it won\'t start at all. It fired up but was only firing on one rotor then died. It wouldn\'t start at all when I just tried it. I took the plugs and the EGI fuse out, cranked the engine to get rid of the fuel. Put the plugs back in and the egi fuse and it started but again only on one rotor with quite a bit of blue smoke out the back then again wouldn\'t tick over. Am I doing something wrong regarding the un flooding it? All the HT leads are in place and in the correct order. There is a spark at the plugs.

[vinnythespud]

Normally the engine will turn over when you turn the alternator but it wouldn\'t even do that this morning.
thats what made me think seized engine,glad you got it sorted pjd,try pouring boiling water on the temp sensor by the alternator and them start it,if the ecu thinks the engine is warm it should run weaker and help"un flood" the engine,it worked for me.

[pjd7325]

Thanks Vinney. I\'m going to get a new set of plugs today also just to be on the safe side. I started it earlier and the same "missing" was happening and very strong smell of petrol which is obviously all the un burnt fuel.

[pjd7325]

Well I have changed the plugs and she started ok on both rotors but struggled to keep her going and let my foot off the throttle and she cut out and wouldn\'t re start. I took the plugs out, egi fuse and cranked it over incase it was flooded. Disconnected the battery and re connected the battery to re set the ecu etc. Still no joy and will not start at all. The HT leads, dizzy etc are all new! Can\'t understand how this has happened by changing a battery!

[pjd7325]

If I can\'t get to the bottom of the problem I will sell it for spares or repairs. I am loathed too but I need a reliable car for work. As regards the TPS air fow metre etc, I have not altered anything. All I did was change the battery and un flooded it.

[Martiny]

check the ecu codes?

[rico2k_uk]

hi all, sorry to rebump an old thread, but just wanting to know - where is the starter motor located, and how to you remove it? can it be done on axle stands without removing much else? cheers!